These are the families of Naphtali according to their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred.

NUMBERS 26:50KJV
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Numbers 26:50 (KJV)

What does Numbers 26:50 mean?

Numbers 26:50 reports the total number of men from the tribe of Naphtali who were counted in a census: forty-five thousand four hundred. This verse lists the families within Naphtali and gives their combined number as part of a larger record of Israel’s tribes.

Moses is recording the results of a census God commanded as the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land. This verse marks the end of the tally for Naphtali, one of Jacob’s sons, showing the tribe’s size and organization by family groups. The count is only of men able to go to war, reflecting the practical needs of the nation at this moment.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 26:50

  • "families" (מִשְׁפָּחוֹת, mishpachot): This word refers to extended family groups or clans within the tribe, highlighting the structure of Israelite society.
  • "numbered" (פָּקַד, paqad): This verb often means to count or take account of, but it can also carry the sense of being appointed or assigned, showing the census was an official and purposeful act.
  • The numbers ("forty" אַרְבָּעִים, arba‘im; "five" חָמֵשׁ, chamesh; "thousand" אֶלֶף, eleph; "four" אַרְבַּע, arba‘; "hundred" מֵאָה, me’ah): The specific Hebrew terms for numbers reinforce the exactness and care taken in the census.

Why Numbers 26:50 matters

  • This verse shows the careful organization and record-keeping of the Israelite community as they prepared for a major transition into a new land.
  • The mention of families (mishpachot) emphasizes the importance of kinship and identity within each tribe, which affected inheritance and leadership.
  • The census connects to the broader narrative of Numbers 26, which contrasts the new generation with the one that left Egypt, highlighting continuity and change in Israel’s story.

Where else these words appear

“Naphtali” Hebrew H5321 · used in 47 verses

  • Genesis 30:8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
  • Deuteronomy 33:23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.
  • 1 Kings 15:20 So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

“forty” Hebrew H705 · used in 124 verses

  • Genesis 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Deuteronomy 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:36 And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.