Numbers 1:20
in Numbers 1From the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the children of Reuben, Israel’s first-born, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
KJV
And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
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This verse in Numbers 1
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The enrollment, being taken principally for military purposes (compare Num 1:3, Num 1:20), would naturally be arranged by hundreds, fifties, etc. (cf. 2Ki 1:9, 2Ki 1:11, 2Ki 1:13). In eleven tribes the number enrolled consists of complete hundreds. The difference, in this respect, observable in the case of the tribe of Gad here Num 1:25, and of the tribe of Reuben at the later census Num 26:7, is probably to be accounted for by the pastoral, and consequently nomadic, habits of these tribes, which rendered it difficult to bring all their members together at once for a census.
This site's exposition
And the children of Reuben
on Numbers 1:20-31
The six sons of Leah are numbered first and every tribe gets the same enrolment formula word for word. Judah is the largest at seventy four thousand six hundred, which John Calvin reads beside Jacob's word over Judah at Genesis 49:10, and chapter 2 will set Judah first on the east and first on the march. Gad at forty five thousand six hundred and fifty is the only total in the chapter that does not end in a round hundred, a detail Adam Clarke takes from Henry Ainsworth. Reuben is still called Israel's eldest son here and heads the list, and chapter 2 will place him behind Judah.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
By their generations - That is, the persons begotten of Reuben's immediate children, who are here subdivided into families, and they into houses, and they into particular persons.
And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Of the two half-tribes of Joseph, who is seen to be "a fruitful bough" [Ge 49:22], that of Ephraim was the larger, as had been predicted. The relative increase of all, as in the two just mentioned, was owing to the special blessing of God, conformably to the prophetic declaration of the dying patriarch.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּהְי֤וּ | vaiyihyu | and they were | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| רְאוּבֵן֙ | reuven | Reuben | H7205 → | 72 times |
| בְּכֹ֣ר | bekhor | [the] firstborn of | H1060 → | 122 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| תּוֹלְדֹתָ֥ם | toldotam | genealogies their | H8435 → | 39 times |
| לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם | lemishpechotam | to clans their | H4940 → | 303 times |
| לְבֵ֣ית | leveit | to [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אֲבֹתָ֑ם | ʾavotam | ancestors their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| בְּמִסְפַּ֤ר | bemispar | by [the] number of | H4557 → | 134 times |
| שֵׁמוֹת֙ | shemot | names | H8034 → | 864 times |
| לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָ֔ם | legulgelotam | to heads their | H1538 → | 12 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| זָכָ֗ר | zakhar | male | H2145 → | 82 times |
| מִבֶּ֨ן | miben | from a son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עֶשְׂרִ֤ים | ʾesrim | twenty | H6242 → | 315 times |
| שָׁנָה֙ | shanah | year[s] | H8141 → | 877 times |
| וָמַ֔עְלָה | vama'lah | and up -wards | H4605 → | 140 times |
| כֹּ֖ל | kol | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֹצֵ֥א | yotze' | [one who] goes forth | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| צָבָֽא׃ | tzava' | warfare | H6635 → | 485 times |
וַיִּהְי֤וּand they were
vaiyihyuH1961 →3559 times
בְנֵֽי־[the] descendants of
venei-H1121 →4930 times
רְאוּבֵן֙Reuben
reuvenH7205 →72 times
בְּכֹ֣ר[the] firstborn of
bekhorH1060 →122 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
תּוֹלְדֹתָ֥םgenealogies their
toldotamH8435 →39 times
לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖םto clans their
lemishpechotamH4940 →303 times
לְבֵ֣יתto [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
אֲבֹתָ֑םancestors their
ʾavotamH1 →1212 times
בְּמִסְפַּ֤רby [the] number of
bemisparH4557 →134 times
שֵׁמוֹת֙names
shemotH8034 →864 times
לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָ֔םto heads their
legulgelotamH1538 →12 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
זָכָ֗רmale
zakharH2145 →82 times
מִבֶּ֨ןfrom a son of
mibenH1121 →4930 times
עֶשְׂרִ֤יםtwenty
ʾesrimH6242 →315 times
שָׁנָה֙year[s]
shanahH8141 →877 times
וָמַ֔עְלָהand up -wards
vama'lahH4605 →140 times
כֹּ֖לevery
kolH3605 →5413 times
יֹצֵ֥א[one who] goes forth
yotze'H3318 →1067 times
צָבָֽא׃warfare
tzava'H6635 →485 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Chronicles 5:1These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So…
it leads to
- Genesis 35:22
While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:
- Genesis 29:32
And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
- Genesis 48:15–22
Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
- Genesis 35:22
Through
Genesis 29:32And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 26:7
So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression.
- Exodus 4:31
and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
- Exodus 3:7
The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
- Luke 1:25
“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
- 1 Samuel 1:20
So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”
- Deuteronomy 26:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Numbers
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.