Census of the Levites

In Numbers, chapter 26:57-65, the Levites had a special clan census just like in chapter 3.  However, this time they did not break the numbers down by clans, nor is there any explicit mention of the Shimeites, the Amramites, the Izharites, and the Uzzielites.  There was the clan of Gershon, the Gershonites, the clan of Kohath, the Kohathites, and the clan of the Merari, the Merarites.  Then there were the following clans, the Libnites, the Herbronites, the Mahlites, and the Korahites.  The son of Kohath was Amram, who had married Jochebed, the daughter of Levi.  They had three children, Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.  Aaron had four sons.  Nadab and Abihu died in the unholy fire.  Thus, Aaron’s son Eleazar, followed Aaron as the chief priest.  He had another son names Ithamar.  There were 23,000 Levite males from a month old.  They did not get any allotment like the rest of the Israelites.  In chapter 3, there were 22,000, so that there was an increase of 1,000.  Those enrolled here by Moses and Eleazar were not the same as those enrolled by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai.  Yahweh had said that they would die in the wilderness.  Not one of them was left, except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.  The number was nearly the same but the people were different.  It is hard to imagine that none of the Sinai Levites made it to Moab.  Have you ever been involved with a census?

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.