אֵ֛לֶּה פְּקוּדֵ֥י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם כָּל־פְּקוּדֵ֤י הַֽמַּחֲנֹת֙ לְצִבְאֹתָ֔ם שֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֙לֶף֙ וּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֔ים וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת וַחֲמִשִּֽׁים׃
Itulah orang Israel yang tercatat menurut kaum keluarga mereka. Semua orang yang tercatat dari perkemahan-perkemahan itu, menurut pasukan mereka, berjumlah enam ratus tiga ribu lima ratus lima puluh orang.
Rabbeinu Bahya
If you will take a closer look at chapter 2,32 you will suddenly find the name Israel mentioned. This strongly suggests that seeing the total number is identical to the number in chapter 1,46 where the name Israel is not mentioned, that the former refers to the number of angels corresponding to the number of Israelites who had been counted and whose number is reported in chapter 2,32.
Ramban
AND HIS HOST, AND THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM. The meaning thereof, as well as of all that were numbered of the camp of Judah,132Further, Verse 9. and so also all [such verses in this chapter], is that these are the words of G-d to Moses, connected with [the opening statement], And the Eternal spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron,133Verse 1. since they did not count them now a second time. This is also the sense of the verse, These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel,134Further, Verse 32. because He stated [in that same verse] all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts [which indicates that He is referring to a census which had previously taken place, and not to a new census]. He mentioned all this in order to tell us that from the day of the census [which was on the first of Iyar]135Above, 1:1. until the camps were established [according to the four standards] and they so pitched by the standards, and so they set forward136Further, Verse 34. [which was on the twentieth of Iyar],137Ibid., 10:11, and see Taanith 29a [“on that day they turned aside” and hence they became subject again to death] not one man was missing. This was miraculous, in that not one person of this great multitude died [in the period of twenty days].
The change in the name of the father of the prince of the children of Gad [who is called Deuel above in 1: 14, and here in Verse 14 is referred to as Reuel], is because it is customary in the Sacred Language to change names of the same meaning, such as Zerah138I Chronicles 4:24. [one of the sons of Shimon], and Zohar139Genesis 46:10. [referring to the same son of Shimon, both names meaning “brightness”], of the expression as ‘tzachar’ (white) wool.140Ezekiel 27:18. Now [the father of the prince of the children of Gad] was called “Deuel” [of the root dei’ah, “knowledge”] because he “knew” G-d, [and he was also called] “Reuel” [of the root ra’ayon, “thoughts,” or re’uth, “longing” “striving”] because “he set all the thoughts of his heart on G-d,” similar to the expression in these verses: How weighty also are ‘rei’echa’ (Thy thoughts) unto me, O G-d;141Psalms 139:17. Thou understandest ‘l’rei’i’ (my thought) afar off.142Ibid., Verse 2. Since people used to call that person by two names [e.g. Deuel and Reuel], therefore the Torah mentioned both of them.
The change in the name of the father of the prince of the children of Gad [who is called Deuel above in 1: 14, and here in Verse 14 is referred to as Reuel], is because it is customary in the Sacred Language to change names of the same meaning, such as Zerah138I Chronicles 4:24. [one of the sons of Shimon], and Zohar139Genesis 46:10. [referring to the same son of Shimon, both names meaning “brightness”], of the expression as ‘tzachar’ (white) wool.140Ezekiel 27:18. Now [the father of the prince of the children of Gad] was called “Deuel” [of the root dei’ah, “knowledge”] because he “knew” G-d, [and he was also called] “Reuel” [of the root ra’ayon, “thoughts,” or re’uth, “longing” “striving”] because “he set all the thoughts of his heart on G-d,” similar to the expression in these verses: How weighty also are ‘rei’echa’ (Thy thoughts) unto me, O G-d;141Psalms 139:17. Thou understandest ‘l’rei’i’ (my thought) afar off.142Ibid., Verse 2. Since people used to call that person by two names [e.g. Deuel and Reuel], therefore the Torah mentioned both of them.
Rabbeinu Bahya
אלה המצות אשר צוה ה' את משה אל בני ישראל בהר סיני, “These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai.” In the Jerusalem Talmud Shabbat 13,3 Rabbi Ilah comments on the words אלה המצות in our verse that if the Israelites will perform these commandments in accordance with the rules applying to them, i.e. “as commandments,” then they are מצות, if not they are not accounted as מצות.
Our sages in Sifra Bechukotai 13,7 use these words as the basis for the principle that no prophet is allowed to add (permanently) another commandment to the Torah over and above the ones that have been recorded. They understand the words אשר צוה ה' את משה as a hint that G’d did not need any messenger beyond Moses to communicate His laws to the people. [In other words seeing that no prophet will attain the stature of Moses no other prophet would be entrusted with new and additional legislation. I suspect these are interpretations aimed at the Christians who see Jesus as superseding Moses and updating the Torah. Ed.] The words אל בני ישראל are understood as “as an opportunity for the Israelites to acquire merits by performing the commandments.” The words בהר סיני, are a reminder that all of these commandments were promulgated at Mount Sinai. Thus far Sifra. The point of that Midrash is that the headline אלה המצות was intended by the Torah to tell us that these commandments are of a permanent nature, effective throughout the generations. The word אלה has a connotation of pointing at something enduring indefinitely. One such example is the verse (Genesis 2,4) אלה תולדות השמים הארץ, “these are the developments of heaven and earth,” both phenomena which endure indefinitely. We find the word אלה applied also to the Jewish people in Numbers 2,32, indicating that they, just as heaven and earth, will endure indefinitely.
Basically, our verse tells us who commanded all these laws and who was the man who conveyed them to the Jewish people, to whom he conveyed them and where G’d had spoken to Moses “face to face.” First the Torah speaks about the commandments themselves to indicate that they rank highest in the matters discussed here, a reminder that the people had had a visual and aural revelation of an attribute of the Lord while they were at Mount Sinai. They saw manifestations which resulted from G’d’s descending on the mountain, the fire, the smoke, etc., and they heard G’d’s voice out of the fire. The purpose of these manifestations was primarily to make G’d’s messenger, Moses, believable beyond question when he related all these commandments. G’d did not want to rely only on the various miracles which Moses had performed and would still perform but He wanted the people to be eye witnesses to the source of all this legislation. The Torah added the words את משה to testify that the people had accepted the Torah, a Book which had preceded the existence of the universe, i.e. as Bereshit Rabbah 1,5 phrased it: “before any of the mountains had been born.” Both the concept of Torah and the concept of the Jewish people had preceded the creation of the universe. The words בהר סיני are a reminder of all the overpowering experiences the people had been privy to as mentioned again in Deut. 33,2 and Psalms 68,18.
Our sages in Sifra Bechukotai 13,7 use these words as the basis for the principle that no prophet is allowed to add (permanently) another commandment to the Torah over and above the ones that have been recorded. They understand the words אשר צוה ה' את משה as a hint that G’d did not need any messenger beyond Moses to communicate His laws to the people. [In other words seeing that no prophet will attain the stature of Moses no other prophet would be entrusted with new and additional legislation. I suspect these are interpretations aimed at the Christians who see Jesus as superseding Moses and updating the Torah. Ed.] The words אל בני ישראל are understood as “as an opportunity for the Israelites to acquire merits by performing the commandments.” The words בהר סיני, are a reminder that all of these commandments were promulgated at Mount Sinai. Thus far Sifra. The point of that Midrash is that the headline אלה המצות was intended by the Torah to tell us that these commandments are of a permanent nature, effective throughout the generations. The word אלה has a connotation of pointing at something enduring indefinitely. One such example is the verse (Genesis 2,4) אלה תולדות השמים הארץ, “these are the developments of heaven and earth,” both phenomena which endure indefinitely. We find the word אלה applied also to the Jewish people in Numbers 2,32, indicating that they, just as heaven and earth, will endure indefinitely.
Basically, our verse tells us who commanded all these laws and who was the man who conveyed them to the Jewish people, to whom he conveyed them and where G’d had spoken to Moses “face to face.” First the Torah speaks about the commandments themselves to indicate that they rank highest in the matters discussed here, a reminder that the people had had a visual and aural revelation of an attribute of the Lord while they were at Mount Sinai. They saw manifestations which resulted from G’d’s descending on the mountain, the fire, the smoke, etc., and they heard G’d’s voice out of the fire. The purpose of these manifestations was primarily to make G’d’s messenger, Moses, believable beyond question when he related all these commandments. G’d did not want to rely only on the various miracles which Moses had performed and would still perform but He wanted the people to be eye witnesses to the source of all this legislation. The Torah added the words את משה to testify that the people had accepted the Torah, a Book which had preceded the existence of the universe, i.e. as Bereshit Rabbah 1,5 phrased it: “before any of the mountains had been born.” Both the concept of Torah and the concept of the Jewish people had preceded the creation of the universe. The words בהר סיני are a reminder of all the overpowering experiences the people had been privy to as mentioned again in Deut. 33,2 and Psalms 68,18.