Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

NUMBERS 1:40KJV
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Numbers 1:40 (KJV)

What does Numbers 1:40 mean?

Numbers 1:40 records the counting of the men from the tribe of Asher who were twenty years old or older and able to serve in war, listing them by their family lines and ancestral houses. This verse is part of a census where each tribe’s eligible men are registered for possible military duty.

In this passage, God instructs Moses to take a census of the Israelites, and here the focus is on the tribe of Asher. The counting is organized by generations, families, and the “house of their fathers,” emphasizing the importance of family and tribal identity. Only men of fighting age—twenty years and up—are included, highlighting the practical purpose of preparing for the responsibilities ahead as Israel journeys toward the promised land.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 1:40

  • "children" (בֵּן, ben): This word refers to "sons" or "descendants," and in this context, it means the male members of the tribe of Asher who are being counted.
  • "generations" (תּוֹלְדָה, toledah): This term points to family history or lineage, underlining that the census is organized by ancestral lines, not just individuals.
  • "house" (בַּיִת, bayit) and "fathers" (אָב, av): Together, these words mean “the house of their fathers,” which refers to extended family groups or clans, showing the structure of Israelite society.
  • "number" (מִסְפָּר, mispar) and "names" (שֵׁם, shem): These words indicate a careful, name-by-name registration, not just a rough estimate, suggesting the importance of each individual in the community.

Why Numbers 1:40 matters

  • Numbers 1:40 shows that Israel’s organization was deeply rooted in family and tribal connections, not just in individual identity.
  • The verse clarifies that only those able to go to war were counted, which helps explain the purpose of the census and why certain groups (like women, children, and the elderly) are not included.
  • This careful record-keeping sets the stage for later stories in Numbers, where knowing the strength and structure of each tribe becomes important for leadership, land division, and military action.

Where else these words appear

“generations” Hebrew H8435 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
  • Genesis 37:2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
  • Numbers 1:38 Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

“Asher” Hebrew H836 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 30:13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
  • Numbers 26:47 These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them; who were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
  • Judges 5:17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.

“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;

“upward” Hebrew H4605 · used in 134 verses

  • Genesis 6:16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
  • Numbers 4:35 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:
  • 2 Chronicles 16:12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.