🔢WEB · Numbers 26:22
What does Numbers 26:22 mean?
"These are the families of Judah according to those who were counted of them, seventy-six thousand five hundred."
— Numbers 26:22 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The sons of Judah: Er and Onan. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
The sons of Judah after their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites.
The sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.
These are the families of Judah according to those who were counted of them, seventy-six thousand five hundred.
The sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites;
of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.
These are the families of Issachar according to those who were counted of them, sixty-four thousand three hundred.
Explanation
Numbers 26:22 is a simple statistical summary. It closes out the listing of the clans descended from Judah — the families of Shelah, Perez, Zerah, Hezron, and Hamul — by giving the total number of fighting-age men counted from that tribe: 76,500. The verse itself is not making a theological argument; it is the concluding tally of a census record, much like the bottom line of a spreadsheet.
The context is important for understanding why this number exists at all. Numbers 26 records the second wilderness census of Israel, taken near the end of the forty years of wandering, on the plains of Moab just before the people entered the Promised Land. Moses and Eleazar the priest (Aaron's son, since Aaron had died) conducted this count at God's command. The first census, taken in Numbers 1 near the beginning of the wilderness journey, numbered the generation that had left Egypt — a generation that, because of unbelief and rebellion (Numbers 14), was condemned to die in the wilderness rather than enter Canaan. This second census counts their children, the new generation who would actually inherit the land. Judah's total here is essentially unchanged from the earlier count in Numbers 1 (74,600), showing that despite forty years of judg
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.