“Take a census of the people from twenty years old and upward, as the Lord has commanded Moses.” Now the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were as follows:
Parallel translations
- WEB “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.
- KJV Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt.
- BSB “Take a census of the men twenty years of age or older, as the LORD has commanded Moses.” And these were the Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt:
- NKJV “Take a census of the people from twenty years old and above, just as the Lord commanded Moses and the children of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.”
- NLT “List all the men of Israel twenty years old and older, just as the Lord commanded Moses.” This is the record of all the descendants of Israel who came out of Egypt.
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
The census is taken of those twenty and older, as the LORD commanded, identifying the generation that came out of Egypt. It marks the count of those who will inherit the land.
Overview
The instruction repeats the age requirement and ties this generation back to the exodus, even though most of the original adults have died. The phrase frames Israel's continuity as the redeemed people God brought out of Egypt. This census stands as evidence that God's redemptive purpose continues unbroken from the exodus to the conquest.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Num 1:1Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
- 1 Chr 21:1Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel.
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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 26:4 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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