Yes, like everyone else Numbers always seemed a dry book, but like everything else it is here for a reason.
- Reuben: 46,000
- Simeon: 59,300
- Gad: 46,650
- Judah: 74,600
- Isaschar: 54,400
- Zebulun: 57,400
- Joseph – Ephraim:40,500 – Manasseh: 32,200
- Benjamin: 35,400
- Dan: 62,700
- Asher: 41,500
- Naphtali: 53,400
Total: 603,550
When the other tribes were counted, it was men from twenty and up. When Levi was counted, males from one month old were counted.
12. Levites: 22,000 – there were 273 more 1st born males, one month or older than the number of Levites. So they had to “buy” them back: 2 ounces of silver per person, Numbers 3:47.
Numbers 4:3 – Register all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who are qualified to work at the tent of meeting.
Truthfully, I’ve always taken this to mean that there is a time for active duty and a time to be an advisor and a time to be trained.