Numbers 26:18

Study note

Setting — The text operates as a census entry placed between the listing of Reuben’s clans and the account of Judah’s sons. It records the Gadite population for the Israelite leadership following the wilderness wanderings and preceding the Canaanite conquest.

The words — The verse begins with אֵ֛לֶּה ('E.leh), meaning "these," which directly references the preceding genealogical list. It specifies the count using אַרְבָּעִ֥ים ('ar.ba.'Im) and אֶ֖לֶף ('E.lef), literally "forty thousand."

The thread — This headcount mirrors the initial tribal registration in Numbers 1:24 and precedes the Gadite camp placement in Numbers 2:14. The numerical data continues the systematic enumeration that determines tribal inheritance and military organization.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize the precise documentation of tribal numbers as a prerequisite for land allocation. It demands acknowledgment that each clan’s recorded size directly informs the subsequent distribution of territory.

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.