In Inner-biblical Interpretation
Three times in this parshah the Torah lists the tribes, and each time the Torah lists the tribes in a different order:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers 1:1–5 | Reuben | Simeon | Judah | Issachar | Zebulun | Ephraim | Manasseh | Benjamin | Dan | Asher | Gad | Naphtali |
| Numbers 1:20–43 | Reuben | Simeon | Gad | Judah | Issachar | Zebulun | Ephraim | Manasseh | Benjamin | Dan | Asher | Naphtali |
| Numbers 2:3–31 | Judah | Issachar | Zebulun | Reuben | Simeon | Gad | Ephraim | Manasseh | Benjamin | Dan | Asher | Naphtali |
Read more about this topic: Bamidbar (parsha)