🔢WEB · Numbers 2:23
What does Numbers 2:23 mean?
"His army, and those who were counted of them, were thirty-five thousand four hundred."
— Numbers 2:23 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
“Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the prince of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
His division, and those who were counted of them, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
“The tribe of Benjamin: and the prince of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
His army, and those who were counted of them, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
“All who were counted of the camp of Ephraim were one hundred eight thousand one hundred, according to their divisions. They shall set out third.
“On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
His division, and those who were counted of them, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
Explanation
Numbers 2:23 records a specific census figure: the tribe of Manasseh, when its fighting men were counted, numbered 35,400. This verse is part of a larger passage in Numbers 2 that lists the size of each Israelite tribe's army as the nation prepared to march through the wilderness toward the Promised Land. Manasseh, along with Ephraim and Benjamin, made up one of four camp groupings positioned around the tabernacle, and this particular group was stationed on the west side.
The book of Numbers is traditionally attributed to Moses, and it was written for the community of Israel during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. Chapters 1 and 2 record a formal census taken shortly after the Israelites left Mount Sinai, counting the men of fighting age (twenty years old and up)
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