Numbers 26
Summary for Num 26:1-65: 26:1-65 a After nearly forty years, Israel again registered their men of military age (cp. chs 1–4 b) as they camped on the plains of Moab ... across from Jericho. The overall population had changed only slightly, with 603,550 in the first registration and 601,730 in the second. This nearly complete replacement of population (26:63-65 c) showed that the Lord was faithful to Israel in spite of their repeated acts of rebellion.Summary for Num 26:1-4: 26:1-4 d As in the first registration, Moses and Eleazar (who had replaced Aaron) instructed the tribal leaders in the tabulation process.
Summary for Num 26:8-11: 26:8-11 e the sons of Korah did not die that day: See study note on 16:31-33.
26:33 f The daughters of Zelophehad initiated important legal reform (see 27:1-11 g; 36:1-12 h).
26:51 i In spite of warfare, plagues, and punishments, God had been faithful to Israel. The number of male warriors had shrunk by 1,820 compared to the first registration (cp. 2:32 j), a difference of 0.3 percent.
Summary for Num 26:52-56: 26:52-56 k The second registration, like the first, was a military one, but it also provided the basis for distributing land to Israel’s tribes in proportion to the tribes’ populations (cp. Josh 15–19 l).
• assign the land by lot: Lots were used to seek divine guidance and avoid favoritism in important matters (e.g., Num 27:21 m; 1 Sam 10:20 n; 14:41-42 o; Prov 18:18 p; Acts 1:26 q).
Summary for Num 26:57-61: 26:57-61 r The family of Kohath received special attention as the clan of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
26:62 s The Levites were numbered separately (cp. 1:47-49 t; 3:14-39 u).
• one month old or older: Cp. 3:15 v.
• they were not given an allotment of land when it was divided among the Israelites: The Levites were given forty-eight towns for their use, but they received no large territory through the process described in 26:52-56 w (35:1-8 x; cp. 18:23-24 y).
Summary for Num 26:63-65: 26:63-65 z The registration figures represent an entirely new generation of Hebrews, for everyone who came out of Egypt died in the wilderness except Caleb and Joshua. Joshua inherited Moses’ position as the leader of Israel (27:12-23 aa; see profile for Joshua at end of chapter), and Caleb later played an important role as well (see profile for Caleb at end of chapter). Numbers 26 ab documents Israel’s transition from a generation under God’s condemnation (ch 14 ac) to a people with a future, as predicted by Balaam’s four prophecies (chs 23–24 ad).
Profile: Joshua
Joshua, son of Nun, was Moses’ assistant and successor as Israel’s leader. Joshua brought the young nation across the Jordan River into the Promised Land of Canaan, faithfully following God’s leadership.
Before Israel reached Mount Sinai, Joshua led Israel’s warriors when Amalek attacked Israel (Exod 17:8-13 ae). Shortly thereafter, he was among the twelve men Moses sent to scout the Promised Land (Num 13:1-16 af). Against popular opinion, Joshua and Caleb urged Israel to occupy Canaan immediately (Num 13:22–14:9 ag), and as a result, of the twelve spies, only they entered Canaan (Num 14:30 ah, 36-38 ai).
God directed Moses to designate Joshua as his successor (Num 27:15-23 aj; Deut 34:9 ak). After Moses died, Joshua led Israel across the Jordan River (Josh 1:1-18 al; 3:1–4:24 am) to the conquest of Jericho (6:1-27 an). When Israel suffered defeat at Ai, Joshua turned to the Lord and followed his instructions to purge Israel of sin (7:1-26 ao); then Israel conquered Ai (8:1-29 ap). Following God’s instructions to Moses (Deut 11:29-32 aq; 27:1–28:68 ar), Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal (Josh 8:30-32 as) and read the blessings and curses of the covenant (8:33-35 at). Joshua conducted campaigns against two coalitions of Canaanite kings, a southern and a northern coalition (10:1-43 au; 11:1-15 av). Joshua’s victories in these campaigns opened the hill country to settlement by the Israelites.
After supervising the allotment of territories to the tribes of Israel, Joshua received his own portion in the land of Ephraim (19:49-50 aw). He established the cities of refuge (20:1-9 ax) and the Levitical cities (ch 21:1-45 ay) and released the 2½ tribes that had settled east of the Jordan River to return home (22:1-9 az). As he grew old, Joshua charged Israel to remain faithful to God (23:1–24:28 ba). His farewell message at Shechem summarized God’s dealings with Israel and concluded with the familiar challenge, “Choose today whom you will serve. ... But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (24:15 bb). Joshua died at the age of 110 and was buried in Timnath-serah (Josh 24:29-30 bc; Judg 2:8-9 bd).
Joshua demonstrated exceptional faithfulness throughout his life, except in dealing with the Gibeonites (Josh 9:1-27 be), when he neglected to consult the Lord regarding a decision. Israel served God faithfully under Joshua and the elders Joshua trained (Josh 24:31 bf; Judg 2:7 bg). Stephen mentions Joshua in his martyr’s sermon (Acts 7:45 bh), and the writer of Hebrews uses Joshua’s conquest of Jericho as an illustration of faith (Heb 11:30 bi). It is fitting that Joshua and Jesus are the same name in Hebrew: Joshua led Israel into physical salvation in Canaan; Jesus leads all who believe in him into eternal salvation.
Passages for Further Study
Exod 17:8-15 bj; Num 13:1–14:38 bk; 27:15-23 bl; 34:17 bm; Deut 34:9 bn; Josh 1:1-18 bo; 4:1–24:33 bp; Judg 2:6-9 bq; Heb 11:30 br
Profile: Caleb
Caleb stands as an inspiring example of faith in God. He was the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite (Josh 14:6 bs; Num 32:12 bt). The Kenizzites lived in the Negev, the southern desert region of Canaan (see Gen 15:18-21 bu). Jephunneh apparently married into the tribe of Judah a generation before Israel left Egypt.
Caleb first appears as one of twelve spies Moses sent to scout out the land of Canaan. Upon returning, all twelve confirmed the land’s magnificence, but ten of the scouts focused on the land’s fearsome inhabitants (Num 13:31-33 bv). Only Joshua and Caleb believed that God would enable Israel to conquer the Canaanites (Num 14:6-9 bw), advising that the Israelites immediately take the land (Num 13:30 bx). Although the people wanted to stone both Caleb and Joshua (Num 14:10 by), God protected them and punished the people (Num 14:11-38 bz). God ultimately rewarded Caleb and Joshua for their faithfulness: Among all the adults who left Egypt, they were the only ones to enter the Promised Land.
After many years in the wilderness, and after fighting many battles, Caleb received his personal inheritance in the land (Josh 14:6-15 ca). Caleb’s faith did not diminish in the intervening forty-five years; his testimony reveals his character and rock-solid faith in God. Although Caleb was eighty-five years old, he was still strong and able to fight. Caleb acquired Hebron, which would become his land, by driving out the giant Anakites who had terrified the earlier scouts (Josh 15:13-14 cb; see Num 13:28 cc, 33 cd). Caleb’s city of Hebron, about twenty miles south of Jerusalem (not far from Kenizzite territory), later became a Levitical city of refuge (Josh 21:13 ce; 1 Chr 6:54-57 cf).
Caleb looked beyond serious obstacles to God’s unbreakable promise that Israel would occupy Canaan. With unabated vigor, he stood ready to conquer the territory Joshua assigned him. Caleb’s staunch confidence in the reliability of God’s promises earned him an honored place among the faithful. Even when outnumbered by enemies, Caleb trusted God, and God richly rewarded him.
Passages for Further Study
Num 13:1–14:38 cg; 26:65 ch; 32:12 ci; 34:19 cj; Deut 1:36 ck; Josh 14:6-15 cl; 15:13-19 cm; Judg 1:11-15 cn, 20 co; 1 Chr 4:15 cp
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