This verse underscores the importance of recorded lineage, tribal unity, and divine faithfulness.
Numbers 26:49 recounts a portion of Israel’s second census in the wilderness, focusing on the tribe of Naphtali. The verse declares: “of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites; these are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were 45,400.” (v.49) This statement highlights how the descendants of Jezer and Shillem were enumerated under the banner of Naphtali’s lineage. This second census took place near the end of Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, around 1407 BC, as the new generation prepared to enter the Promised Land. By repeatedly listing the families descended from each of Jacob’s sons, the text underscores God’s faithfulness in preserving and growing the twelve tribes despite their challenging journey.
Exploring the people groups named in this verse, “of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites” (v.49), shows the significance of familial lineage in ancient Israel. Each family had a distinctive ancestral identity that contributed to the overall unity of the tribe. Naphtali himself was a son of Jacob (also called Israel) and Bilhah, placing him historically in the patriarchal period around the early second millennium BC. From Naphtali’s line came numerous families such as the Jezerites and Shillemites, each adding to the numerical count of 45,400 men of fighting age. Their presence in Israel’s collective census illustrates a careful record-keeping system that secured each family’s place within the covenant community.
Geographically, the territory of Naphtali in later centuries included the northern region of the Promised Land, near the Sea of Galilee. This region gained prominence in the New Testament, where Jesus lived and ministered (Matt. 4:13-15). The careful counting presented in “those who were numbered of them were 45,400” (v.49) serves as a precursor to God’s fulfillment of His promises through Christ, who carried on the legacy of Israel’s tribes into the era of the gospel message. Each clan, no matter how small, was essential to God’s unfolding plan of redemption.
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Numbers 26:49 meaning
Numbers 26:49 recounts a portion of Israel’s second census in the wilderness, focusing on the tribe of Naphtali. The verse declares: “of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites; these are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were 45,400.” (v.49) This statement highlights how the descendants of Jezer and Shillem were enumerated under the banner of Naphtali’s lineage. This second census took place near the end of Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, around 1407 BC, as the new generation prepared to enter the Promised Land. By repeatedly listing the families descended from each of Jacob’s sons, the text underscores God’s faithfulness in preserving and growing the twelve tribes despite their challenging journey.
Exploring the people groups named in this verse, “of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites” (v.49), shows the significance of familial lineage in ancient Israel. Each family had a distinctive ancestral identity that contributed to the overall unity of the tribe. Naphtali himself was a son of Jacob (also called Israel) and Bilhah, placing him historically in the patriarchal period around the early second millennium BC. From Naphtali’s line came numerous families such as the Jezerites and Shillemites, each adding to the numerical count of 45,400 men of fighting age. Their presence in Israel’s collective census illustrates a careful record-keeping system that secured each family’s place within the covenant community.
Geographically, the territory of Naphtali in later centuries included the northern region of the Promised Land, near the Sea of Galilee. This region gained prominence in the New Testament, where Jesus lived and ministered (Matt. 4:13-15). The careful counting presented in “those who were numbered of them were 45,400” (v.49) serves as a precursor to God’s fulfillment of His promises through Christ, who carried on the legacy of Israel’s tribes into the era of the gospel message. Each clan, no matter how small, was essential to God’s unfolding plan of redemption.