Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, August 3rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Numbers 1:21

The total number of men counted from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel;   Reubenites;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Reuben, the Tribe of;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Agag;   Jazer;   Reuben;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Palestine;   Reuben, Tribe of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Reuben;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Genealogies;   Number Systems and Number Symbolism;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Reuben;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Census;   Poll;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Reu'ben;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Zebulun;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Events of the Encampment;   Last Days at Sinai;   On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Exodus, the Book of;   Reuben;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Genealogy;   Hafá¹­arah;   Reuben, Tribe of;   Sidra;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Re'uven, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
King James Version
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
Lexham English Bible
those who were counted from the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.
New Century Version
The tribe of Reuben totaled 46,500 men.
New English Translation
Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
Amplified Bible
those of the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
New American Standard Bible
their numbered men of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The nomber of them, I say, of the tribe of Reuben, was sixe and fourtie thousande, and fiue hundreth.
Legacy Standard Bible
their numbered men of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
Complete Jewish Bible
lass="passage-text">
Darby Translation
those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
English Standard Version
those listed of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
George Lamsa Translation
The number of the tribe of Reuben was forty-six thousand and five hundred.
Good News Translation
lass="passage-text">
Christian Standard Bible®
those registered for the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
Literal Translation
those numbered of them for the tribe of Reuben were forty six thousand and five hundred.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
were nombred to the trybe of Ruben, sixe and fourtye thousande, and fyue hundreth.
American Standard Version
those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
Bible in Basic English
Forty-six thousand, five hundred of the tribe of Reuben were numbered.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The number of them that were of the tribe of Ruben, was fourtie & sixe thousande, and fiue hundred.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
King James Version (1611)
Those that were numbred of them, euen of the tribe of Reuben, were fourty and sixe thousand and fiue hundred.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
the numbering of them of the tribe of Ruben, was forty-six thousand and four hundred.
English Revised Version
those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
Berean Standard Bible
those registered to the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
sixe and fourti thousynd and fyue hundrid.
Young's Literal Translation
their numbered ones, for the tribe of Reuben, are six and forty thousand and five hundred.
Update Bible Version
those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
Webster's Bible Translation
Those that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Reuben, [were] forty and six thousand and five hundred.
World English Bible
those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
New King James Version
those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.
New Life Bible
The number of the family of Reuben was 46,500.
New Revised Standard
those enrolled of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
such as were numbered of them as belonging to the tribe of Reuben, forty-six thousand and five hundred.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Were forty-six thousand five hundred.
Revised Standard Version
the number of the tribe of Reuben was forty-six thousand five hundred.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
their numbered men of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.

Contextual Overview

17 Moses and Aaron took the men who had been chosen to be leaders 18 and called all the Israelites together on the first day of the second month. Then the people were listed by their families and their family groups. All the men who were 20 years old or older were listed. 19 Moses did exactly what the Lord commanded—he counted the people while they were in the desert of Sinai. 20 The tribe of Reuben was counted. (Reuben was the firstborn son of Israel.) The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 21 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500. 22 The tribe of Simeon was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 23 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300. 24 The tribe of Gad was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups. 25 The total number of men counted from the tribe of Gad was 45,650. 26 The tribe of Judah was counted. The names of all the men who were 20 years old or older and able to serve in the army were listed. They were listed with their families and family groups.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

That a comparative view may be easily taken of the state of the tribes, we will here produce them, compared with that of the second census - Numbers 26:1, in their decreasing proportion, beginning with the greatest and proceeding to the least.

Tribe 1st Census 2nd Census

Judah 74,600 76,500

Dan 62,700 64,400

Simeon 59,300 22,200

Zebulun 57,400 60,500

Issachar 54,400 64,300

Naphtali 53,400 45,400

Reuben 46,500 43,730

Gad 45,650 40,500

Asher 41,500 53,400

Ephraim 40,500 32,500

Benjamin 35,400 45,600

Manasseh 32,200 52,700

Totals: 603,550 601,730

Thus we find Judah the most populous tribe, and Manasseh the least so; the difference between them being as great as 42,000. Jacob had given Judah the pre-eminence in his prophetic blessing; and that tribe was to have the precedency in the encampments of Israel: accordingly God had increased them more than any of their brethren. Ephraim and Manasseh, according to the same prophecy, were numbered as distinct tribes, Ephraim having the superiority, as it was foretold; and Joseph indeed appears "a fruitful bough." Numbers 2:10, Numbers 2:11, Numbers 26:7

Reciprocal: Genesis 46:8 - Reuben Numbers 3:34 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:18
He put them in the sky to rule over the day and over the night. They separated the light from the darkness. And God saw that this was good.
Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth produce many kinds of living things. Let there be many different kinds of animals. Let there be large animals and small crawling animals of every kind. And let all these animals produce more animals." And all these things happened.
Genesis 1:25
So God made every kind of animal. He made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling things. And God saw that this was good.
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Now let's make humans who will be like us. They will rule over all the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. They will rule over all the large animals and all the little things that crawl on the earth."
Genesis 1:31
God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good. There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the sixth day.
Genesis 6:20
Two of every kind of bird, animal, and creeping thing will come to you so that you might keep them alive.
Genesis 7:14
They and every kind of animal on the earth were in the boat. Every kind of cattle, every kind of animal that crawls on the earth, and every kind of bird were in the boat.
Genesis 8:17
Bring every living animal out of the boat with you—all the birds, animals, and everything that crawls on the earth. These animals will make many more animals, and they will fill the earth again."
Genesis 8:19
All the animals, everything that crawls, and every bird left the boat. All the animals came out of the boat in family groups.
Genesis 9:7
"Have many children and fill the earth with your people."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Those that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Reuben, [were] forty and six thousand and five hundred. 46,500 men.

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The enrollment, being taken principally for military purposes (compare Numbers 1:3, Numbers 1:20), would naturally be arranged by hundreds, fifties, etc. (cf. 2Ki 1:9, 2 Kings 1:11, 2 Kings 1:13). In eleven tribes the number enrolled consists of complete hundreds. The difference, in this respect, observable in the case of the tribe of Gad here Numbers 1:25, and of the tribe of Reuben at the later census Numbers 26:7, is probably to be accounted for by the pastoral, and consequently nomadic, habits of these tribes, which rendered it difficult to bring all their members together at once for a census. Judah already takes precedence of his brethren in point of numbers (compare Genesis 49:8 note), and Ephraim of Manasseh (compare Genesis 48:19-20).


 
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