Numbers 2:26

Study note

Setting — The text records a military census count for the tribe of Dan as they prepare to camp on the north side of the encampment. This statement follows the identification of their leader, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, and immediately precedes the placement of the Asherite division.

The words — The phrase וּ/צְבָא֖/וֹ (u./tze.va.'/O) literally means "and his military host," while וּ/פְקֻדֵי/הֶ֑ם (u./fe.ku.dei./Hem) translates to "and their enrolled [men]." These terms specify the counted fighting force rather than the total population.

The thread — This count matches the earlier registration of Dan in Numbers 1:39, while Numbers 26:43 records a later Shuhamite clan registration of 64,400. The verse functions as a structural marker within the broader tribal camp arrangement.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition of the precise, organized nature of Israel’s tribal divisions before movement. It requires the reader to track how each group’s assigned position and strength fit the larger encampment order.

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.