민수기 2:4의 주석

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.

וצבאו ופקודיהם, “its army and their count, etc.” Whatever is written in this verse and the verses following up until the end of the chapter, is all part of what G’d told Moses and Aaron in verse one of our chapter. In other words, Moses did not count the Israelites for a second time at this stage. Similarly, the paragraph (verse 32-34) also does not contain new information gathered at that time, but these are G’d’s words, not made public by Hashem until now, in order to reveal that since the original count 20 days before the people moved away from Mount Sinai, not a single Israelite had either died by natural causes or become unfit to be part of that army for some other reason. Clearly, this was worth reporting as in view of the enormous number of people involved this was a miracle of no small dimensions.

V. 4. וצבאו ופקדיהם. Durchweg werden die zu einem Stamme Gehörenden hier und im folgenden mit diesen beiden Ausdrücken צבאו und פקדיהם oder, wie bei den drei folgenden Stämmen, צבאו und פקדיו bezeichnet. Sie werden einmal in ihrer Gesamtheit צבא הנשיא als seinem Befehle unterstehend genannt, dadurch werden sie ja ganz eigentlich ein צבא (siehe zu Bereschit 2, 1). Allein es wird ihm und ihnen zum Bewusstsein gebracht, dass sie פקודים seien, dass sie bereits, bevor sie hier seinem Befehle unterstellt worden, gezählt, und zwar nicht für seinen. Befehl, sondern für ihren Stamm und für die Gesamtgemeinde gezählt worden. Sie gehören somit sich selbst, ihrer Stammes- und Gesamtbestimmung an, und nur für Lösung dieser Stammes- und Gesamtbestimmung sind sie ihm untergeordnet, und nur für Lösung dieser ihrer Bestimmung hat seine Anordnung Kraft. Durch die Beifügung ופקדיו ,ופקדיהם ist somit dem Begriff צבאו die nötige Beschränkung erteilt, und allen Heeresangehörigen die unveräußerliche Selbständigkeit gewahrt. Darum ist auch überwiegend in den meisten Fällen צבא in der Possessivbeziehung von פקודים als Vielheit in allen seinen Gliedern פקודיהם, gedacht, und wäre nur zu ermitteln, warum bei den Stämmen Jissachar, Sebulun und Reuben dies in der Einheit geblieben: וצבאו ופקדיו.