Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 1:18
And they assembled all the congregation together on the first [day] of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
18. by their pollsindividually,one by one.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they assembled all the congregation together on the first [day] of the second month,…. The month Ijar, as the Targum of Jonathan, answering to part of April and May: this was done on the selfsame day the Lord spake unto Moses about this affair, Nu 1:1; so expeditious were he and Aaron in doing the will of God:
and they declared their pedigrees; either Moses and Aaron, according to Aben Ezra, who inquired when they were born, because of the computation of twenty years; and then their birth was wrote down, as he says; or rather the people declared their pedigrees, of what tribe, family, and house they were, who their parents, when born, and so, of course, how old they were; Jarchi interprets it, they brought the books of their genealogies, and witnesses to confirm the birth of everyone of them, to show their genealogy according to their tribe; nor is it at all unlikely that every family and house, or master thereof, kept a register of those born to him in it, whereby their age could be ascertained as well as pedigree:
after their famines, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of their names, from twenty years old and upwards, by their poll: that is, every tribe gave an account of the families in it, every family what houses were in it, and every house what number of males were in it, and of what age; and such were numbered who were twenty years old and upward.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(18) Declared their pedigrees.More literally, announced themselves as having been borni.e., caused themselves to be enrolled. The people appear to have been enrolled by their polls, i.e., individually, under three heads(1) according to the tribe to which they belonged; (2) according to the mishpahah, or family, which, as it appears from Num. 3:22, included in some cases two or three thousand persons; and (3) according to their fathers house. The importance of this enrolment, as affording the means of tracing the genealogy of Christ, must not be overlooked.
According to the number of the names.The words are the same as in Num. 1:2, and should be rendered in the same manner.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. Assembled all the congregation Here literalists like Colenso find a difficulty so insuperable as to impeach the veracity of Moses. The whole congregation, adults and children, male and female, could not have been less than two million four hundred thousand. These could not be assembled in one place for the transaction of business. Nor was there any need of such an assembly. A representative of each group of families already enrolled for the atonement money could carry his register to the census board and make his report. Or there might have been a polling place in each tribe, like city ward balloting places. The journeying of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, the city of David, for enrolment, might have been in accordance with the practice begun in the wilderness, of each person gathering to his own tribal centre for registration. The system of appointing a head man in each tribe, charged with the preservation of the pedigrees of the families, corresponds with the practice of the Arabs at the present day.
Assembled on the first Thus on the very day the order was given the people begin to obey it.
True obedience is always prompt and unquestioning. Pedigrees, families, and house of their fathers indicate more than four generations in Egypt.
According to the number of their names This oft-recurring phrase in this census implies a previous enumeration. See note on Num 1:2.
By their polls Hebrew, By their skulls. Septuagint, Head by head. That is, the census is to be individual as well as family and tribal. It was not to be after the manner in which Xerxes counted his army on the plain of Doriscus, where an enclosure was made containing ten thousand men when closely packed, and filled one hundred and seventy times, showing that his army was not three times as large as that with which Moses marched through the wilderness.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
It is very endearing to behold the Lord Jesus giving in the account of his people. Joh 17:6-12 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Num 1:18 And they assembled all the congregation together on the first [day] of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
Ver. 18. And they declared their pedigrees. ] Which those that could not do, Ezr 2:62 were cut out of the roll, capite diminuti, cashiered.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
their pedigrees: Ezr 2:59, Neh 7:61, Heb 7:3, Heb 7:6, *marg.
by the: Num 1:2
according: Num 1:20-54
from twenty: In this census no women were reckoned, nor children, nor minors, nor strangers, nor Levites, nor old men; which, collectively, must have formed an immense multitude; the Levites alone amounted to 22,300 men.
Reciprocal: Exo 30:14 – from twenty 1Ch 23:24 – by their polls 1Ch 27:23 – from twenty 2Ch 17:14 – to the house
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1:18 And they assembled all the congregation together on the first [day] of the second month, and they declared {f} their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
(f) In showing every man his tribe and his ancestors.