Numbers 26:5-50

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Numbers 26:5-51

This is the register of the tribes as they were now enrolled, in the same order that they were numbered in Num. 1:1-54. Observe, I. The account that is here kept of the families of each tribe, which must not be understood of such as we call families, those that live in a house together, but such as were the descendants of the several sons of the patriarchs, by whose names, in honour of them, their posterity distinguished themselves and one another. The families of the twelve tribes are thus... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:5-7

Reuben, the eldest son of Israel ,.... the number of his tribe is taken first on that account; there were four families that descended from him, the Hanochite, Palluite, Hesronite, and Carmite, and the number of men from twenty years old and upwards, fit for war, were 43,730; so that, since the last numbering, this tribe was decreased 2770; which may in part be accounted for by the families of Dathan and Abiram being cut off for their rebellion, who were this tribe, and whose affair is... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:8

And the sons of Pallu ,.... Or son, the plural for the singular, Pallu having but one son, whose name was Eliab, the father of Dathan and Abiram; Numbers 26:9 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:9

And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram ,.... Of Nemuel we nowhere else read either he died without children, or he and his family perished with his brethren, being concerned with them in the conspiracy; or the family of the Palluite was in his line; one of the same name may be observed in the tribe of Simeon: this is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation ; either before their rebellion, for their power and authority, being heads of their fathers'... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:10

And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up ,.... Not only Dathan and Abiram, but their wives and children, their houses and tents, and all their goods, see Numbers 16:32 together with Korah; the words being thus rendered, and standing in such close connection with the preceding, some have concluded from hence that Korah was swallowed up with them in the earth; whereas he seems rather to have been at that time with the two hundred and fifty men that had censers at the door of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:11

Notwithstanding, the children of Korah died not. Neither of the pestilence, nor by fire, nor by the swallowing up of the earth; they not being in the counsel of their father, but followed the doctrine of Moses the prophet, as the Targum of Jonathan; they either disliked their father's scheme, or, if they engaged with him in it, they repented and departed from him, and were not present when the judgments of God came upon him and his company; there were several of his posterity who were... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:12-14

The sons of Simeon, after their families ,.... This tribe was next numbered, not only because Simeon was next to Reuben by birth, but because his tribe was under the standard of Reuben; two of his sons are a little differently named here than they are in Genesis 46:10 , there the eldest is called Jemuel, here Nemuel; there the youngest but one is named Zohar, here Zerah; and one of them is here omitted, namely Ohad, perhaps because he died without children, and so no family sprang from... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:15-18

The children of Gad, after their families tribe was numbered next to Simeon ,.... because it lay encamped with that under the standard of Reuben. There is a little variation in the names of two or three of his sons, from those by which they are called Genesis 46:16 , instead of Ziphion, here Zephon; and for Haggai, here Haggi; and what is much wider, for Ezbon, here Ozni. Seven families sprang from Gad, whose number now was 40,500; they were diminished since their last numbering 5150; it... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:19-22

And the sons of Judah were Er and Onan ,.... And besides these he had Shelah, Pharez, and Zerah, from whom families sprang, but none from the two first: for Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan ; where they were born; and that because of their sins, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, see Ge 38:7-10 so that there were but three families sprang from Judah, the Shelanites, Pharzites, and Zarhites; only the family of the Pharzites was divided into two families, the Hesronites and the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 26:23-25

Of the sons of Issachar, after their families ,.... This tribe was numbered next to Judah, because it was under his standard. Two of his sons are a little differently named than they are Genesis 46:13 instead of Phuvah one is called Pua, and instead of Job another is called here Jashub; this tribe consisted of four families, and the number of warlike men in it was 64,300; their increase since the last numbering of them is 9900. read more

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