Numbers 26: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Numbers 26 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

After the plague, Yahweh tells Moses and Eleazar to take a census of the Israelites able to fight. This census occurs in the plains of Moab, near Jericho. The tribe of Reuben is counted first, with forty-three thousand seven hundred. Next, the tribe of Simeon has twenty-two thousand two hundred. The list continues with Gad, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph (including Manasseh and Ephraim), Benjamin, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. In total, six hundred one thousand seven hundred men are counted.

Key verse

“But among these there was not a man of them who were counted by Moses and Aaron the priest, who counted the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.”
Numbers 26:64 (WEB)

Outline

Numbers 26:1–4 Introduction to the Census
Numbers 26:5–40 Tribes of Israel Counted
Numbers 26:41–65 Inheritance and Leadership

Discussion questions

In v2, who is instructed to take the census of Israel?
What event is referenced in v10 regarding Dathan and Abiram?
The mention of Zelophehad's daughters in v33: what does this say about women's roles in inheritance?
In v65, why is it significant that there was not a man left from the previous census?
When have you been part of a community decision like the census in v4?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Numbers 26: Numbers 1, Genesis 46, Numbers 2.

Before next time: read Numbers 27.