11 And the Lord said to Moses in the waste land of Sinai, in the Tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they came out of the land of Egypt, 2 Take the full number of the children of Israel, by their families, and by their fathers' houses, every male by name; 3 All those of twenty years old and over, who are able to go to war in Israel, are to be numbered by you and Aaron. 4 And to give you help, take one man from every tribe, the head of his father's house. 5 These are the names of those who are to be your helpers: from Reuben, Elizur, the son of Shedeur; 6 From Simeon, Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai; 7 From Judah, Nahshon, the son of Amminadab; 8 From Issachar, Nethanel, the son of Zuar; 9 From Zebulun, Eliab, the son of Helon; 10 Of the children of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama, the son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, 11 From Benjamin, Abidan, the son of Gideoni; 12 From Dan, Ahiezer, the son of Ammi-shaddai; 13 From Asher, Pagiel, the son of Ochran; 14 From Gad, Eliasaph, the son of Reuel; 15 From Naphtali, Ahira, the son of Enan. 16 These are the men named out of all the people, chiefs of their fathers' houses, heads of the tribes of Israel.
17 And Moses and Aaron took these men, marked out by name; 18 And they got together all the people on the first day of the second month; and everyone made clear his family and his father's house, by the number of the names, from twenty years old and over. 19 As the Lord had given orders to Moses, so they were numbered by him in the waste place of Sinai.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 1:1-19
Commentary on Numbers 1:1-43
(Read Numbers 1:1-43)
The people were numbered to show God's faithfulness in thus increasing the seed of Jacob, that they might be the better trained for the wars and conquest of Canaan, and to ascertain their families in order to the division of the land. It is said of each tribe, that those were numbered who were able to go forth to war; they had wars before them, though now they met with no opposition. Let the believer be prepared to withstand the enemies of his soul, though all may appear to be peace.