1
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל-אַהֲרֹן לֵאמֹר.
Jehová habló a Moisés y a Aarón, diciendo:
2
אִישׁ עַל-דִּגְלוֹ בְאֹתֹת לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם, יַחֲנוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: מִנֶּגֶד, סָבִיב לְאֹהֶל-מוֹעֵד יַחֲנוּ.
Each of the children of Israel shall camp by his own
standard, with the emblems of their fathers' houses; at a distance, around the tent of meeting, they shall camp.
noteCada uno de los hijos de Israel acampará junto a su propio
estandarte, con los emblemas de la casa de sus padres; a cierta distancia, alrededor del tabernáculo de reunión, acamparán.
3
וְהַחֹנִים קֵדְמָה מִזְרָחָה, דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה יְהוּדָה לְצִבְאֹתָם; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי יְהוּדָה, נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן-עַמִּינָדָב.
Now those camping to the east, toward the sunrise, shall be the standard of the camp of
Judah, by their armies; and the
chieftain of the sons of Judah shall be
Nahshon son of Amminadab.
noteLos que acampen al oriente, hacia la salida del sol, serán el estandarte del campamento de Judá, por sus ejércitos; y el
jefe de los hijos de Judá será Nahson hijo de Aminadab.
4
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--אַרְבָּעָה וְשִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף, וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת.
5
וְהַחֹנִים עָלָיו, מַטֵּה יִשָּׂשכָר; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי יִשָּׂשכָר, נְתַנְאֵל בֶּן-צוּעָר.
And those camping next to him shall be the
tribe of Issachar; and the chieftain of the sons of Issachar shall be Nethanel son of Zuar.
noteY los que acamparán junto a él serán la
tribu de Isacar; y el jefe de los hijos de Isacar será Netanel hijo de Zuar.
6
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדָיו--אַרְבָּעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף, וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of it, were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de él, eran cincuenta y cuatro mil cuatrocientos.
7
מַטֵּה, זְבוּלֻן; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי זְבוּלֻן, אֱלִיאָב בֶּן-חֵלֹן.
The tribe of Zebulun; and the chieftain of the sons of Zebulun shall be Eliab son of Helon.
noteLa tribu de Zabulón; y el jefe de los hijos de Zabulón será Eliab hijo de Helón.
8
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדָיו--שִׁבְעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף, וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of it, were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de él, eran cincuenta y siete mil cuatrocientos.
9
כָּל-הַפְּקֻדִים לְמַחֲנֵה יְהוּדָה, מְאַת אֶלֶף וּשְׁמֹנִים אֶלֶף וְשֵׁשֶׁת-אֲלָפִים וְאַרְבַּע-מֵאוֹת--לְצִבְאֹתָם; רִאשֹׁנָה, יִסָּעוּ. {ס}
All those mustered of the camp of Judah were a hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred, by their armies; they shall set out first.
{ס}noteTodos los reclutados del campamento de Judá eran ciento ochenta y seis mil cuatrocientos, por sus ejércitos; ellos partirán primero.
10
דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה רְאוּבֵן תֵּימָנָה, לְצִבְאֹתָם; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן, אֱלִיצוּר בֶּן-שְׁדֵיאוּר.
The standard of the camp of
Reuben, by their armies, shall be toward the south; and the chieftain of the sons of Reuben shall be Elizur son of Shedeur.
noteEl estandarte del campamento de Rubén, por sus ejércitos, estará hacia el sur; y el jefe de los hijos de Rubén será Elizur hijo de Sedeur.
11
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדָיו--שִׁשָּׁה וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף, וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of it, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de él, eran cuarenta y seis mil quinientos.
12
וְהַחוֹנִם עָלָיו, מַטֵּה שִׁמְעוֹן; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי שִׁמְעוֹן, שְׁלֻמִיאֵל בֶּן-צוּרִישַׁדָּי.
And those camping next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the chieftain of the sons of Simeon shall be Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
noteY los que acamparán junto a él serán la tribu de Simeón; y el jefe de los hijos de Simeón será Selumiel hijo de Zurisadai.
13
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--תִּשְׁעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף, וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of them, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de ellos, eran cincuenta y nueve mil trescientos.
14
וּמַטֵּה, גָּד; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי גָד, אֶלְיָסָף בֶּן-רְעוּאֵל.
And the tribe of
Gad; and the chieftain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph son of Reuel.
noteY la tribu de Gad; y el jefe de los hijos de Gad será Eliasaf hijo de Reuel.
15
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--חֲמִשָּׁה וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף, וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים.
His army, those mustered of them, were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de ellos, eran cuarenta y cinco mil seiscientos cincuenta.
16
כָּל-הַפְּקֻדִים לְמַחֲנֵה רְאוּבֵן, מְאַת אֶלֶף וְאֶחָד וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע-מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים--לְצִבְאֹתָם; וּשְׁנִיִּם, יִסָּעוּ. {ס}
All those mustered of the camp of Reuben were a hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty, by their armies; and they shall set out second.
{ס}noteTodos los reclutados del campamento de Rubén eran ciento cincuenta y un mil cuatrocientos cincuenta, por sus ejércitos; y partirán segundos.
17
וְנָסַע אֹהֶל-מוֹעֵד מַחֲנֵה הַלְוִיִּם, בְּתוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֹת; כַּאֲשֶׁר יַחֲנוּ כֵּן יִסָּעוּ, אִישׁ עַל-יָדוֹ לְדִגְלֵיהֶם. {ס}
Then the tent of meeting shall set out, the camp of the Levites, in the middle of the camps; as they camp, so they shall set out, each in his own place, by their standards.
{ס}noteEntonces partirá el tabernáculo de reunión, el campamento de los levitas, en medio de los campamentos; como acampen, así partirán, cada uno en su propio lugar, junto a sus estandartes.
18
דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה אֶפְרַיִם לְצִבְאֹתָם, יָמָּה; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי אֶפְרַיִם, אֱלִישָׁמָע בֶּן-עַמִּיהוּד.
The standard of the camp of
Ephraim, by their armies, shall be toward the west; and the chieftain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama son of Ammihud.
noteEl estandarte del campamento de Efraín, por sus ejércitos, estará hacia el occidente; y el jefe de los hijos de Efraín será Elisama hijo de Amiud.
19
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--אַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף, וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of them, were forty thousand five hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de ellos, eran cuarenta mil quinientos.
20
וְעָלָיו, מַטֵּה מְנַשֶּׁה; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי מְנַשֶּׁה, גַּמְלִיאֵל בֶּן-פְּדָהצוּר.
And next to him the tribe of Manasseh; and the chieftain of the sons of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
noteY junto a él la tribu de Manasés; y el jefe de los hijos de Manasés será Gamaliel hijo de Pedasur.
21
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--שְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף, וּמָאתָיִם.
His army, those mustered of them, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de ellos, eran treinta y dos mil doscientos.
22
וּמַטֵּה, בִּנְיָמִן; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי בִנְיָמִן, אֲבִידָן בֶּן-גִּדְעֹנִי.
And the tribe of Benjamin; and the chieftain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan son of Gideoni.
noteY la tribu de Benjamín; y el jefe de los hijos de Benjamín será Abidán hijo de Gedeoni.
23
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--חֲמִשָּׁה וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף, וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of them, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de ellos, eran treinta y cinco mil cuatrocientos.
24
כָּל-הַפְּקֻדִים לְמַחֲנֵה אֶפְרַיִם, מְאַת אֶלֶף וּשְׁמֹנַת-אֲלָפִים וּמֵאָה--לְצִבְאֹתָם; וּשְׁלִשִׁים, יִסָּעוּ. {ס}
All those mustered of the camp of Ephraim were a hundred and eight thousand one hundred, by their armies; and they shall set out third.
{ס}noteTodos los reclutados del campamento de Efraín eran ciento ocho mil cien, por sus ejércitos; y partirán terceros.
25
דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה דָן צָפֹנָה, לְצִבְאֹתָם; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי דָן, אֲחִיעֶזֶר בֶּן-עַמִּישַׁדָּי.
The standard of the camp of Dan shall be toward the north, by their armies; and the chieftain of the sons of Dan shall be Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
noteEl estandarte del campamento de Dan estará hacia el norte, por sus ejércitos; y el jefe de los hijos de Dan será Ajiezer hijo de Amisadai.
26
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--שְׁנַיִם וְשִׁשִּׁים אֶלֶף, וּשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of them, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de ellos, eran sesenta y dos mil setecientos.
27
וְהַחֹנִים עָלָיו, מַטֵּה אָשֵׁר; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי אָשֵׁר, פַּגְעִיאֵל בֶּן-עָכְרָן.
And those camping next to him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the chieftain of the sons of Asher shall be Pagiel son of Ochran.
noteY los que acamparán junto a él serán la tribu de Aser; y el jefe de los hijos de Aser será Pagiel hijo de Ocrán.
28
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--אֶחָד וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף, וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of them, were forty-one thousand five hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de ellos, eran cuarenta y un mil quinientos.
29
וּמַטֵּה, נַפְתָּלִי; וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי נַפְתָּלִי, אֲחִירַע בֶּן-עֵינָן.
And the tribe of Naphtali; and the chieftain of the sons of Naphtali shall be Ahira son of Enan.
noteY la tribu de Neftalí; y el jefe de los hijos de Neftalí será Ajira hijo de Enán.
30
וּצְבָאוֹ, וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם--שְׁלֹשָׁה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף, וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת.
His army, those mustered of them, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
noteSu ejército, los reclutados de ellos, eran cincuenta y tres mil cuatrocientos.
31
כָּל-הַפְּקֻדִים, לְמַחֲנֵה דָן--מְאַת אֶלֶף וְשִׁבְעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף, וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת; לָאַחֲרֹנָה יִסְעוּ, לְדִגְלֵיהֶם. {פ}
All those mustered of the camp of Dan were a hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred; they shall set out last, by their standards.
{פ}noteTodos los reclutados del campamento de Dan eran ciento cincuenta y siete mil seiscientos; partirán últimos, junto a sus estandartes.
32
אֵלֶּה פְּקוּדֵי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם: כָּל-פְּקוּדֵי הַמַּחֲנֹת, לְצִבְאֹתָם--שֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים, וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים.
These are those mustered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses; all those mustered of the camps, by their armies, were six hundred and three thousand five hundred fifty.
noteEstos son los reclutados de los hijos de Israel por la casa de sus padres; todos los reclutados de los campamentos, por sus ejércitos, eran seiscientos tres mil quinientos cincuenta.
33
וְהַלְוִיִּם--לֹא הָתְפָּקְדוּ, בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה, אֶת-מֹשֶׁה.
But the Levites were not mustered among the children of Israel, as Jehovah commanded Moses.
notePero los levitas no fueron reclutados entre los hijos de Israel, como Jehová mandó a Moisés.
34
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר-צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת-מֹשֶׁה, כֵּן-חָנוּ לְדִגְלֵיהֶם וְכֵן נָסָעוּ--אִישׁ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָיו, עַל-בֵּית אֲבֹתָיו. {פ}
And the children of Israel did so: according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each by his own clans, by his father's house.
{פ}noteY los hijos de Israel hicieron así: conforme a todo lo que Jehová mandó a Moisés, así acamparon junto a sus estandartes, y así partieron, cada uno según sus clanes, junto a la casa de sus padres.
Numbers 2 meaning — the camp arranged around the tent
This is the chapter Numbers 1's own closing note (already on these pages) already previewed by name: ‘the camp arranged around the tent, three tribes to a side under four great standards.’ ⚠ Degel, ‘standard,’ is new to this chapter but governs all of it — each of the four directions gets one, and every tribe camps and marches under one. KJV and ASV both keep ‘standard’ throughout; NWT reads ‘banner.’ Every household of Israel has an assigned place, visible from a distance, before a single tent is pitched.
East: Judah leads, with the exact numbers chapter 1 already counted
The three eastern tribes — Judah, Issachar, Zebulun — are Leah's own sons by birth order among the tribes that camp together here, and their totals (74,600; 54,400; 57,400) are not new figures: they are Numbers 1's own census, tribe by tribe, now put to a second use. Judah marches first, matching the blessing already given at Genesis 29:35 (already on these pages) naming him ‘praise’ and the tribal blessing at Genesis 49:8-10 (already on these pages), where his brothers are told to bow to him. Precedence in the camp is precedence Israel's own history had already decided.
South: Reuben's group, missing nothing of his own demotion
Reuben leads the southern standard even though Reuben the firstborn (already on these pages) lost the leading place in Genesis 49's own blessing; birth order still governs the census list (Numbers 1) and the camp layout (here), even where it no longer governs precedence in marching order — Judah's group leaves first, Reuben's group second, an arrangement that quietly ratifies the very reversal Jacob's own deathbed words pronounced.
The center of the camp, stated as geometry
⚠ One verse, and the whole architecture snaps into focus: the tent of meeting travels ‘in the middle of the camps’ — not at the head, not at the rear, but literally surrounded. Numbers 1's own closing note (already on these pages) already drew this picture in words: ‘the twelve tribes in their armies on the outside, the Levites in a ring within, and at the dead center the tent where the glory dwells.’ This verse is that picture confirmed as marching order, not just as encampment: however the column moves, the center never changes.
West: ‘toward the sea,’ and Joseph's two tribes side by side
⚠ The Hebrew for ‘west’ (v18, yamah) is literally ‘seaward’ — Israel's own geography built into its grammar, since the Mediterranean lies west of everywhere the text was written. KJV keeps the literal picture, ‘toward the sea’; NIV resolves it plainly to ‘the west,’ the choice this translation follows for readability. Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's own two sons counted as full tribes in their own right since Genesis 48 (already on these pages), camp together as a pair here exactly as they were blessed together there, Ephraim named first despite being the younger — the same reversal Jacob's crossed hands performed still holding at the census, a generation later.
North: Dan's group, and the whole camp now fully drawn
Dan's standard, camping largest of the four groups (157,600) despite Dan himself being a secondary son, closes the compass: east, south, west, north, each with its own three tribes, its own chieftain, its own fixed place in the line of march. No tribe is named without also being counted, and no count is given without also being placed — census and geography are, in this chapter, the same document.
The same total, the Levites still apart
603,550 (v32) is, to the man, Numbers 1's own grand total (already on these pages) — this chapter adds no one and loses no one, it only arranges. V33 repeats, in one more sentence, what Numbers 1 already established at length: the Levites stand outside this count entirely, not because they are fewer but because they belong to a different ledger. The chapter, and the whole arrangement it describes, closes on a single sentence of total compliance: Israel did exactly as commanded, down to the camping and the marching alike.
Notes on this translation
Decisions. Hebrew and English Numbers 2 both run 1–34 — verified against the Masoretic text, no versification shift. Six Masoretic paragraphs divide it: closed after v9, v16, v17, v24; open after v31, v34. One new dictionary entry: degel, ‘standard,’ the chapter's own organizing word. Established renderings continued from Numbers 1 (already on these pages): paqad as ‘muster,’ tsava as ‘army,’ matteh as ‘tribe,’ nasi as ‘chieftain.’ ‘West’ renders the idiom yamah, ‘seaward’ (v18).
Echoes paid. Numbers 1's own teaser (already on these pages), naming this exact chapter's content in advance; Numbers 1's own census totals (already on these pages), reused here tribe by tribe without a single figure changed; Numbers 1's own closing image of the camp's geometry (already on these pages), confirmed here as marching order and not just encampment; Genesis 29:35's naming of Judah (already on these pages) and Genesis 29:32's firstborn Reuben (already on these pages), both still shaping this chapter's own precedence; Genesis 48's blessing of Ephraim over Manasseh (already on these pages), still holding a generation later in the camp order; and Genesis 49:8-10 (already on these pages), Jacob's own tribal blessing giving Judah the position this chapter's marching order already assumes. And, already waiting on these pages before this chapter itself existed: Revelation 21:13's own three-gates-per-side arrangement for the New Jerusalem, which its own note already traced back to this exact camp layout.
Echoes planted. ⚠ Numbers itself specifies no emblem for any standard beyond the tribe's own name — later rabbinic tradition (Numbers Rabbah 2:10, outside this project's own source text) assigned each of the four a symbolic creature, a tradition some later readers connect to the four living creatures of Ezekiel 1 (already on these pages) and Revelation 4 (already on these pages), though neither this chapter nor either of those two ever states the link itself.
⚠ A note on order: Numbers stands on these pages at chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and now 34. Chapters 35–36 remain the open sequence.