Chapter Two

The arrangement of the Hebrew camp during the journey.

Numbers 2:1. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, saying: Numbers 2:2. The sons of Israel shall each camp by his standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses; they shall camp facing the tent of meeting all around. Numbers 2:3. On the east side toward the sunrise, the standard of the camp of Judah shall be by their companies, and the leader of the sons of Judah shall be Nahshon, son of Amminadab, Numbers 2:4. and his company, those numbered of them, seventy-four thousand six hundred; Numbers 2:5. Next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and the leader of the sons of Issachar shall be Nethanel, son of Zuar, Numbers 2:6. and his company, those numbered of them, fifty-four thousand four hundred; Numbers 2:7. [Then shall camp] the tribe of Zebulun, and the leader of the sons of Zebulun shall be Eliab, son of Helon, Numbers 2:8. and his company, those numbered of them, fifty-seven thousand four hundred; Numbers 2:9. All those numbered of the camp of Judah were one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred, by their companies; they shall set out first. Numbers 2:10. The standard of the camp of Reuben on the south, by their companies, and the leader of the sons of Reuben shall be Elizur, son of Shedeur, Numbers 2:11. and his company, those numbered of them, forty-six thousand five hundred; Numbers 2:12. Next to him shall camp the tribe of Simeon, and the leader of the sons of Simeon shall be Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, Numbers 2:13. and his company, those numbered of them, fifty-nine thousand three hundred; Numbers 2:14. Then the tribe of Gad, and the leader of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph, son of Reuel, Numbers 2:15. and his company, those numbered of them, forty-five thousand six hundred fifty; Numbers 2:16. All those numbered of the camp of Reuben were one hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty, by their companies; they shall set out second. Numbers 2:17. When the tent of meeting sets out, the camp of the Levites shall set out in the middle of the camps. As they camp, so shall they set out, each in his place by their standards. Numbers 2:18. The standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies toward the west, and the leader of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama, son of Ammihud, Numbers 2:19. and his company, those numbered of them, forty thousand five hundred; Numbers 2:20. Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, and the leader of the sons of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, Numbers 2:21. and his company, those numbered of them, thirty-two thousand two hundred; Numbers 2:22. Then the tribe of Benjamin, and the leader of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan, son of Gideoni, Numbers 2:23. and his company, those numbered of them, thirty-five thousand four hundred; Numbers 2:24. All those numbered of the camp of Ephraim were one hundred eight thousand one hundred, by their companies; they shall set out third. Numbers 2:25. The standard of the camp of Dan on the north, by their companies, and the leader of the sons of Dan shall be Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, Numbers 2:26. and his company, those numbered of them, sixty-two thousand seven hundred; Numbers 2:27. Next to him shall camp the tribe of Asher, and the leader of the sons of Asher shall be Pagiel, son of Ochran, Numbers 2:28. and his company, those numbered of them, forty-one thousand five hundred; Numbers 2:29. Then [shall camp] the tribe of Naphtali, and the leader of the sons of Naphtali shall be Ahira, son of Enan, Numbers 2:30. and his company, those numbered of them, fifty-three thousand four hundred; Numbers 2:31. All those numbered of the camp of Dan were one hundred fifty-seven thousand six hundred; they shall set out last, by their standards. Numbers 2:32. These are the ones numbered of the sons of Israel by their families. All those numbered in the camps, by their companies, were six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty. Numbers 2:33. But the Levites were not numbered among the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses. Numbers 2:34. The sons of Israel did everything as the Lord commanded Moses; so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one by their families, according to their fathers’ houses. In their journey through the Arabian wilderness, the Hebrew people presented themselves as a well-organized army, divided into four parts, with three tribal regiments in each. The vanguard was occupied by the tribe of Judah, with Zebulun on the right flank and Issachar on the left. The left side of the camp was protected by Dan, Asher, and Naphtali; the right side by Reuben, Gad, and Simeon. The rearguard consisted of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin. In the center of the elongated rectangle formed by the camp were placed the tabernacle, the tents of Moses, Aaron, the priests, and the Levites.