And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house.
Parallel translations
- WEB With you there shall be a man of every tribe; everyone head of his fathers’ house.
- KJV And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
- BSB And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you.
- NASB With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father’s household.
- NLT and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe.
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
One representative leader from each tribe is appointed to assist Moses and Aaron. God works through ordered, delegated leadership among His people.
Overview
Each tribal head, a recognized leader of his father's house, shares the responsibility of the census. This pattern of delegated leadership echoes Jethro's counsel in Exodus 18 and models the orderly governance God establishes among His people. Shared, accountable leadership remains a biblical principle reflected in the elders of the New Testament church.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Num 1:16These 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.
- Exod 18:25Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
- Num 25:4Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to Yahweh before the sun, that the fierce anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel.”
- Num 34:18–28You shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land for inheritance.
- Num 13:2–15“Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.”
- Num 10:14–27First, the standard of the camp of the children of Judah went forward according to their armies. Nahshon the son of Amminadab was over his army.
- Josh 22:14With him were ten princes, one prince of a fathers’ house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were each head of their fathers’ houses among the thousands of Israel.
- Num 25:14Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers’ house among the Simeonites.
- Deut 1:15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.
- Num 2:3–31Those who encamp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
- 1 Chr 27:1–22Now the children of Israel after their number, the heads of fathers’ households and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king, in any matter of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year — of every division were twenty-four thousand.
- Exod 18:21Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
- Num 7:10–83The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes gave their offerings before the altar.
- Num 17:3You shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses.
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 1:4 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
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