Census
In the wilderness, in the second month of the second year following the Exodus from Egypt, God directed Moses to take a census of the Israelite men age 20 years and up, "all those in Israel who are able to bear arms." (Numbers 1:1–3.) The census showed the following populations by tribe (Numbers 1:20–46):
- Reuben: 46,500
- Simeon: 59,300
- Gad: 45,650
- Judah: 74,600
- Issachar: 54,400
- Zebulun: 57,400
- Ephraim: 40,500
- Manasseh: 32,200
- Benjamin: 35,400
- Dan: 62,700
- Asher: 41,500
- Naphtali: 53,400
totaling 603,550 in all. God told Moses not to enroll the Levites, but to put them in charge of carrying, assembling, tending to, and guarding the Tabernacle and its furnishings. (Numbers 1:47–53.) Any outsider who encroached on the Tabernacle was to be put to death. (Numbers 1:51.)
| North | ||||||
| Asher | DAN | Naphtali | ||||
| Benjamin | Merari | Issachar | ||||
| West | EPHRAIM | Gershon | THE TABERNACLE | Priests | JUDAH | East |
| Manasseh | Kohath | Zebulun | ||||
| Gad | REUBEN | Simeon | ||||
| South |
God told Moses that the Israelites were to encamp by tribe as follows (Numbers 1:52–2:34):
- around the Tabernacle: Levi
- on the front, or east side: Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun
- on the south: Reuben, Simeon, and Gad
- on the west: Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin
- on the north: Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.
Read more about this topic: Bamidbar (parsha), Summary