New English Translation
Numbers 1:20
20And they were as follows: The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually.
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
18and they assembled the entire community together on the first day of the second month. Then the people recorded their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men who were twenty years old or older were listed by name individually, 19just as the Lord had commanded Moses. And so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. And they were as follows: The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually. 21Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500. 22From the descendants of Simeon: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males numbered of them twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually.
Read all of Numbers 1Numbers 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 2:10“On the south will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur.
- Numbers 26:5Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The Reubenites: from Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; from Pallu, the family of the Palluites;
- Genesis 29:32So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. Surely my husband will love me now.”
- Genesis 46:9The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
- Genesis 49:3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.
- 1 Chronicles 5:1The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn – (Now he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph, Israel’s son. So Reuben is not listed as firstborn in the genealogical records.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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