🔢WEB · Numbers 26:6
What does Numbers 26:6 mean?
"of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites."
— Numbers 26:6 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
“Take a census, from twenty years old and upward; as Yahweh commanded Moses and the children of Israel.” These are those that came out of the land of Egypt.
Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;
of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
These are the families of the Reubenites; and those who were counted of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred thirty.
The sons of Pallu: Eliab.
The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. These are that Dathan and Abiram, who were called by the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they rebelled against Yahweh,
Explanation
Numbers 26:6 is a brief genealogical note identifying two clan divisions within the tribe of Reuben. It states simply that Hezron's descendants formed the family group known as the Hezronites, and Carmi's descendants formed the family group known as the Carmites. On the surface it reads like a dry administrative record, because that is exactly what it is — a line item in a census list.
The context is essential to understanding why this verse exists at all. Numbers 26 records the second wilderness census of Israel, taken under Moses and Eleazar the priest near the end of the forty years in the desert, shortly before Israel crossed into the Promised Land. The first census, in Numbers 1, had been taken near the beginning of the wilderness journey; this second one was necessary because an entire generation had died during the wandering as judgment for unbelief at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 14, 26:64-65). The new census counted the surviving families so the land could be divided fairly among the tribes and clans (Numbers 26:52-56). Hezron and Carmi were sons of Re
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.