36 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Numbers 2 This chapter contains the order of the encampment and march of the tribes of Israel in their proper places about the tabernacle; the general direction for the same is in Numbers 1:1; the particulars follow; on the cast of the tabernacle the camp of Judah was to pitch, and under his standard the tribes of Issachar and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron,.... Very probably after the number of the children of Israel was taken, of which in the preceding chapter, and when the congregation of Israel with the tabernacle were about to set forward on their journey; and therefore directions are here given for their orderly and regular proceeding in it, in what...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
The thousands of Israel, having been mustered in the former chapter, in this are marshalled, and a regular disposition is made of their camp, by a divine appointment. Here is, I. A general order concerning it, ver. 1, 2. II. Particular directions for the posting of each of the tribes, in four distinct squadrons, three tribes in each squadron. 1....
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard,.... Or banner, of which there were four, as appears from the following account, under each of which were placed three tribes; and so every man of each tribe was to pitch his tent in the tribe he belonged to, and by the standard under which his tribe was marshalled, and in the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And on the east side, towards the rising of the sun,.... Which rises in the east; or of all; for, as Jarchi observes, that which is "before" is called "Kedem", the east, as the west is called "behind": shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch, throughout their armies; the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, formed one camp, which...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And his host, and those that were numbered of them,.... As they had been before; and, supposing these words to be the words of God, there is no necessity of rendering them in the future, as some have observed; though they seem rather to be the words of Moses, who under every tribe repeats the number, which is exactly the same as when taken; and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And those that do pitch next unto him [shall be] the tribe of Issachar,.... Who with Zebulun, after mentioned, as placed with him under the same standard, were the brethren of Judah, by the same mother Leah, and so fitly put together, as most likely to continue in harmony and love; and being the youngest sons of Leah, and brethren of Judah, would,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And his host,.... The host of Issachar; and those that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 54,400 men. Which had been numbered, for it does not appear that there was a fresh account taken; see Numbers 1:29.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[Then] the tribe of Zebulun,.... He pitched next; though the order of their encampment was not, as it may seem, first Judah, after him Issachar, and below him Zebulun; for Judah lay between these two, the one before him, and the other behind him; and it was Issachar that was behind, and Zebulun before, as Aben Ezra observes; they were pitched on...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And his host,.... That is, the host of Zebulun; and those that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 57,400 men; see Numbers 1:31.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
All that were numbered in the camp of Judah [were] an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies,.... 186,400 men. The sum total of the three tribes, which formed that camp: this was the largest camp of them all, being near 30,000 more than Dan's, Numbers 2:31, which was the next in number...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
On the south side [shall be] the standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies,.... This camp consisted of the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, which was divided into lesser bodies, regiments, or companies, called armies; and this was placed to the south of the tabernacle, or to the right hand, as Aben Ezra interprets it; this was...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And his host,.... That is, the host of Reuben, as distinct from his camp, of which it was only a part, and of which Elizur was captain; and those that were numbered thereof, [were] forty and six thousand and five hundred. 46,500 men; see Numbers 1:21.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And those which pitch by him [shall be] the tribe of Simeon,.... Under his standard, and on one side of it; Reuben and Simeon being brothers by the mother as well as the father's side, might well be thought to agree together; and Reuben being the eldest brother, and the eldest of all Jacob's sons, Simeon would not grudge to pitch under him: and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And his host,.... That is, the host of Simeon: and those that were numbered of them, [were] fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 59,300 men; the same as in Numbers 1:23.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the tribe of Gad,.... Who was placed on the other side of Reuben's standard, and according to the former direction he must be before, and Simeon behind; and Gad being the eldest son of Leah's handmaid Zilpah, is fitly placed under Leah's firstborn, and being the son of an handmaid, could not object to his situation: and the captain of the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And his host,.... That is, the host of Gad, as distinct from those of Reuben and Simeon, which together formed the camp; and those that were numbered of them, [were] forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. 45,650 men; see Numbers 1:25.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all that were numbered in the camp of Reuben [were] an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies,.... 151,450 men. Putting Reuben's host, and the hosts of Simeon and Gad together, Numbers 2:13, which was much lesser than the preceding camp, being 34,500 fewer in number: and they shall set...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites,.... Which reached four miles, according to the Targum of Jonathan, as did Judah's. Levi's stone, as the Jews say (i), was the carbuncle, and his flag was coloured, a third part white, and a third part black, and a third part red, and on it were formed Urim and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
On the west side [shall be] the standard of the camp of Ephraim, according to their armies,.... It was in the rear or behind, consisting of his tribe, and of the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin, divided into several companies, and extended four miles, as the above Targum. The Jewish writers say (l), that Joseph's stone is the onyx or sardonyx, and...