🔢WEB · Numbers 2:15
What does Numbers 2:15 mean?
"His division, and those who were counted of them, were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty."
— Numbers 2:15 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
“Those who encamp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon. The prince of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
His division, and those who were counted of them, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
“The tribe of Gad: and the prince of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
His division, and those who were counted of them, were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.
“All who were counted of the camp of Reuben were one hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty, according to their armies. They shall set out second.
“Then the Tent of Meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps. As they encamp, so shall they set out, every man in his place, by their standards.
“On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.
Explanation
Numbers 2:15 records a simple but significant detail: the tribe of Naphtali, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, had 45,650 fighting men counted in its ranks. This verse is essentially a census figure, part of a longer list where Moses records the exact number of able-bodied men from each tribe who would serve in Israel's army as the nation traveled through the wilderness. The verse itself is brief and numerical, but it belongs to a larger and highly structured passage describing how the tribes were to organize their camp around the tabernacle.
The book of Numbers was written by Moses, addressed to the Israelite community shortly after they left Egypt and received the law at Sinai. In chapter 2, God gives Moses detailed instructions for how the twelve tribes were to position themselves in camp, with three tribes grouped together on each of the four sides of the tabernacle—east, south, west, and north.
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.