Numbers-Chapter One: The first Israelite census

After hundreds of years in slavery in Egypt, the Israelites were traveling to the promised land, the land of Canaan. Recall, G-d spoke directly to Moses, and Moses communicated his word to the people. His brother Aaron was the High Priest. By this time, the Israelites had constructed the Tent of Meeting and the transportable Tabernacle, which the Levites were assigned to take care of. The Tabernacle was constructed to enable the Israelites to live near G-d's holy presence.

So, 13 months after leaving Egypt, precisely on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting.

The Lord told Moses to take a census of the Israelites by their clans of the whole Israelite community and list every man’s name. The purpose of the census was to organize an army, and every able-bodied man was counted on to participate.

This was the first census taken by the Israelites. The census counted every male from the age of 20 and up, there was no upper age limit. If you were fit, you were selected. This was done so that the Israelites had an organized army when they continued their travels in the wilderness.

From each of the 12 tribes, the head of the tribe were to assist. The heads of each tribe and the number of males counted are listed below.

·      from Reuben, who was the first born son of Israel: Elizur and their tribe totaled 46,500.

·      from Simeon, Shelumiel and their tribe totaled 59,300.

·      from Judah, Nahshon and their tribe totaled 74,600

·      from Issachar, Nethanel and their tribe totaled 54,400

·      from Zebulun, Eliab and their tribe totaled 57,400

·      from Ephraim, Elishama and their tribe totaled 40,500

·      from Manasseh, Gamaliel and their tribe totaled 32,200

·      from Benjamin, Abidan and their tribe totaled 35,400

·      from Dan, Ahiezer and their tribe totaled 62,700

·      from Asher, Pagiel and their tribe totaled 41,500

·      from Gad, Eliasaph and their tribe totaled 45,650

·      from Naphtali, Ahira and their tribe totaled 53,400

The census total number was 603,550.

Was any able bodied men that were exempt? Yes. The Lord talk Moses ⁷The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others. 

The Levites were exempt. Recall, the Levites were charged to take care of the Tabernacle. They camped around it, took it down, set it up, in short, they were in charge with everything associated with it.

The census figure of 603,550 able-bodied men formed a large, formidable army and scholars estimate this meant there was roughly 2 million Israelite men, women and children back then

Today, there are 7.4 million Jews in Israel, 6.3 million Jews in the United States and a total of 15.8 million Jews worldwide that comprise 0.2% of the world’s population.