Numbers 1:41 Study Bible: those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Asher, were forty-one thousand five hundred.

◄ Numbers 1:41 ►

those registered to the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

those registered to the tribe of Asher
The tribe of Asher is one of the twelve tribes of Israel, named after Asher, the eighth son of Jacob and second son of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Asher's name means "happy" or "blessed," reflecting Leah's joy at his birth (Genesis 30:12-13). The tribe of Asher was known for its rich agricultural land, particularly olive oil production, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 33:24. In the context of Numbers 1, the census was conducted to organize the Israelites for military purposes as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. The tribe of Asher, like the other tribes, was counted to determine its military strength. Historically, Asher's territory was located in the northern part of Canaan, along the Mediterranean coast, which was a fertile and prosperous region.

numbered 41,500
The census recorded 41,500 men from the tribe of Asher who were twenty years old and older and able to go to war. This number reflects the military potential of the tribe at that time. The census was significant for organizing the Israelites into a structured community with a clear understanding of their resources and capabilities. The number 41,500 is part of the larger total of 603,550 men from all the tribes of Israel, excluding the Levites, who were set apart for priestly duties. This census underscores the importance of order and preparation as the Israelites journeyed toward the Promised Land. The specific number also highlights the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to make his descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5).

Persons / Places / Events

1. Tribe of Asher
One of the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from Asher, the eighth son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. The tribe is known for its abundance and blessings, as prophesied by Jacob and Moses.

2. Census in the Wilderness
This event refers to the census commanded by God to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. It was conducted to organize the Israelites for their journey and eventual conquest of the Promised Land.

3. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. He was responsible for conducting the census as instructed by God.

4. Aaron
Moses' brother and the first high priest of Israel, who assisted Moses in leading the people and conducting the census.

5. Wilderness of Sinai
The location where the Israelites camped and where the census was conducted. It represents a place of testing and preparation for the Israelites.

Teaching Points

God's Faithfulness in Fulfillment
The census numbers reflect God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to the patriarchs regarding the growth and prosperity of their descendants.

Importance of Order and Organization
The census demonstrates the need for order and organization within the community of God's people, which is essential for effective leadership and mission.

Identity and Belonging
Each tribe's registration signifies a sense of identity and belonging among God's people, reminding us of our identity in Christ and our place in the body of believers.

Preparation for Future Challenges
The census was a preparatory step for the Israelites' journey and battles ahead, teaching us the importance of preparation and readiness in our spiritual journey.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the census of the tribe of Asher reflect God's promises to the patriarchs, and what does this teach us about God's faithfulness in our lives?

2. In what ways can we apply the principles of order and organization seen in the census to our personal and church life today?

3. How does understanding our identity in Christ compare to the sense of identity and belonging experienced by the tribes of Israel?

4. What steps can we take to prepare ourselves spiritually for the challenges and missions God has for us, similar to how the Israelites prepared for their journey?

5. How can the blessings and prophecies given to the tribe of Asher inspire us to seek God's blessings and strength in our own lives?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Genesis 49:20
Jacob's blessing to Asher, highlighting the tribe's future prosperity and abundance, which connects to the census as a fulfillment of this blessing.

Deuteronomy 33:24-25
Moses' blessing to Asher, emphasizing strength and security, which is reflected in the tribe's significant number in the census.

Exodus 1:7
The growth of the Israelites in Egypt, which sets the stage for the large numbers seen in the census.

Sermons

The First Army of Israel, an Illustration of the Church Militant	W. Jones.	Numbers 1:20-46
The Necessity of War	H. W. Beecher.	Numbers 1:20-46

People

Aaron, Abidan, Ahiezer, Ahira, Ammihud, Amminadab, Ammishaddai, Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Deuel, Eliab, Eliasaph, Elishama, Elizur, Enan, Gad, Gamaliel, Gideoni, Helon, Israelites, Issachar, Joseph, Levi, Levites, Manasseh, Moses, Nahshon, Naphtali, Nethaneel, Ocran, Pagiel, Pedahzur, Reuben, Reuel, Shedeur, Shelumiel, Simeon, Zebulun, Zuar, Zurishaddai

Places

Egypt, Sinai

Topics

Asher, 500, Forty, Forty-one, Hundred, Numbered, Ones, Thousand, Tribe

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Numbers 1:1-49

5249 census

Numbers 1:20-43

7266 tribes of Israel

Library

The Consolation
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received at the LORD 's hand double for all her sins. T he particulars of the great "mystery of godliness," as enumerated by the Apostle Paul, constitute the grand and inexhaustible theme of the Gospel ministry, "God manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Census of Israel
Thirty-eight years had passed away since the first numbering at Sinai, and the people had come to the borders of the Promised Land; for they were in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. The time had come for another census. The wisdom which commanded the counting of Israel at the beginning of the wilderness journey, also determined to count them at the end of it. This would show that he did not value them less than in former years; it would afford proof that his word of judgment had been fulfilled …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

The Child-Life in Nazareth
THE stay of the Holy Family in Egypt must have been of brief duration. The cup of Herod's misdeeds, but also of his misery, was full. During the whole latter part of his life, the dread of a rival to the throne had haunted him, and he had sacrificed thousands, among them those nearest and dearest to him, to lay that ghost. [1084] And still the tyrant was not at rest. A more terrible scene is not presented in history than that of the closing days of Herod. Tormented by nameless fears; ever and again …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Genealogy According to Luke.
^C Luke III. 23-38. ^c 23 And Jesus himself [Luke has been speaking about John the Baptist, he now turns to speak of Jesus himself], when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age [the age when a Levite entered upon God's service--Num. iv. 46, 47], being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son [this may mean that Jesus was grandson of Heli, or that Joseph was counted as a son of Heli because he was his son-in-law] of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6

And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah
"And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come forth unto Me (one) [Pg 480] to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth are the times of old, the days of eternity." The close connection of this verse with what immediately precedes (Caspari is wrong in considering iv. 9-14 as an episode) is evident, not only from the [Hebrew: v] copulative, and from the analogy of the near relation of the announcement of salvation to the prophecy of disaster …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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