Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 26:42
These [are] the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These [are] the families of Dan after their families.
Shuham, called, by transposition, Hushim, Gen 46:23.
After their families; the greater families subdivided into lesser families.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Ver. 42,43. These are the sons of Dan, after their families,…. Though he had but one son, the plural being put for the singular; or by sons are meant his posterity; his son’s name was Shuham, and by transposition Hushim, in Ge 46:23 from him was the family of the Shulamite; and yet, though but one, consisted of 64,400 men; there was an increase of 1700 in this tribe.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Only one son of Dan is mentioned: Shusham, also Hushim. If Dan had other children, it is likely they assimilated with the family of Shusham.
The census showed 64,400 men of Da The earlier census showed 62,700, an increase of 1,700.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
42. Shuham is Hushim in Gen 46:23.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Num 26:42-43
‘These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families. All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred.’
Dan was not split into sub-tribes, the only tribe being named from a son of Dan, who is called Shuham here, but Hushim in Gen 46:23. This reversing of consonants in names occurs so often that it must be deliberate. There would, of course, be smaller sub-clans. In this tribe there were sixty four leaders/champions and four hundreds of men.
Num 26:44-47
‘The sons of Asher after their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Berites. Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them, fifty and three thousand and four hundred.’
The tribe of Asher was listed by its five sub-tribes, the Imnites, the Ishvites, the Berites, the Heberites, and the Malchielites. Asher had a daughter named Serah who must have been of some importance to be mentioned. Possibly she was in line to inherit because she had no brothers (see Num 27:1-11). As we have seen this ‘numbering’ could signify fifty three leaders/champions, and four ‘hundreds’. (Or fifty three wider families).
Num 26:48-50
‘The sons of Naphtali after their families; of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 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.’
The tribe of Naphtali was listed by its four sub-tribes, the Jahzeelites, the Gunites, the Jezerites, and the Shillemites. As we have seen this ‘numbering’ could signify forty five leaders/champions, and four ‘hundreds’. (Or forty five wider families).
Num 26:51
‘These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.’
So the total ‘numbered’ for war amounted to 596 leaders/champions and five large units, seven smaller units and a thirty, a reduction in leaders but a slight increase in total establishment. (See introduction).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Num 26:42. These are the sons of Dan Thus the sacred writer speaks, though Dan had but one son; it being frequent in the Hebrew to put the plural for the singular. Under the name sons, his descendants in general are included. This tribe increased into very great divisions and subdivisions of families, all derived from Shuham, the only son of Dan. See Gen 46:23 where, by a transposition of letters, Shuham is called Husham. The learned reader will find many such variations in names, the causes for which must be left to the disquisitions of criticism.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Shuham: Gen 46:23, Hushim
Reciprocal: Num 10:25 – the camp
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 26:42. The sons of Dan Under the name of sons his descendants are included, he having but one immediate son. But from him this tribe multiplied into very great divisions and subdivisions of families, and was now increased since the last poll seventeen hundred.