Commentaria in Numeros
This book is called in Hebrew, from its beginning, Vaiedabber, that is, “and he spoke.” The Greeks, and the Latins who followed them, have called it Numbers, because the book begins with a census and numbering of the people, and because many enrolments and numberings are reviewed in it: of the warriors of Israel, chapter 1; of the firstborn and of the Levites, chapter 3; of the stations in the desert, chapter 33. Finally, it is so called because in this book the Hebrews are distributed into their “numbers,” that is, into orders, squadrons and battle-lines; for “number” is often taken to mean a fixed arrangement and order, as in Virgil, Aeneid XI:
The Etruscan leaders, and the whole host of horsemen, Formed by number into troops.
So soldiers were said to be “brought into numbers” when they were distributed into their ranks and entered on the roll.
The subject matter of the book is partly history, namely the journeying of the Hebrews journeying through the desert toward Canaan; for this journey, begun in Exodus, Moses here carries on; and partly various numberings, partly positive precepts of God mingled in here and there. “Numbers,” says St. Jerome in the Prologue to the Galeatus, “does it not contain the whole arithmetic, and the prophecies of Balaam, and the forty-two stations through the wilderness: do these not contain mysteries?” On account of this new subject matter there is here a new division of the Pentateuch, and the new book of Numbers, separated and distinguished from Leviticus and the others.
Abulensis holds that Moses in Exodus, chiefly in chapter 20, embraced the moral or natural precepts, in Leviticus the ceremonial, and in Numbers the judicial. But this is not true in every respect; for he also wove in judicial matters in Exodus 21 and 22, and here in Numbers he intermingles ceremonial matters as much as, indeed more than, judicial ones.
This book embraces the history and deeds of Moses and the Hebrews, from the second month of the second year of their departure from Egypt almost to the end of the life of Moses, that is, of the wandering of forty years in the desert, namely to the beginning of the eleventh month of the fortieth year. For from that eleventh month of the fortieth year the following book, Deuteronomy, begins, as is plain to one comparing verse 1 of chapter 1 of Numbers with chapter 1 of Deuteronomy, verse 3. Numbers therefore contains the deeds of about 39 years.
Chapter 1
The number of the children of Israel is taken, from twenty years old and upward, tribe by tribe, and the total found is 603,550.
1. And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the covenant, on the first day of the second month, the second year after they came out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2. Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families and houses, and the names of every one, as many as are of the male sex, 3. from twenty years old and upward, of all the men of Israel that are able to go forth to war: and you shall number them according to their troops, you and Aaron. 4. And there shall be with you the princes of the tribes and of the houses in their kindreds, 5. whose names are these: Of Ruben, Elisur the son of Sedeur; 6. of Simeon, Salamiel the son of Surisaddai; 7. of Juda, Nahasson the son of Aminadab; 8. of Issachar, Nathanael the son of Suar; 9. of Zabulon, Eliab the son of Helon. 10. And of the sons of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elisama the son of Ammiud; of Manasses, Gamaliel the son of Phadassur; 11. of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gedeon; 12. of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Amisaddai; 13. of Aser, Phegiel the son of Ochran; 14. of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Duel; 15. of Nephthali, Ahira the son of Enan. 16. These were the most noble princes of the multitude by their tribes and kindreds, and the heads of the army of Israel: 17. whom Moses and Aaron took with all the multitude of the common people, 18. and assembled them on the first day of the second month, reviewing them by their kindreds, and houses, and families, and heads, and the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, 19. as the Lord had commanded Moses. And they were numbered in the desert of Sinai. 20. Of Ruben the firstborn of Israel, by their generations and families and houses, and the names of the heads of every one, every male from twenty years old and upward, of them that were able to go forth to war, 21. forty-six thousand five hundred. 22. Of the children of Simeon, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names and heads of every one, every male from twenty years old and upward, of them that were able to go forth to war, 23. fifty-nine thousand three hundred. 24. Of the children of Gad, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 25. forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26. Of the children of Juda, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 27. were reviewed seventy-four thousand six hundred. 28. Of the children of Issachar, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 29. were reviewed fifty-four thousand four hundred. 30. Of the children of Zabulon, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 31. fifty-seven thousand four hundred. 32. Of the children of Joseph, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 33. forty thousand five hundred. 34. Moreover of the children of Manasses, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 35. thirty-two thousand two hundred. 36. Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 37. thirty-five thousand four hundred. 38. Of the children of Dan, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 39. sixty-two thousand seven hundred. 40. Of the children of Aser, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 41. forty-one thousand five hundred. 42. Of the children of Nephthali, by their generations and families and houses of their kindreds, they were reviewed by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, 43. fifty-three thousand four hundred. 44. These are they whom Moses and Aaron numbered, and the twelve princes of Israel, each one by the houses of their kindreds. 45. And the whole number of the children of Israel, by their houses and families, from twenty years old and upward, that were able to go forth to war, 46. was six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty men. 47. But the Levites in the tribe of their families were not numbered with them. 48. For the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 49. Number not the tribe of Levi, and take not the sum of them with the children of Israel; 50. but appoint them over the tabernacle of the testimony, and all the vessels thereof, and whatsoever belongs to the ceremonies. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furniture; and they shall be in the ministry, and shall pitch their tents round about the tabernacle. 51. When they are to set forward, the Levites shall take down the tabernacle; when they are to encamp, they shall set it up; whatsoever stranger comes to it shall be slain. 52. And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his troops, and companies, and army. 53. But the Levites shall pitch their tents round about the tabernacle, lest there be an indignation upon the multitude of the children of Israel, and they shall watch in the guard of the tabernacle of the testimony. 54. And the children of Israel did according to all things that the Lord had commanded Moses.
Verse 1.—AND THE LORD SPOKE—that is, an angel of the Lord, bearing the person of God; for that all these things were said and done through an angel is shown in Exodus … of the Lord, Exodus 1:1. For God makes use of angels as ministering spirits, that through them he may enlighten men; for this is the fitting and gentle order of divine Providence. Although, then, the people supposed that God himself had spoken with Moses and delivered these precepts to him immediately, Moses nevertheless, from his continual converse with him, at length understood that it was not God but an angel of God. For he dealt with him constantly and most familiarly. So Abulensis. After Moses, then, knew him to be an angel, he did not adore him with the worship of latria, but in this adoration directed his mind to God, the Lord of the angel. And so the angel here is called Lord, both because he represented the Lord, and because the people thought him not an angel but the Lord. See
IN THE DESERT OF SINAI.—For everything here, from chapter 1 to chapter 10, verse 11, was done at the twelfth station, which was in Sinai, as I showed on Exodus, chapter 19, verse 1.
IN THE TABERNACLE.—Therefore God, that is, the angel of God, did not here speak with Moses at the door of the tabernacle in the sight of the people (as at other times), but from the Holy of Holies itself, namely from the propitiatory, as is plain from chapter 7, last verse.
Verse 2. TAKE THE SUM OF ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL—that is, receive, or take, the number of all the Hebrews, or Israelites. The Hebrew has, “lift up the head,” that is, take the head, or count by heads, number all the heads. The Septuagint renders it “take the dominion,” the sway and breadth of the people, that is, number the people, that you may see how far their dominion and strength extend; for the dominion, jurisdiction and strength of a people consist in and are bounded by its number and multitude.