These few words highlight God’s detailed care to list each family by name and heritage.
Of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites (v.32). This verse is part of a larger census that Moses took in the wilderness to count the families of Israel’s tribes, preparing them for their inheritance in the Promised Land (Numbers 26). Here, we see a record of the descendants of Joseph’s son Manasseh, particularly those descended from Shemida and Hepher. Each family, or “clan,” is named in a deliberate manner as a reminder of God’s personal care and attention to the faith community. In historical context, Moses led this census near the end of Israel’s wilderness journey, around 1406 BC, emphasizing both the fulfillment of God’s promises and the ordered structure of Israel’s society.
Shemida, mentioned in this verse, represents one of the clans of Manasseh, who would later settle within parts of the land west of the Jordan River (Joshua 17:2). Although Scripture provides only a few direct details about this clan, their inclusion underscores each extended family’s part in God’s covenant and promise to Abraham. This promise was that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars and possess a specific land (Genesis 15:5, 18). When examining the thoroughness of genealogies in Scripture, we see that God values every individual’s heritage—an idea that echoes into the New Testament, where believers in Christ are described as part of a spiritual family and heirs according to God’s promise (Galatians 3:29).
Hepher, also from the tribe of Manasseh, fits into this grand timeline in the generation after Joseph’s descendants had grown into a significant people group (Genesis 50 - circa 1600 BC). Notably, one of Hepher’s descendants is Zelophehad, whose daughters famously petitioned Moses for their father’s inheritance in the next chapter (Numbers 27). This emphasis on inheritance foreshadows the deep importance of believing families who share in the blessings of God. Although Jesus Himself is born into the tribe of Judah (Matthew 1:2-3), the principle of carefully recorded family lines shows how God arranges His redemptive story through all the tribes of Israel, unifying them under His faithful plan (Ephesians 1:9-10).
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Numbers 26:32 meaning
Of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites (v.32). This verse is part of a larger census that Moses took in the wilderness to count the families of Israel’s tribes, preparing them for their inheritance in the Promised Land (Numbers 26). Here, we see a record of the descendants of Joseph’s son Manasseh, particularly those descended from Shemida and Hepher. Each family, or “clan,” is named in a deliberate manner as a reminder of God’s personal care and attention to the faith community. In historical context, Moses led this census near the end of Israel’s wilderness journey, around 1406 BC, emphasizing both the fulfillment of God’s promises and the ordered structure of Israel’s society.
Shemida, mentioned in this verse, represents one of the clans of Manasseh, who would later settle within parts of the land west of the Jordan River (Joshua 17:2). Although Scripture provides only a few direct details about this clan, their inclusion underscores each extended family’s part in God’s covenant and promise to Abraham. This promise was that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars and possess a specific land (Genesis 15:5, 18). When examining the thoroughness of genealogies in Scripture, we see that God values every individual’s heritage—an idea that echoes into the New Testament, where believers in Christ are described as part of a spiritual family and heirs according to God’s promise (Galatians 3:29).
Hepher, also from the tribe of Manasseh, fits into this grand timeline in the generation after Joseph’s descendants had grown into a significant people group (Genesis 50 - circa 1600 BC). Notably, one of Hepher’s descendants is Zelophehad, whose daughters famously petitioned Moses for their father’s inheritance in the next chapter (Numbers 27). This emphasis on inheritance foreshadows the deep importance of believing families who share in the blessings of God. Although Jesus Himself is born into the tribe of Judah (Matthew 1:2-3), the principle of carefully recorded family lines shows how God arranges His redemptive story through all the tribes of Israel, unifying them under His faithful plan (Ephesians 1:9-10).