Numbers 2:22
Ver. 22. Then the tribe of Benjamin,.... He was to pitch under the same standard of Ephraim, and the other side of it from that of Manasseh; the one being before, and the other behind, and the standard in the middle; See Gill on "Nu 2:7";
and the captains of the sons of Benjamin [shall be] Abidan the son of Gideoni; of whom see Nu 1:11. Numbers 2:23Ver. 23. And his host, &c. That is, the host of Benjamin;and those that were numbered of them, [were] thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 35,400 men. The least number of all the tribes, excepting the tribe of Manasseh, Nu 2:21; see Nu 1:37. Numbers 2:24Ver. 24. All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim [were] an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies,.... 108,100 men. Which was the smallest of all the camps, and near eighty thousand fewer than the camp of Judah, Nu 2:9:and they shall go forward in the third rank; and which was the first following the tabernacle. Numbers 2:25Ver. 25. The standard of the camp of Dan [shall be] on the north side by their armies,.... To the left of the tabernacle as encamped, and so was the left wing of the grand army; it consisted of the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, in which were several divisions and companies, whose camp also the Targum of Jonathan says reached four miles. According to the Jewish writers {m}, Dan's stone was the "ligure", and his flag was coloured like to a sapphire, and there was figured upon it a serpent, on account of what is said Ge 49:17; Asher's stone was the "tarshish" or beryl, and his flag was coloured like to a precious stone, with which women adorn themselves, and on it was figured an olive tree, on account of what is said Ge 49:20. Naphtali's stone was the amethyst, and his flag was coloured like to clear wine, whose redness is not strong, and on it was figured an hind, on account of what is said of him Ge 49:21:and the captain of the children of Dan [shall be] Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; who made mention of in Nu 1:10.{m} Bemidbar Rabba, ut supra. (sect. 2. fol. 178. 2.) Numbers 2:26Ver. 26. And his host,.... That is, the host of Dan;and those that were numbered of them, [were] threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 62,700 men, which agrees with the account of this tribe in Nu 1:39. Numbers 2:27Ver. 27. And those that encamp by him [shall be] the tribe of Asher,.... Dan had a standard given him, though the son of an handmaid, being the firstborn of the sons of the handmaids, and his tribe being a warlike tribe, and very numerous; and Asher and Naphtali are placed by him, being the sons of handmaids also, and could not but contentedly pitch by him, who was the eldest of the sons of the handmaids Naphtali being his younger brother by mother's as well as father's side, and Asher the second son of Zilpah, Leah's maid:and the captain of the children of Asher [shall be] Pagiel the son of Ocran; the same as in Nu 1:13. Numbers 2:28Ver. 28. And his host,.... That is, the host of Asher;and those that were numbered of them, [were] forty and one thousand and five hundred. 41,500 men; as they were numbered Nu 1:41. Numbers 2:29Ver. 29. Then the tribe of Naphtali,.... That was to pitch by the same standard of Dan, on the other side of it:and the captain of the children of Naphtali [shall be] Ahira the son of Enan; who is mentioned Nu 1:15. Numbers 2:30Ver. 30. And his host,.... That is, the host of Naphtali;and those that were numbered of them; not that some part of the tribe of Naphtali was numbered, which made up the host Ahira was captain of, but the whole of it, who were all numbered that were of twenty years of age and upwards; and the same is to be observed in all the above places, where this phrase is used;[were] fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 53,400 men; see Nu 1:43. Numbers 2:31Ver. 31. All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan [were] an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred,.... 157,600 men. Consisting of his own tribe, and those of Asher and Naphtali, which make the largest camp next to Judah:they shall go hindmost with their standards; for though, while encamped, they lay to the north, or the left side of the tabernacle, yet, when marching, they brought up the rear, and were the rear guard to the tabernacle; so that it had in its van and rear the two largest camps, which were wisely ordered for its safety: "standards" is put for "standard", the plural for the singular; for there was but one standard to a camp, unless this takes in their ensigns, of which they had many. Numbers 2:32Ver. 32. These [are] those that were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers,.... As the number was taken by Moses and Aaron, assisted by twelve princes of the tribe, who were now constituted captains over them, as so many hosts or armies:all those that were numbered of the camp throughout their hosts: of the four camps, of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, throughout the respective tribes or hosts that belonged to each of them,[were] six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty; 603,550 men, which is exactly the sum total of them, as taken Nu 1:46. It is a large number, considering in how short a time, and that great part of it a state of bondage, from seventy persons, they rose unto it; but the spiritual Israel of God, consisting of his people of all nations, is a number which no man can number, Re 7:9; besides, the number of the sealed ones, of every tribe, Nu 2:4; Now this encampment of the people of Israel was an emblem of the form and order of the spiritual Israel or church of God, under the Gospel dispensation. Christ in human nature is the tabernacle, who is in the midst of his people by his gracious presence; as the heart and life of the congregation of his saints, in whom they all centre and terminate, and where he sits enthroned as King of saints; and as the Levites encamped in four squadrons next unto the tabernacle, all around it, to these answer the living creatures in Eze 1:5; which design the ministers of the word, who are in the highest place in the church, between Christ and the congregation, and are near to him, to be supplied by him; then encamped the whole body of the people of Israel by their standards, with their ensigns, to whom answer the wheels in Eze 1:15; and the twenty four elders in Re 4:4; all which show the church to be militant, and that there is an order in Gospel churches, which makes them both comely and terrible, So 6:4; and may teach every member to abide by his standard, and follow his ensign and ensign bearer, Isa 11:10. Numbers 2:33Ver. 33. But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel,.... At this time, not among the Israelites, but by themselves, they being a camp of themselves:as the Lord commanded Moses; Nu 1:48. Numbers 2:34Ver. 34. And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses,.... Formed themselves into camps, so many tribes to a camp, and over each tribe or host appointed a captain, and erected a standard to each camp, by which they pitched as directed, which is next particularly observed:so they pitched by their standards; every tribe, and every person in the tribe, as they were ranked, pitched by the standard to which they belonged:and so they set forward, after their families according to the house of their fathers; the camps, and the tribes in them the families in those tribes, and the houses or lesser families under them, when they marched, proceeded in this regular order, as they did on the twentieth of this month; see Nu 10:11.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.