19 The sons H1121 of Judah H3063 were Er H6147 and Onan: H209 and Er H6147 and Onan H209 died H4191 in the land H776 of Canaan. H3667
And it came to pass at that time, H6256 that Judah H3063 went down H3381 from his brethren, H251 and turned H5186 in to a certain H376 Adullamite, H5726 whose name H8034 was Hirah. H2437 And Judah H3063 saw H7200 there a daughter H1323 of a certain H376 Canaanite, H3669 whose name H8034 was Shuah; H7770 and he took her, H3947 and went in H935 unto her. And she conceived, H2029 and bare H3205 a son; H1121 and he called H7121 his name H8034 Er. H6147 And she conceived H2029 again, and bare H3205 a son; H1121 and she called H7121 his name H8034 Onan. H209 And she yet again conceived, H3254 and bare H3205 a son; H1121 and called H7121 his name H8034 Shelah: H7956 and he was at Chezib, H3580 when she bare H3205 him. And Judah H3063 took H3947 a wife H802 for Er H6147 his firstborn, H1060 whose name H8034 was Tamar. H8559 And Er, H6147 Judah's H3063 firstborn, H1060 was wicked H7451 in the sight H5869 of the LORD; H3068 and the LORD H3068 slew H4191 him. And Judah H3063 said H559 unto Onan, H209 Go in H935 unto thy brother's H251 wife, H802 and marry H2992 her, and raise up H6965 seed H2233 to thy brother. H251 And Onan H209 knew H3045 that the seed H2233 should not be his; and it came to pass, when H518 he went in H935 unto his brother's H251 wife, H802 that he spilled H7843 it on the ground, H776 lest H1115 that he should give H5414 seed H2233 to his brother. H251 And the thing which H834 he did H6213 displeased H3415 H5869 the LORD: H3068 wherefore he slew H4191 him also.
The sons H1121 of Judah; H3063 Er, H6147 and Onan, H209 and Shelah: H7956 which three H7969 were born H3205 unto him of the daughter H1323 of Shua H7774 H1340 the Canaanitess. H3669 And Er, H6147 the firstborn H1060 of Judah, H3063 was evil H7451 in the sight H5869 of the LORD; H3068 and he slew H4191 him. And Tamar H8559 his daughter in law H3618 bare H3205 him Pharez H6557 and Zerah. H2226 All the sons H1121 of Judah H3063 were five. H2568 The sons H1121 of Pharez; H6557 Hezron, H2696 and Hamul. H2538 And the sons H1121 of Zerah; H2226 Zimri, H2174 and Ethan, H387 and Heman, H1968 and Calcol, H3633 and Dara: H1873 five H2568 of them in all. And the sons H1121 of Carmi; H3756 Achar, H5917 the troubler H5916 of Israel, H3478 who transgressed H4603 in the thing accursed. H2764 And the sons H1121 of Ethan; H387 Azariah. H5838
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Numbers 26
Commentary on Numbers 26 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 26
Nu 26:1-51. Israel Numbered.
1. after the plague—That terrible visitation had swept away the remnant of the old generation, to whom God sware in His wrath that they should not enter Canaan (Ps 95:11).
2. Take the sum of all the congregation—The design of this new census, after a lapse of thirty-eight years, was primarily to establish the vast multiplication of the posterity of Abraham in spite of the severe judgments inflicted upon them; secondarily, it was to preserve the distinction of families and to make arrangements, preparatory to an entrance into the promised land, for the distribution of the country according to the relative population of the tribes.
7. These are the families of the Reubenites—the principal households, which were subdivided into numerous smaller families. Reuben had suffered great diminution by Korah's conspiracy and other outbreaks [Nu 16:1].
10. the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah—rather, "the things of Korah." (See on Nu 16:35; compare Ps 106:17).
11. Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not—Either they were not parties to their father's crime, or they withdrew from it by timely repentance. His descendants became famous in the time of David, and are often mentioned in the Psalms [Ps 42:1; 44:1; 45:1; 46:1; 47:1; 48:1; 49:1; 84:1; 85:1; 87:1; 88:1], also in 1Ch 6:22, 38.
12. The sons of Simeon—It is supposed that this tribe had been pre-eminent in the guilt of Baal-peor and had consequently been greatly reduced in numbers.
Thus God's justice and holiness, as well as His truth and faithfulness, were strikingly displayed: His justice and holiness in the sweeping judgments that reduced the ranks of some tribes; and His truth and faithfulness in the extraordinary increase of others so that the posterity of Israel continued a numerous people.
53. the land shall be divided according to the number of names—The portion of each tribe was to be greater or less, according to its populousness.
54. To many thou shalt give the more inheritance—that is, to the more numerous tribes a larger allotment shall be granted.
according to those that were numbered—the number of persons twenty years old at the time of the census being made, without taking into account either the increase of those who might have attained that age, when the land should be actually distributed, or the diminution from that amount, occasioned during the war of invasion.
55. the land shall be divided by lot—The appeal to the lot did not place the matter beyond the control of God; for it is at His disposal (Pr 16:33), and He has fixed to all the bounds of their habitation. The manner in which the lot was taken has not been recorded. But it is evident that the lot was cast for determining the section of the country in which each tribe should be located—not the quantity of their possessions. In other words, when the lot had decided that a particular tribe was to be settled in the north or the south, the east or the west, the extent of territory was allocated according to the rule (Nu 26:54).
58. families of the Levites—The census of this tribe was taken separately, and on a different principle from the rest. (See Ex 6:16-19).
62. twenty and three thousand—so that there was an increase of a thousand (Nu 3:39).
males from a month old and upward—(See on Nu 3:14).
64. among these there was not a man … numbered … in the wilderness of Sinai—The statement in this verse must not be considered absolute. For, besides Caleb and Joshua, there were alive at this time Eleazar and Ithamar, and in all probability a considerable number of Levites, who had no participation in the popular defections in the wilderness. The tribe of Levi, having neither sent a spy into Canaan, nor being included in the enumeration at Sinai, must be regarded as not coming within the range of the fatal sentence; and therefore it would exhibit a spectacle not to be witnessed in the other tribes of many in their ranks above sixty years of age.