Bible Strands
Numbers 2:19
and his division numbers 40,500.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text records Moses relaying God's command to arrange the Israelite tribes around the tabernacle. It specifies the military count for the tribe of Ephraim as they occupy their designated position on the west side.
The words — The phrase וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם (u./fe.ku.dei./Hem) translates to "and their enrolled [men]," while אַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת ('ar.ba.'Im 'E.lef va./cha.Mesh me.'ot) literally renders "forty thousand and five hundred." These terms quantify the registered fighting force for this specific tribal division.
The thread — This exact count of 40,500 appears in Numbers 1:33 as the initial registration of Ephraim. The same tribe is later recorded with a reduced count of 32,500 in Numbers 26:37.
Why it lands — The verse establishes a precise administrative structure for the Israelite camp based on divine registration. It requires the reader to recognize that tribal organization and military readiness were formally documented rather than left to informal 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
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.
Cross-references
- Numbers 1:33 those registered to the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
- Numbers 26:37 These were the clans of Ephraim, and their registration numbered 32,500. These clans were the descendants of Joseph.