These men were appointed from the congregation; they were the leaders of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB These are those who were called of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel.
- KJV These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
- NKJV These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of their fathers’ tribes, heads of the divisions in Israel.
- NASB These are the men who were called from the congregation, the leaders of their fathers’ tribes; they were the heads of divisions of Israel.”
- NLT These are the chosen leaders of the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
These named men are summarized as the appointed leaders and heads of Israel's clans. God's people are governed through recognized, called leadership.
Overview
The verse identifies the twelve as the 'called' representatives, chosen for their role. They are heads of the 'thousands,' the military and clan divisions of Israel. Their calling reflects how God raises up leaders to serve His people in orderly fashion, a pattern continued in the leadership of the church.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Num 7:2And the leaders of Israel, the heads of their families, presented an offering. These men were the tribal leaders who had supervised the registration.
- Exod 18:21Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Exod 18:25So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Num 26:9and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the congregation, who fought against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah who rebelled against the LORD.
- Num 16:2a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly.
- Num 1:4And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you.
- 1 Chr 27:16–22These officers were in charge of the tribes of Israel: Over the Reubenites was Eliezer son of Zichri; over the Simeonites was Shephatiah son of Maacah;
- Num 7:10–83When the altar was anointed, the leaders approached with their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar.
- Judg 6:15“Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
- 1 Sam 22:7Then Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds?
- 1 Sam 23:23Observe and find out all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.”
- Num 11:17And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.
- Num 10:14–27First, the divisions of the camp of Judah set out under their standard, with Nahshon son of Amminadab in command.
- Deut 1:15So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.
- Num 2:3–31On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard: The leader of the descendants of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab,
- Mic 5:2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 1:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.