Numbers 1:20

Numbers 1:20 in other versions

• King James Version (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;
• New International Version (NIV)From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The people of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now the children of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:

Context of Numbers 1:20

18On the first day of the second month, they said that all the Israelite people must come together. The people were in clans and in families. They made a list of all the men who were 20 years old or older. 19They did the things that the Lord had told Moses to do. So Moses recorded the names there in the Sinai desert. They recorded the names of all the men who were 20 years old or older. Those men could fight in the army. They recorded the names of the men in each clan and family. Reuben was the firstborn son of Israel, so they recorded his tribe first. These were the numbers of the men from each tribe: Reuben: 46,500 men. Simeon: 59,300 men. Gad: 45,650 men. Judah: 74,600 men. Issachar: 54,400 men. Zebulun: 57,400 men. Ephraim (Joseph's son): 40,500 men. Manasseh (Joseph's son): 32,200 men. Benjamin: 35,400 men. Dan: 62,700 men. Asher: 41,500 men. Naphtali: 53,400 men.

Numbers 1:20 word by word

וַיִּהְי֤וּ בְנֵֽי־רְאוּבֵן֙ בְּכֹ֣ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל תּוֹלְדֹתָ֥ם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֤ר שֵׁמוֹת֙ לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָ֔ם כָּל־זָכָ֗ר מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה כֹּ֖ל יֹצֵ֥א צָבָֽא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Reubenרְאוּבֵןre'ûbên · ReubenH7205
• Israel’sיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• eldest sonבְּכוֹרbekôr · firstbornH1060
• by their generationsתּוֹלֵדוֹתtôledâh tôledâh · generationH8435
• after their familiesמִשְׁפָּחָהmishpâchâh · familyH4940
• by the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• of their fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
• according to the numberמִסְפָּרmispâr · numberH4557
• of the namesשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• by their pollsגֻּלְגֹּ֫לֶתgûlgôleth · headH1538
• every maleזָכָרzâkâr · maleH2145
• from twentyעֶשְׂרִים‛eώrîym · twentyH6242
• yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
• oldבֵּןbên · son: agedH1121
• and upwardמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
• all that were able to go forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: regularH3318
• to warצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · army: warH6635

Cross-references for Numbers 1:20

• Numbers 2:10The tribe of Reuben must be on the south side of the Tent. They must have their flag with them, and they must put up their tents in groups. The leader of the tribe of Reuben is Elizur, the son of Shedeur.
• Numbers 26:5The tribe of Reuben, Jacob's firstborn son had these clans: Hanoch's family, Pallu's family,
• Genesis 29:32Leah became pregnant and she gave birth to a son. She called him Reuben. She said, ‘It is because the Lord has seen how sad I am. My husband will love me now because I have given birth to a son.’
• Genesis 46:9The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
• Genesis 49:3Jacob said, ‘Reuben you are my firstborn son. You were born first, when I was a strong young man. Of all my sons, you are the most famous and the strongest.
• 1 Chronicles 5:1Reuben was Israel's firstborn son. That is, Reuben was born first. But he had sex with his father's slave wife. So his father took away the benefits that belong to a firstborn son. Instead, Israel gave those benefits to his son Joseph's sons. So Reuben does not have the first place in the list of Israel's sons.

Commentaries on Numbers 1:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20-46Verses 20-46 The enrollment, being taken principally for military purposes (compare Numbers 1:3, Numbers 1:20), would naturally be arranged by hundreds, fifties, etc. (cf. 2 Kings 1:9, 2 Kings 1:11, 2 Kings 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 Numbers 1:25, and of the tribe of Reuben at the later census Numbers 26:7, is probably to be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-43The second list of tribes lists Gad with Reuben and Simeon. These two tribes camped with Gad while Israel traveled.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-4420-44. These are those that were numbered--In this registration the tribe of Judah appears the most numerous; and accordingly, as the pre-eminence had been assigned to it by Jacob [Ge 49:8-12], it got the precedence in all the encampments of Israel. 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…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 1:20

• Israel
• Reubenites

In the dictionaries

• Reuben
• Condition
• Double
• Encamp
• Express
• Palestine
• Refuge, Cities of
• Reuben, Tribe of
• Sinai
• Sum

Commentaries on Numbers 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings