Numeri 2
Het Boek
Elke stam zijn eigen plaats
2 De Here zei tegen Mozes en Aäron: 2 ‘Elke stam heeft zijn eigen plaats in het kamp met een vlaggenstok en een stambanier. Elke stam zal zich op een afstand rond de tabernakel groeperen.’
3-31 Dit zijn de plaatsen waar elke stam in het kamp verbleef: de stam Juda: 74.600 personen, onder leiding van Nachson, zoon van Amminadab: oostkant van de tabernakel. De stam Issachar: 54.400 personen, onder leiding van Netanel, zoon van Suar: naast Juda. De stam Zebulon: 57.400 personen, onder leiding van Eliab, zoon van Chelon: naast Issachar. Zo kwam het aantal mannen aan Judaʼs kant van het kamp op 186.400. Deze drie stammen gingen voorop wanneer de Israëlieten naar een nieuwe kampplaats trokken. De stam Ruben: 46.500 personen, onder leiding van Elisur, zoon van Sedeür: zuidkant van de tabernakel. De stam Simeon: 59.300 personen, onder leiding van Selumiël, zoon van Surisaddai: naast Ruben. De stam Gad: 45.650 personen, onder leiding van Eljasaf, zoon van Deüel, naast Simeon. In totaal bevonden zich 151.450 mannen aan Rubens kant van het kamp. Zij vormden de tweede groep wanneer de Israëlieten opbraken. Achter hen kwam de tabernakel met de Levieten. Tijdens de dagmarsen bleef elke stam rond zijn eigen stambanier verzameld, net als in het kamp. De stam Efraïm: 40.500 personen, onder leiding van Elisama, zoon van Ammihud: westkant van de tabernakel. De stam Manasse: 32.200 personen, onder leiding van Gamliël, zoon van Pedasur: naast Efraïm. De stam Benjamin: 35.400 personen, onder leiding van Abidan, zoon van Gidoni: naast Manasse. Zo kwam het aantal mannen aan Efraïms kant van het kamp op 108.100. Zij liepen tijdens de mars achter de tabernakel en de Levieten. De stam Dan: 62.700 personen, onder leiding van Achiëzer, zoon van Ammisaddai: noordkant van de tabernakel. De stam Aser: 41.500 personen, onder leiding van Pagiël, zoon van Ochran: naast Dan. De stam Naftali: 53.400 personen, onder leiding van Achira, zoon van Enan: naast Aser. Het aantal mannen aan Dans kant van het kamp bedroeg 157.600. Zij braken het laatst op en vormden de achterhoede.
32,33 In totaal bestonden de legergroepen van Israël dus uit 603.550 mannen. Hierbij waren de Levieten niet inbegrepen. Zij waren door de opdracht die de Here aan Mozes had gegeven, apart gehouden.
34 Zo voerden de Israëlieten nauwkeurig alle opdrachten van de Here uit. Zij zetten hun tenten op bij hun eigen banier en braken in bovengenoemde volgorde ook weer op, ingedeeld naar stam en familie.
Numbers 2
New English Translation
The Arrangement of the Tribes
2 [a] The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron: 2 “Every one[b] of the Israelites must camp[c] under his standard with the emblems of his family;[d] they must camp at some distance[e] around the tent of meeting.[f]
The Tribes on the East
3 “Now those who will be camping[g] on the east, toward the sunrise,[h] are the divisions[i] of the camp of Judah under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is[j] Nahshon son of Amminadab. 4 Those numbered in his division[k] are 74,600. 5 Those who will be camping next to them[l] are the tribe of Issachar. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6 Those numbered in his division are 54,400. 7 Next will be[m] the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. 8 Those numbered in his division are 57,400. 9 All those numbered of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, are 186,400. They will travel[n] at the front.
The Tribes on the South
10 “On the south will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard.[o] The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 Those numbered in his division are 46,500. 12 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Simeon. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 Those numbered in his division are 59,300. 14 Next will be[p] the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel.[q] 15 Those numbered in his division are 45,650. 16 All those numbered of the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, are 151,450. They will travel second.
The Tribe in the Center
17 “Then the tent of meeting with the camp of the Levites will travel in the middle of the camps. They will travel in the same order as they camped, each in his own place[r] under his standard.
The Tribes on the West
18 “On the west will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 Those numbered in his division are 40,500. 20 Next to them will be the tribe of Manasseh. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 Those numbered in his division are 32,200. 22 Next will be[s] the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 Those numbered in his division are 35,400. 24 All those numbered of the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, are 108,100. They will travel third.
The Tribes on the North
25 “On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan, under their standards. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 Those numbered in his division are 62,700. 27 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Asher. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. 28 Those numbered in his division are 41,500. 29 Next will be[t] the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. 30 Those numbered in his division are 53,400. 31 All those numbered of the camp of Dan are 157,600. They will travel last, under their standards.”
Summary
32 These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families.[u] All those numbered in the camps, by their divisions, are 603,550. 33 But the Levites were not numbered among the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.
34 So the Israelites did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way[v] they camped under their standards, and that is the way they traveled, each with his clan and family.
Footnotes
- Numbers 2:1 sn For this chapter, see C. E. Douglas, “The Twelve Houses of Israel,” JTS 37 (1936): 49-56; C. C. Roach, “The Camp in the Wilderness: A Sermon on Numbers 2:2, ” Int 13 (1959): 49-54; and G. St. Clair, “Israel in Camp: A Study,” JTS 8 (1907): 185-217.
- Numbers 2:2 tn Heb “a man by his own standard.”
- Numbers 2:2 tn The imperfect tense is to be taken in the nuance of instruction.
- Numbers 2:2 tn Heb “of/for the house of their fathers.”
- Numbers 2:2 tn The Hebrew expression מִנֶּגֶד (minneged) means “from before” or “opposite; facing” and “at some distance” or “away from the front of” (see BDB 617 s.v. נֶגֶד 2.c.a; DCH 5:603-4 s.v. 3.b).
- Numbers 2:2 sn The Israelites were camping as a military camp, each tribe with the standards and emblems of the family. The standard was the symbol fastened to the end of a pole and carried to battle. It served to rally the tribe to the battle. The Bible nowhere describes these, although the serpent emblem of Numbers 21:8-9 may give a clue. But they probably did not have shapes of animals in view of the prohibition in the Decalogue. The standards may have been smaller for the families than the ones for the tribes. See further K. A. Kitchen, “Some Egyptian Background to the Old Testament,” TynBul 5 (1960): 11; and T. W. Mann, Divine Presence and Guidance in Israelite Tradition, 169-73.
- Numbers 2:3 tn The sentence begins with a vav (ו) on a word that is not a finite verb, indicating a new section begins here. The verbal form is a participle with the article used substantivally, with the meaning “and/now those camping.” Many English versions employ a finite verb; cf. KJV “on the east side…shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch.”
- Numbers 2:3 tc The two synonyms might seem to be tautological, but this is fairly common and therefore acceptable in Hebrew prose (cf. Exod 26:18; 38:13; etc.).
- Numbers 2:3 tn The sentence actually has “[those camping…are] the standard of the camp of Judah according to their divisions.”
- Numbers 2:3 tn Or “will be.”
- Numbers 2:4 tc The expression “and his divisions and those numbered of them” is somewhat tautological. The words are synonyms used for statistical purposes, and so neither should be simply deleted.
- Numbers 2:5 tn Heb “by him” [i.e., Judah].
- Numbers 2:7 tn This part has been supplied; the text simply has “the tribe of Zebulun.”
- Numbers 2:9 tn The verb is נָסָע (nasaʿ): “to journey, travel, set out,” and here, “to move camp.” Judah will go first, or, literally, at the head of the nation, when they begin to travel.
- Numbers 2:10 tn Here and throughout the line is literally “[under] the standard of the camp of Reuben…according to their divisions.”
- Numbers 2:14 tn The Hebrew text simply has “and the tribe of Gad.”
- Numbers 2:14 tc The Leningrad codex, upon which BHS is based, has “Reuel” here. In reading “Deuel” the translation presented above follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, Smr, and the Latin Vulgate. Cf. Num 1:14.
- Numbers 2:17 tn The Hebrew expression is עַל־יָדוֹ (ʿal yado, “upon his hand”). This clearly refers to a specifically designated place for each man.
- Numbers 2:22 tn Here too the Hebrew text simply has “and the tribe of Benjamin.”
- Numbers 2:29 tn The Hebrew text has “and the tribe of Naphtali.”
- Numbers 2:32 tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” So also in v. 34.
- Numbers 2:34 tn The Hebrew word is כֵּן (ken, “thus, so”).
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