🔢WEB · Numbers 1:13
What does Numbers 1:13 mean?
"Of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran."
— Numbers 1:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Of the children of Joseph: Of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud. Of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
Of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni.
Of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
Of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran.
Of Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
Of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan.”
These are those who were called of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel.
Explanation
Numbers 1:13 is a brief entry in a longer list, simply naming the man chosen to represent the tribe of Asher during a census that God commanded Moses to take of Israel. The verse tells us that Pagiel, son of Ochran, was designated as the leader from Asher for this task. On its own, it is little more than a name and a lineage, but it belongs to a larger passage (Numbers 1:1-16) where Moses appoints one leader from each of the twelve tribes to assist him in numbering the men of Israel who were able to go to war.
The context is important for understanding why this verse exists at all. After the Israelites left Egypt and arrived at Mount Sinai, God instructed Moses to count the fighting men of each tribe in order to organize the nation for its journey to the Promised Land and for the military and logistical challenges ahead. Moses did not do this alone; he needed trusted representatives from every tribe to help conduct an accurate census. Pagiel was chosen as that representative for Asher, one of the twelve sons of Jacob whose descendants made up the tribes of Israel. The book of Numbers takes its name from these census accounts, and much of its early material consists of exactly this kind of tribe-by-tribe listing.
Theologically, this verse and others like it reflect the order, structure, and care that God brought to His people. Israel was not a disorganized mass but a covenant community with identifiable families, clans, and leaders
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.