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“Then comes the tribe of Benjamin, and the leader of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.”
Numbers 2:22 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB “The tribe of Benjamin: and the prince of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
  • KJV Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
  • BSB Next will be the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the Benjamites is Abidan son of Gideoni,
  • NASB Then follows the tribe of Benjamin; and the leader of the sons of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni,

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

Quick answer

Benjamin joined the western camp under prince Abidan. The smallest tribe still held an honored, appointed place.

Overview

Benjamin, descended from Jacob's youngest son, completed the western division alongside Ephraim and Manasseh. Though Benjamin would become one of the smaller tribes, it was given full standing and a named leader. This shows that in God's economy no member of His people is overlooked, foreshadowing how the body of Christ honors even its seemingly lesser parts (1 Corinthians 12:22-24).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Num 1:11Of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni.
  • Num 7:65and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.
  • Ps 68:27There is little Benjamin, their ruler, the princes of Judah, their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.
  • Num 7:60On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin
  • Num 10:24Abidan the son of Gideoni was over the army of the tribe of the children of Benjamin.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Numbers videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Numbers 2:22YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on NumbersMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 2:22 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.