Now those who camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the flag of the camp of Judah, by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab,
Parallel translations
- WEB Those 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.
- KJV And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.
- BSB On 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,
- NKJV On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah.”
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
Judah camps on the east, the place of honor, led by Nahshon. The royal tribe takes the foremost position.
Overview
Judah's placement on the east, the direction of the sunrise and the entrance to the tabernacle, marks its leadership among the tribes. This honored position fulfills Jacob's prophecy of Judah's preeminence (Gen. 49:10) and points to the King who would come from Judah, Jesus Christ. Nahshon, named here, stands in the messianic line (Matt. 1:4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ruth 4:20and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon became the father of Salmon,
- 1 Chr 2:10Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah;
- Num 10:14–16First, 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.
- Num 1:7Of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
- Luke 3:32–33the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
- Matt 1:4Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon.
- Judg 1:1–2After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of Yahweh, saying, “Who should go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”
- Gen 49:8–10“Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you.
- Num 7:17and 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 Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
- Num 26:19–22The sons of Judah: Er and Onan. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
- 1 Chr 5:2For Judah prevailed above his brothers, and from him came the prince; but the birthright was Joseph’s) —
- Num 7:12He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 2:3 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.