11 And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after their departure from the land of Egypt, saying, 2 Take the sum of the whole assembly of the children of Israel, after their families, according to their fathers' houses, by the number of the names, every male, according to their polls; 3 from twenty years and upward, all that go forth to military service in Israel: ye shall number them according to their hosts, thou and Aaron. 4 And with you there shall be a man for every tribe, a man who is the head of his father's house. 5 And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: for Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; 6 for Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7 for Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; 8 for Issachar, Nethaneel the son of Zuar; 9 for Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; 10 for the children of Joseph: for Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; for Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 11 for Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12 for Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13 for Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran; 14 for Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; 15 for Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan. 16 These were those summoned of the assembly, princes of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the thousands of Israel.
17 And Moses and Aaron took these men who are expressed by their names, 18 and gathered the whole assembly together on the first of the second month. And they declared their pedigrees after their families, according to their fathers' houses, by the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, according to their polls. 19 As Jehovah had commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness 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.