- The English name of the fourth book of the Torah, taken through the Latin Numeri from the Greek Arithmoi, both naming the two military censuses that frame the book. It renders a count-oriented title rather than the book's Hebrew name, which is drawn instead from its opening words.
Alternative translations
NumeriArithmoithe Book of Numbers
Does not necessarily mean
- A book concerned only with lists of figures
- A modern mathematical treatise
Key passages
- Numbers 1:1 — Opening of the book
Related terms
BamidbarCensusWilderness
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Encyclopædia Britannica
General reference consulted for the book's composition debate and the discussion of the large census figures; used as one voice among several, never as the sole basis for a contested claim.
- בְּמִדְבַּרTransliteration: Bəmidbar
- The Hebrew name of the book of Numbers, meaning 'in the wilderness.' It is taken from the fifth word of the opening verse, 'in the wilderness of Sinai,' following the Jewish custom of naming a book from a distinctive early word rather than from its contents.
Alternative translations
in the wildernessin the desertin the wilderness of Sinai
Does not necessarily mean
- A count or a census (that is the sense of the Greek and Latin titles)
Key passages
- Numbers 1:1 — In the wilderness of Sinai
Related terms
WildernessNumbersKadesh
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- מִדְבָּרTransliteration: midbar
- The uncultivated, sparsely inhabited land of pasture, rock, and scattered water where Israel journeys between Sinai and the plains of Moab. In Numbers the wilderness is both a literal setting for the forty years of wandering and the place where the first generation is tested and dies.
Alternative translations
desertuninhabited landsteppepasture-land
Does not necessarily mean
- A lifeless sand desert; midbar often denotes grazing land
Key passages
- Numbers 1:1 — Wilderness of Sinai
- Numbers 14:33 — Forty years in the wilderness
Related terms
BamidbarKadeshCampRebellion
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
BibleProject
Educational overview consulted for narrative structure and themes; used for orientation only, with none of its prose or diagrams reproduced.
- פְּקֻדִיםTransliteration: pequdim
- A mustering or numbering of the people. Numbers records two, a first at Sinai and a second in the plains of Moab, each counting the men of twenty years and upward who are able to go to war, tribe by tribe. The Hebrew term for those counted comes from a root meaning to muster, attend to, or reckon.
Alternative translations
musternumberingreckoningthose mustered
Does not necessarily mean
- A modern demographic head-count of the whole population; only fighting men are counted
Key passages
- Numbers 1:2-3 — Command to number Israel
- Numbers 26:2 — The second census
Related terms
TribeElefCongregationNumbers
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
The Lord Will
The Lord Will editorial team's own structural registry: the five-section partition, census compilation, tribe topology, camp layout and marching order are original editorial classifications maintained here.
- מַטֶּהTransliteration: matteh
- One of the great kinship divisions of Israel descended from the sons of Jacob. In Numbers the tribes are the basic units of the census, the camp, and the marching order. Two Hebrew words are used, matteh (literally a staff or rod) and shevet, both denoting a tribe and its leadership.
Alternative translations
staffrodshevet
Does not necessarily mean
- A small band; a tribe comprises many clans and households
Key passages
- Numbers 1:4 — A man of every tribe
- Numbers 2 — Tribes in the camp
Related terms
ClanElefCensusStandard
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- מִשְׁפָּחָהTransliteration: mishpachah
- A kinship group larger than a household but smaller than a tribe, an extended family whose members trace descent from a common ancestor. The clans are the sub-units listed within each tribe in the second census and are the basis for the apportioning of the land.
Alternative translations
familykindredextended familyfamily group
Does not necessarily mean
- A nuclear family or a single household
Key passages
- Numbers 26:5-51 — Clans within the tribes
- Numbers 26:53-56 — Land divided by clans
Related terms
TribeElefInheritanceCensus
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
TheTorah.com (Project TABS)
Peer-written academic articles consulted for the composition and priestly material, the large census figures and the 'elef' debate, and historical reconstruction; cited for historical and academic proposals, which are marked as debated.
- אֶלֶףTransliteration: elef
- A disputed Hebrew word in the census totals. It is most commonly read as the number 'thousand,' but the same consonants can denote a social-military unit, a clan, family, or contingent led by a chief. Because the two senses are spelled alike, the enormous census figures may be read either as literal thousands or as counts of units, and the choice is contested among interpreters.
Alternative translations
thousandclanfamily unitmilitary contingenttroop
Does not necessarily mean
- Certainly a literal numerical thousand; the unit reading remains a live alternative and no single sense is universally accepted
Key passages
- Numbers 1:16 — Heads of thousands
- Numbers 1:46 — The total of the mustered
Related terms
CensusTribeClanCongregation
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
TheTorah.com (Project TABS)
Peer-written academic articles consulted for the composition and priestly material, the large census figures and the 'elef' debate, and historical reconstruction; cited for historical and academic proposals, which are marked as debated.
- לֵוִיTransliteration: Levi
- A member of the tribe of Levi, set apart in Numbers for the service of the tabernacle in place of Israel's firstborn. The Levites are counted separately from the fighting tribes, camp around the sanctuary, and are divided into the clans of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari for transporting and guarding the holy things.
Alternative translations
member of the tribe of Levisanctuary servant
Does not necessarily mean
- A priest in the strict sense; the priests are specifically Aaron and his sons, a subset of Levi
Key passages
- Numbers 3:5-13 — Levites for the firstborn
- Numbers 4 — Levitical service
Related terms
TabernacleCongregationCampTribe
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
Institutional Catholic introduction consulted for canonical context and the ecclesial reading of the book; cited for Christian interpretation, not as a textual observation.
- נָזִירTransliteration: nazir
- A man or woman under a special vow of separation to the LORD. For the vow's duration the Nazirite abstains from wine and every grape product, leaves the hair uncut, and avoids all contact with the dead. The term comes from a root meaning to separate, consecrate, or set apart.
Alternative translations
consecrated oneseparated oneone under a vow
Does not necessarily mean
- A lifelong monk or a permanent ascetic order; the vow is normally for a set time
Key passages
- Numbers 6:2-8 — The Nazirite's separation
Related terms
CleanUncleanTabernacle
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- מִשְׁכָּןTransliteration: mishkan
- The portable sanctuary at the centre of Israel's camp, the dwelling-place of God's presence among the people. In Numbers it stands at the heart of the camp, is served and carried by the Levites, and is often called the tent of meeting, the place where the LORD speaks to Moses.
Alternative translations
dwellingtent of meetingsanctuarythe tent
Does not necessarily mean
- The later stone Temple in Jerusalem
Key passages
- Numbers 1:50-51 — The Levites and the tabernacle
- Numbers 2:17 — The tent at the centre
Related terms
LeviteCampCongregationClean
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
BibleProject
Educational overview consulted for narrative structure and themes; used for orientation only, with none of its prose or diagrams reproduced.
- דֶּגֶלTransliteration: degel
- A tribal banner or ensign around which a group of three tribes encamps and marches. Numbers arranges the twelve lay tribes under four such standards, one on each side of the tabernacle, giving the camp its ordered, four-square shape and its fixed order of movement.
Alternative translations
bannerensigndivisionflag
Does not necessarily mean
- A single national flag; each standard marks a group of three tribes
Key passages
- Numbers 2:2 — Every man by his own standard
- Numbers 2:3-31 — The four camps by standard
Related terms
CampTribeCongregation
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- מַחֲנֶהTransliteration: machaneh
- The ordered encampment of Israel in the wilderness, arranged as a square around the tabernacle with the Levites nearest and the twelve tribes grouped by standards on the four sides. The same word can denote the whole community in its arrangement or a single tribal division within it, and it also carries a sense of ritual boundary between clean and unclean.
Alternative translations
encampmenthostdivisionwar camp
Does not necessarily mean
- A disorderly gathering; the camp is a deliberately structured formation
Key passages
- Numbers 2 — The order of the camp
- Numbers 5:2-3 — Keeping the camp clean
Related terms
StandardTabernacleCleanUncleanCongregation
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
BibleProject
Educational overview consulted for narrative structure and themes; used for orientation only, with none of its prose or diagrams reproduced.
- עֵדָהTransliteration: edah
- The whole community of Israel considered as a single body, especially in its legal, cultic, and covenantal capacity. In Numbers the congregation is summoned, numbered, addressed, and at times judged as a corporate whole, and its recognized leaders act and speak on its behalf.
Alternative translations
communityassemblythe whole body of Israelgathering
Does not necessarily mean
- A voluntary religious society; it is the entire covenant people
Key passages
- Numbers 1:2 — Number the congregation
- Numbers 14:1-10 — The congregation murmurs
Related terms
AssemblyCampCensusRebellion
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- קָהָלTransliteration: qahal
- Israel gathered together, especially as convened for a common purpose such as worship, war, or judgment. Closely related to 'congregation,' the word emphasizes the act of being called and gathered into one, and it can denote the summoned assembly at the door of the tent of meeting.
Alternative translations
gathered assemblyconvocationthe gathered people
Does not necessarily mean
- A casual crowd; it denotes a summoned, purposeful gathering
Key passages
- Numbers 10:7 — Gathering the assembly
- Numbers 16:3 — All the assembly is holy
Related terms
CongregationCampStandard
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- טָהוֹרTransliteration: tahor
- The ritual state of being fit to approach the sanctuary and remain within the holy camp. Cleanness is a condition of purity, not merely hygiene; a person or thing that is clean may take part in worship and community life without endangering the sphere of the holy.
Alternative translations
pureritually pureundefiled
Does not necessarily mean
- Physically washed or morally sinless; the term is one of ritual status
Key passages
- Numbers 9:13 — A clean person and the Passover
- Numbers 19:9 — A clean man gathers the ashes
Related terms
UncleanRed HeiferCampTabernacle
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- טָמֵאTransliteration: tame
- The ritual state of being unfit to approach the sanctuary, most often incurred through contact with death, certain diseases, or bodily discharges. Uncleanness bars a person from the holy things and, in serious cases, from the camp itself until the prescribed purification is completed.
Alternative translations
impureritually impuredefiled
Does not necessarily mean
- Dirty or sinful in a moral sense; it is a ritual condition, often incurred innocently
Key passages
- Numbers 5:2 — Put out the unclean
- Numbers 19:11-13 — Unclean by the dead
Related terms
CleanRed HeiferCampNazirite
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- The act of pleading with God on behalf of others to avert or lessen judgment. In Numbers, Moses repeatedly intercedes for a rebellious people, and Aaron and Phinehas act to stop plagues already begun; such intercession is a recurring turning point in the crises of the wilderness.
Alternative translations
pleading on another's behalfmediationsupplication for others
Does not necessarily mean
- A ritual formula alone; it is active pleading and, at times, decisive action
Key passages
- Numbers 14:13-19 — Moses pleads for Israel
- Numbers 16:46-48 — Aaron stops the plague
Related terms
RebellionCongregationAssembly
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
BibleProject
Educational overview consulted for narrative structure and themes; used for orientation only, with none of its prose or diagrams reproduced.
- מְרִיTransliteration: meri
- Persistent refusal to trust or obey the LORD, expressed in Numbers as murmuring, defiance, and open revolt. The wilderness generation's rebellions, above all the refusal to enter the land and Korah's revolt, define the book's tragedy and lead to the sentence that that generation will die in the wilderness.
Alternative translations
revoltdefiancemurmuringobstinacy
Does not necessarily mean
- A single political uprising; it names a recurring pattern of distrust and disobedience
Key passages
- Numbers 14:9 — Rebel not against the LORD
- Numbers 16 — Korah's rebellion
Related terms
IntercessionCongregationWilderness
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
BibleProject
Educational overview consulted for narrative structure and themes; used for orientation only, with none of its prose or diagrams reproduced.
- נַחֲלָהTransliteration: nachalah
- The portion of the promised land allotted to each tribe and clan as a lasting possession. In Numbers the inheritance is apportioned by the second census, defended by the cities-of-refuge and the daughters-of-Zelophehad rulings, and treated as a family holding that should not pass from one tribe to another.
Alternative translations
possessionportionallotted landpatrimony
Does not necessarily mean
- Money or movable goods left at death; it denotes the ancestral land-portion
Key passages
- Numbers 26:52-56 — The land as inheritance
- Numbers 27:7-11 — Order of inheritance
Related terms
ClanTribePromised LandCensus
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
TheTorah.com (Project TABS)
Peer-written academic articles consulted for the composition and priestly material, the large census figures and the 'elef' debate, and historical reconstruction; cited for historical and academic proposals, which are marked as debated.
- The land of Canaan that the LORD swore to give Israel, the goal of the whole wilderness journey. In Numbers it is the land the spies survey, the land the first generation forfeits by refusing to enter, and the land the second generation is prepared and apportioned to possess.
Alternative translations
the land of Canaanthe land sworn to the fathersthe land
Does not necessarily mean
- A heavenly or purely spiritual realm; in Numbers it is a specific territory to be entered and divided
Key passages
- Numbers 13:2 — The land of Canaan
- Numbers 34:2-12 — Borders of the land
Related terms
InheritanceKadeshPlains of MoabWilderness
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
BibleProject
Educational overview consulted for narrative structure and themes; used for orientation only, with none of its prose or diagrams reproduced.
- קָדֵשׁTransliteration: Qadesh
- A wilderness site, also called Kadesh-barnea, on the southern approach to Canaan. From Kadesh the spies are sent, and there Israel refuses to enter the land; the community returns there years later, where Miriam dies and Moses strikes the rock at the waters of Meribah.
Alternative translations
Kadesh-barneaQadesh
Does not necessarily mean
- The city of Kadesh on the Orontes in Syria, a different place
Key passages
- Numbers 13:26 — The spies return to Kadesh
- Numbers 20:1 — Israel comes again to Kadesh
Related terms
WildernessPromised LandRebellionPlains of Moab
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
OpenBible.info
Open geographic reference consulted for proposed modern identifications and the level of certainty of wilderness sites; unknown or disputed places are never given invented coordinates.
- עַרְבוֹת מוֹאָבTransliteration: Arvot Mo'av
- The lowland flats east of the Jordan, opposite Jericho, where Israel encamps at the end of the wilderness journey. Here the second census is taken, the Balaam episode and the Baal-peor apostasy occur, and much of the final law and preparation for entering the land is given.
Alternative translations
the steppes of Moabthe lowlands of Moabthe plains by the Jordan
Does not necessarily mean
- The highland plateau of Moab; the term denotes the Jordan-valley flats
Key passages
- Numbers 22:1 — Pitched in the plains of Moab
- Numbers 26:3 — Census in the plains of Moab
Related terms
KadeshPromised LandBalaamCensus
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
OpenBible.info
Open geographic reference consulted for proposed modern identifications and the level of certainty of wilderness sites; unknown or disputed places are never given invented coordinates.
- פָּרָשָׁהTransliteration: parashah
- A weekly Torah portion in the Jewish lectionary cycle, or a marked textual division. The book of Numbers is read across several such portions, and the term also names the paragraph-level sections into which the traditional Hebrew text is divided for reading and study.
Alternative translations
Torah portionweekly readingsidrasection
Does not necessarily mean
- A chapter in the modern numbered sense, which is a later, non-Jewish division
Key passages
- Numbers 1:1 — Opening of the reading Bamidbar
Related terms
BamidbarNumbers
- בִּלְעָםTransliteration: Bil'am
- A non-Israelite seer whom Balak, king of Moab, hires to curse Israel. On the way his donkey sees the angel he cannot; in the event, God turns his words so that he blesses Israel instead. He later reappears as linked to the seduction at Baal-peor and dies in the war against Midian.
Alternative translations
Bil'amBalaam son of Beor
Does not necessarily mean
- An Israelite prophet; he is a foreign diviner from beyond the Euphrates
Key passages
- Numbers 22:5 — Balak sends for Balaam
- Numbers 24:17 — A Star out of Jacob
Related terms
Plains of MoabRebellion
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Encyclopædia Britannica
General reference consulted for the book's composition debate and the discussion of the large census figures; used as one voice among several, never as the sole basis for a contested claim.
- נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁתTransliteration: nechash nechoshet
- A serpent of bronze that Moses makes and sets on a pole after venomous snakes are sent among a complaining Israel. Those bitten who look at it live. It is a sign of healing given in the midst of judgment during the wilderness journey.
Alternative translations
serpent of brassbronze snakethe fiery serpent of bronze
Does not necessarily mean
- An idol to be worshipped; it is a sign set up at God's command
Key passages
- Numbers 21:8-9 — The serpent on the pole
Related terms
WildernessRebellionIntercession
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Ligonier Ministries
Protestant study resource consulted for the two-generations framing and Christian reception; cited as an attributed confessional interpretation, never as the plain meaning of the text.
- עָרֵי מִקְלָטTransliteration: arei miklat
- Six Levitical cities appointed as places of asylum where a person who kills unintentionally may flee from the avenger of blood and receive the judgment of the congregation. They embody the distinction Numbers draws between deliberate murder and accidental killing.
Alternative translations
cities of asylumrefuge citiescities of intake
Does not necessarily mean
- A permanent pardon for any killer; the deliberate murderer is not protected there
Key passages
- Numbers 35:9-15 — Six cities of refuge
Related terms
LeviteInheritanceCongregation
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Encyclopædia Britannica
General reference consulted for the book's composition debate and the discussion of the large census figures; used as one voice among several, never as the sole basis for a contested claim.
- פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּהTransliteration: parah adumah
- An unblemished red cow burnt entire outside the camp, whose ashes are mixed with water to make the 'water of separation' for purifying anyone defiled by contact with the dead. The rite notably purifies the unclean while rendering unclean those who perform it, and its reason is not disclosed in the text.
Alternative translations
red cowthe crimson heifer
Does not necessarily mean
- A sacrifice for sin offered on the altar; it is burnt outside the camp for its ashes
Key passages
- Numbers 19:2-10 — The rite of the red heifer
Related terms
CleanUncleanTabernacle
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.
- צִיצִתTransliteration: tzitzit
- Fringes with a cord of blue that Israel is commanded to wear on the corners of their garments. Their stated purpose is mnemonic: to see them and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and so not to follow after one's own heart and eyes.
Alternative translations
fringestzitzitcorner-tassels
Does not necessarily mean
- A mere ornament; the fringe is given a specific reminding function
Key passages
- Numbers 15:38-39 — Fringe with a blue cord
Related terms
ParashahCamp
Why this is shown
The Lord Will (public-domain KJV text)
The primary Numbers text in the King James Version, the basis for every primary-text observation and reading-time count on the English page.
Sefaria
Open Jewish library used to verify the Hebrew title Bamidbar ('in the wilderness'), the book's place in the Torah, the ten parashot and classical Jewish reading.