Numbers 2
New English Translation
The Arrangement of the Tribes
2 [a] The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron: 2 “Every one[b] of the Israelites must camp[c] under his standard with the emblems of his family;[d] they must camp at some distance[e] around the tent of meeting.[f]
The Tribes on the East
3 “Now those who will be camping[g] on the east, toward the sunrise,[h] are the divisions[i] of the camp of Judah under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is[j] Nahshon son of Amminadab. 4 Those numbered in his division[k] are 74,600. 5 Those who will be camping next to them[l] are the tribe of Issachar. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6 Those numbered in his division are 54,400. 7 Next will be[m] the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. 8 Those numbered in his division are 57,400. 9 All those numbered of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, are 186,400. They will travel[n] at the front.
The Tribes on the South
10 “On the south will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard.[o] The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 Those numbered in his division are 46,500. 12 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Simeon. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 Those numbered in his division are 59,300. 14 Next will be[p] the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel.[q] 15 Those numbered in his division are 45,650. 16 All those numbered of the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, are 151,450. They will travel second.
The Tribe in the Center
17 “Then the tent of meeting with the camp of the Levites will travel in the middle of the camps. They will travel in the same order as they camped, each in his own place[r] under his standard.
The Tribes on the West
18 “On the west will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 Those numbered in his division are 40,500. 20 Next to them will be the tribe of Manasseh. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 Those numbered in his division are 32,200. 22 Next will be[s] the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 Those numbered in his division are 35,400. 24 All those numbered of the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, are 108,100. They will travel third.
The Tribes on the North
25 “On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan, under their standards. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 Those numbered in his division are 62,700. 27 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Asher. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. 28 Those numbered in his division are 41,500. 29 Next will be[t] the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. 30 Those numbered in his division are 53,400. 31 All those numbered of the camp of Dan are 157,600. They will travel last, under their standards.”
Summary
32 These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families.[u] All those numbered in the camps, by their divisions, are 603,550. 33 But the Levites were not numbered among the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.
34 So the Israelites did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way[v] they camped under their standards, and that is the way they traveled, each with his clan and family.
Footnotes
- Numbers 2:1 sn For this chapter, see C. E. Douglas, “The Twelve Houses of Israel,” JTS 37 (1936): 49-56; C. C. Roach, “The Camp in the Wilderness: A Sermon on Numbers 2:2, ” Int 13 (1959): 49-54; and G. St. Clair, “Israel in Camp: A Study,” JTS 8 (1907): 185-217.
- Numbers 2:2 tn Heb “a man by his own standard.”
- Numbers 2:2 tn The imperfect tense is to be taken in the nuance of instruction.
- Numbers 2:2 tn Heb “of/for the house of their fathers.”
- Numbers 2:2 tn The Hebrew expression מִנֶּגֶד (minneged) means “from before” or “opposite; facing” and “at some distance” or “away from the front of” (see BDB 617 s.v. נֶגֶד 2.c.a; DCH 5:603-4 s.v. 3.b).
- Numbers 2:2 sn The Israelites were camping as a military camp, each tribe with the standards and emblems of the family. The standard was the symbol fastened to the end of a pole and carried to battle. It served to rally the tribe to the battle. The Bible nowhere describes these, although the serpent emblem of Numbers 21:8-9 may give a clue. But they probably did not have shapes of animals in view of the prohibition in the Decalogue. The standards may have been smaller for the families than the ones for the tribes. See further K. A. Kitchen, “Some Egyptian Background to the Old Testament,” TynBul 5 (1960): 11; and T. W. Mann, Divine Presence and Guidance in Israelite Tradition, 169-73.
- Numbers 2:3 tn The sentence begins with a vav (ו) on a word that is not a finite verb, indicating a new section begins here. The verbal form is a participle with the article used substantivally, with the meaning “and/now those camping.” Many English versions employ a finite verb; cf. KJV “on the east side…shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch.”
- Numbers 2:3 tc The two synonyms might seem to be tautological, but this is fairly common and therefore acceptable in Hebrew prose (cf. Exod 26:18; 38:13; etc.).
- Numbers 2:3 tn The sentence actually has “[those camping…are] the standard of the camp of Judah according to their divisions.”
- Numbers 2:3 tn Or “will be.”
- Numbers 2:4 tc The expression “and his divisions and those numbered of them” is somewhat tautological. The words are synonyms used for statistical purposes, and so neither should be simply deleted.
- Numbers 2:5 tn Heb “by him” [i.e., Judah].
- Numbers 2:7 tn This part has been supplied; the text simply has “the tribe of Zebulun.”
- Numbers 2:9 tn The verb is נָסָע (nasaʿ): “to journey, travel, set out,” and here, “to move camp.” Judah will go first, or, literally, at the head of the nation, when they begin to travel.
- Numbers 2:10 tn Here and throughout the line is literally “[under] the standard of the camp of Reuben…according to their divisions.”
- Numbers 2:14 tn The Hebrew text simply has “and the tribe of Gad.”
- Numbers 2:14 tc The Leningrad codex, upon which BHS is based, has “Reuel” here. In reading “Deuel” the translation presented above follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, Smr, and the Latin Vulgate. Cf. Num 1:14.
- Numbers 2:17 tn The Hebrew expression is עַל־יָדוֹ (ʿal yado, “upon his hand”). This clearly refers to a specifically designated place for each man.
- Numbers 2:22 tn Here too the Hebrew text simply has “and the tribe of Benjamin.”
- Numbers 2:29 tn The Hebrew text has “and the tribe of Naphtali.”
- Numbers 2:32 tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” So also in v. 34.
- Numbers 2:34 tn The Hebrew word is כֵּן (ken, “thus, so”).
民數記 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
營地的安排
2 耶和華對摩西和亞倫說： 2 「以色列人要各歸本旗，按本族的旗號，在會幕四圍稍遠的地方安營。」 3 東邊，即日出的方向，是猶大營區及其旗號。猶大人的首領是亞米拿達的兒子拿順， 4 率領七萬四千六百人。 5 在猶大支派旁邊安營的是以薩迦支派，首領是蘇押的兒子拿坦業， 6 率領五萬四千四百人。 7 然後是西布倫支派，首領是希倫的兒子以利押， 8 率領五萬七千四百人。 9 猶大營區的人共十八萬六千四百人，他們是開路先鋒。
10 南邊是呂便營區及其旗號。呂便人的首領是示丟珥的兒子以利蘇， 11 率領四萬六千五百人。 12 在呂便支派旁邊安營的是西緬支派，首領是蘇利沙代的兒子示路蔑， 13 率領五萬九千三百人。 14 然後是迦得支派，首領是丟珥的兒子以利雅薩， 15 率領四萬五千六百五十人。 16 呂便營區共十五萬一千四百五十人，他們是第二隊。 17 隨後是會幕和利未人的營區，在其他各營中間。他們各就各位，各歸本旗，照安營時的次序出發。
18 西邊是以法蓮營區及其旗號。以法蓮人的首領是亞米忽的兒子以利沙瑪， 19 率領四萬零五百人。 20 以法蓮支派旁邊是瑪拿西支派，首領是比大蘇的兒子迦瑪列， 21 率領三萬二千二百人。 22 然後是便雅憫支派，首領是基多尼的兒子亞比但， 23 率領三萬五千四百人。 24 以法蓮營區共十萬八千一百人，他們是第三隊。
25 北邊是但營區及其旗號。但人的首領是亞米沙代的兒子亞希以謝， 26 率領六萬二千七百人。 27 在但支派旁邊安營的是亞設支派，首領是俄蘭的兒子帕結， 28 率領四萬一千五百人。 29 然後是拿弗他利支派，首領是以南的兒子亞希拉， 30 率領五萬三千四百人。 31 但營區共有十五萬七千六百人，他們是後隊。
32 以上照宗族和隊伍統計的以色列人共六十萬三千五百五十名。 33 照耶和華對摩西的吩咐，利未人沒被統計在其中。
34 於是，以色列人照耶和華對摩西的吩咐，各按自己的旗號安營，各按自己的宗族啟行。
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