Numbers 1:5-16

II. THE GENERAL CENSUS (Numbers 1:5-46)

A. TRIBAL HEADS SELECTED vv. 5-16
TEXT

Numbers 1:5. And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6. Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7. Of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8. Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 9. Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon. 10. Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11. Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12. Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13. Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran. 14. Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15. Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan. 16. These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 1:5. And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you: from the tribe of Reuben, Elizur, son of Shedeur; 6. from Simeon, Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai; [from here through Numbers 1:15, the text differs little enough from the previously-printed KJV that such redundancy does not warrant repetition] 16. These were the distinguished men of the assembly, princes of their fathers-' tribes, and heads of the thousands of Israel.

COMMENTARY

Names were always rich and meaningful to the Hebrews. Of the 24 given in this list, exactly half invoke some form of reference to God (El-,el, shad-, shed-). The names often inspired their possessors to expend every effort to be worthy of bearing them. Thus Elizur, or My God is a rock; and Shedeur, The Lord is a light; Shelumile, My friend is God;in each case the bearer was inspired constantly to be and do his very best.

Although the men here listed are but names for us, each man was one of esteem among his people; each was the first-born of his household. One on the list had derived his name from the Egyptian god Ra (Ahira, Numbers 1:15); and we might marvel at the small proportion of such an influence after the centuries of enslavement. Only two of the names (Nahshon, an ancestor in the lineage of Jesus Christ, and Amminadab, father of Nahshon) appear again in the Bible; they are named in Ruth 4:20, as well as in Matthew 1:4 and Luke 3:32-33. These are the men who will be consulted on important decisions to be made in tribal and national affairs. They head the alaphim, or large units (sometimes translated -thousands-').

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

17.

Of how much influence is a man's name upon his character and conduct? Can you cite any examples from Scripture?

18.

Why would any of the Israelites have been given Egyptian names? Is this a really significant matter?

19.

Review the several names of the tribal princes, noting the variety of meanings. (See Glossary.)

20.

Note the relationship of Nahshon and Amminadab to David, in the lineage of the Messiah.

21.

How many responsibilities did the tribal princes have, in addition to their help with the census?