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Chapter 26 records the second census. The Lord instructs Elazar, son of Aaron, to take a census of all males, twenty years and older, who were fit for war. Notice the comparison between this census taken near the end of the 40 years of wandering and the one taken at the beginning of those 40 years. (Numbers chapter 1) For a comparison of these two censuses, see below.
| Name of Tribe (Sons of Jacob) | Number of Sons (Grandsons of Jacob) | First Census (Numbers 1) | Second Census (Numbers 26) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reuben | 4 | 46,500 | 43,730 |
| Simeon | 5 | 59,300 | 22,200 |
| Gad | 7 | 45,650 | 40,500 |
| Judah | 5 | 74,600 | 76,500 |
| Issachar | 4 | 54,400 | 64,300 |
| Zebulun | 3 | 57,400 | 60,500 |
| Ephraim (1/2 Tribe Joseph) | 4 | 40,500 | 32,500 |
| Manasseh (1/2 Tribe Joseph) | 8 | 32,200 | 52,700 |
| Benjamin | 10 | 35,400 | 45,600 |
| Dan | 1 | 62,700 | 64,400 |
| Asher | 5 | 41,500 | 53,400 |
| Naphtali | 4 | 53,400 | 45,400 |
| Totals | 603,550 | 601,730 | |
| Levi | 22,000 | 23,000 |
Notice some interesting things that can be determined by the second census.
The Levites were called "God's Tribe" and from them would come the Priests and Caretakers of the Tabernacle. They would have no inheritance in the Land of Canaan, therefore they were not numbered with the rest of the Tribes. Also they did not come under the judgment of God that precluded anyone who had left Egypt from ever entering the Promise Land, accept Caleb and Joshua. None of the Levites were ever used in war, yet by the time of the second census, they had grown only by a thousand men.
Manasseh had 8 sons which may have accounted for the rapid growth of the tribe from 32,200 to 52,700 in just 40 years.
Simeon's tribe decreased from 59,300 to 22,000 in 40 years and most scholars believe that the 24,000 Israelites that died in Chapter 25 as the result of God's Judgment for their co-habiting with the daughters of Moab, came from this tribe as Zimri, the leader in this particular sin, was the Prince of the Tribe of Simeon.
Finally, it would appear that there was not one man numbered in the second census that had been numbered in the first, accept Caleb and Joshua.
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