Bible Strands
Numbers 1:38
From the sons of Dan, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the census of the tribe of Dan immediately after listing Benjamin’s forces, documenting the military-aged men of Israel under divine command.
The words — The text highlights תּוֹלְדֹתָ֥/ם (tol.do.Ta/m), meaning "their genealogies," and בְּ/מִסְפַּ֣ר (be./mis.Par), meaning "by the number," to establish that the count rests on verified family lines rather than arbitrary totals.
The thread — This genealogical and tribal framework appears in Genesis 30:5 through Bilhah’s son, Genesis 46:23 listing Dan’s descendants, and Genesis 49:16 where Dan is promised judicial provision for his people.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to acknowledge that covenant community identity and mobilization depend on precise, verifiable records of descent and readiness, not on spontaneous assembly.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
Cross-references
- Genesis 46:23 The son of Dan: Hushim.
- Genesis 30:5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.
- Genesis 49:16 Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
- Numbers 26:42 These were the descendants of Dan by their clans: The Shuhamite clan from Shuham. These were the clans of Dan.