🔢WEB · Numbers 10:14
What does Numbers 10:14 mean?
"First, the standard of the camp of the children of Judah went forward according to their armies. Nahshon the son of Amminadab was over his army."
— Numbers 10:14 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony.
The children of Israel went forward according to their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud stayed in the wilderness of Paran.
They first went forward according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.
First, the standard of the camp of the children of Judah went forward according to their armies. Nahshon the son of Amminadab was over his army.
Nethanel the son of Zuar was over the army of the tribe of the children of Issachar.
Eliab the son of Helon was over the army of the tribe of the children of Zebulun.
The tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who bore the tabernacle, went forward.
Explanation
This verse describes a specific moment in Israel's journey through the wilderness: the moment the camp finally began to move forward from Mount Sinai toward the Promised Land. After nearly a year of being stationed at Sinai—receiving the law, building the tabernacle, and organizing the tribes—the Israelites received the signal to break camp and travel. Numbers 10:14 tells us which tribe led the way. The "standard" refers to the banner or ensign that identified the tribe of Judah, and it went out first, with the tribe's army (that is, its organized company of fighting men) following under the command of Nahshon son of Amminadab.
The book of Numbers was written by Moses and addressed to the community of Israel, recording their movements, census, and organization during the forty years between the exodus from Egypt and entry into Canaan. Chapter 10 marks a major transition: the cloud lifts from the tabernacle, the trumpets sound, and the camp begins its march. The order of march was not arbitrary. Earlier in Numbers (chapters 1–2), God had specifically instructed how the twelve tribes were to be arranged around the tabernacle and in what
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