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Webster's Bible: Numbers

English Bible TranslationsNew TestamentNoah Webster

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This is the opening of the Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, belonging to the Torah (Pentateuch) tradition of ancient Israelite religious scripture. The text records God commanding Moses to conduct a census of the twelve tribes of Israel in the Sinai wilderness, counting all men aged twenty and older who are fit for military service — a total of 603,550 soldiers. Each tribe is enumerated individually with its appointed leader named, ranging from Judah's 74,600 men (the largest) to Manasseh's 32,200 (the smallest). The Levites are notably excluded from this military count and assigned instead to serve as custodians and transporters of the sacred Tabernacle, encamping around it as a protective buffer. Chapter 2 then prescribes the precise spatial arrangement of the tribes around the Tabernacle during camp and the order in which they are to march — Judah's group eastward leading, with the Tabernacle and Levites at the center. The passage is distinctive for its meticulous bureaucratic detail and its dual emphasis on military preparedness and ritual order, presenting the Israelite community as simultaneously an army and a worshipping congregation organized around divine presence.

Webster's Bible: Numbers

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