Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;

NUMBERS 1:2KJV
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Numbers 1:2 (KJV)

What does Numbers 1:2 mean?

Numbers 1:2 records God’s command to Moses to count all the men of Israel, organizing them by family and by their fathers’ households, and listing each man by name. This census was to include every male, counted individually, as part of preparing the community for their journey and responsibilities.

God is speaking directly to Moses, instructing him to take a careful census of the Israelite community. The focus is on structure: each man is to be counted according to his family group and his father’s household, emphasizing the importance of lineage and order among the people. This census sets the stage for organizing the nation for travel and later, for military and leadership roles.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 1:2

  • "Sum" (רֹאשׁ, rosh): This word literally means "head," and here it refers to counting "by head," or individually. It highlights that each person mattered and was counted one by one, not just as a group.
  • "Congregation" (עֵדָה, edah): This word means the assembled community, pointing to the collective identity of Israel as a people gathered together for a purpose.
  • "Polls" (גֻּלְגֹּלֶת, gulgolet): This word literally means "skull" or "head," reinforcing the idea of counting each individual person, not just families or households as a whole.

Why Numbers 1:2 matters

  • Numbers 1:2 clarifies that the census was not just a rough estimate but a detailed, individual count, showing the value of each person within the community.
  • The verse shows the importance of family and tribal structure in ancient Israel, which would affect inheritance, leadership, and responsibilities.
  • This command sets up the rest of the book’s organization, as the census results shape how Israel will move, camp, and prepare for entering the land God promised them.

Where else these words appear

“polls” Hebrew H1538 · used in 12 verses

  • Exodus 16:16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
  • Numbers 1:20 And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
  • 2 Kings 9:35 And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.

“male” Hebrew H2145 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
  • Leviticus 12:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.
  • Deuteronomy 4:16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

“number” Hebrew H4557 · used in 129 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 33:6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
  • Ezra 3:4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;

“congregation” Hebrew H5712 · used in 140 verses

  • Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
  • Numbers 15:25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance:
  • Numbers 31:16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.