2:1 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH VE EL AHARON LEMOR
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן לֵאמֹר
KJ (King James translation): And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
BN (BibleNet translation): Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying:
Throughout these post-Yoseph texts I have raised the question: why does YHVH sometimes address Mosheh exclusively, and why does he sometimes include Aharon? In most instances it simply is not obvious from the subject-matter; on this occasion it is: what is about to be organised requires the full involvement of the Kohen Gadol.
2:2 ISH AL DIGLO VE OTOT LE VEIT AVOTAM YACHANU BENEY YISRA-EL MI NEGED SAVIV LE OHEL MO'ED YACHANU
אִישׁ עַל דִּגְלוֹ בְאֹתֹת לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם יַחֲנוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִנֶּגֶד סָבִיב לְאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד יַחֲנוּ
KJ: Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.
BN: The Beney Yisra-El shall pitch their tents by clans; every man with his own standard, according to the tribal ensigns; they shall pitch around the Tent of Meeting, but maintaining a good distance.
We are still wondering (see my note at Numbers 1:52) what were the motifs on these standards; at least we now know their positions: or will, very shortly.
Word order in this verse is somewhat confusing; my slightly extended translation is an attempt to unravel it.
2:3 VE HA CHONIM KEDMAH MIZRACHAH DEGEL MACHANEH YEHUDAH LE TSIVOTAM VE NASI LIVNEY YEHUDAH NACHSHON BEN AMI-NADAV
וְהַחֹנִים קֵדְמָה מִזְרָחָה דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה יְהוּדָה לְצִבְאֹתָם וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי יְהוּדָה נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִּינָדָב
KJ: And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.
BN: Now those that pitch on the east side, facing the sunrise, shall be the standards of the camp of Yehudah, according to their battalions; the prince of the Beney Yehudah being Nachshon the son of Ami-Nadav.
MIZRACHAH: means "eastwards", and called that precisely because the sun rises in the east - MI ZERACH = "from where it rises"; I have extended my translation to make the point. And an important point too, because the double-meaning will cause debate over the direction of prayer, to this very day: see page 23 of "A Myrtle Among Reeds" for the full explanation, but in brief:
i) most Jews actually face east to pray, regardless of where they are geographically;
ii) Daniel 6:11 faces Yeru-Shala'im, and he is well to its east when he does so;
i) most Jews actually face east to pray, regardless of where they are geographically;
ii) Daniel 6:11 faces Yeru-Shala'im, and he is well to its east when he does so;
iii) a tale in the Mishnah records the water-priests reaching the east-facing gate, and turning round to face the Temple in order to face God;
iv) Ezekiel 8:16 describes himself standing in the inner court of Temple, and there, between the porch and the altar, were twenty-five men with their backs towards the Temple, and their faces towards the east; and they worshipped the sun towards the east";
v) the Babylonian Talmud resolves it by ducking it: one may face any direction one chooses, since YHVH is everywhere;
vi) The blind Rabbi Sheshet, a Babylonian amora of the late 3rd century CE, insisted that it mattered not a jot which way one faced: when one prays, he insisted, the direction one should face is neither Templewards nor eastwards nor upwards nor Yeru-Shala'imwards - but inwards.
vii) And finally, the definitive answer to this question - any answer given by Maimonides is definitive. In the Hillel Tefillah (5:3), he states that one should face Israel, not the east, to pray, while worshippers in Israel should face Yeru-Shala'im, and worshippers in Yeru-Shala'im should face the Temple Mount. And in a variation of Rabbi Sheshet, "those who do not know which way to face should simply direct their prayers to the heavens."
vi) The blind Rabbi Sheshet, a Babylonian amora of the late 3rd century CE, insisted that it mattered not a jot which way one faced: when one prays, he insisted, the direction one should face is neither Templewards nor eastwards nor upwards nor Yeru-Shala'imwards - but inwards.
vii) And finally, the definitive answer to this question - any answer given by Maimonides is definitive. In the Hillel Tefillah (5:3), he states that one should face Israel, not the east, to pray, while worshippers in Israel should face Yeru-Shala'im, and worshippers in Yeru-Shala'im should face the Temple Mount. And in a variation of Rabbi Sheshet, "those who do not know which way to face should simply direct their prayers to the heavens."
And finally, the other importance of this: the eastern group, led by Yehudah, is the front and head of this pilgrimage (see verse 9), where we would probably expect, in our modern way of pointing the compass, for the north-facing group to be the leaders.
YEHUDAH: In the last chapter I raised the issue of the order in which the tribal princes were named; note that this chapter names them in a very different order. Re'u-Ven the first-born was first then, where Yehudah, who was the fourth-born, but the key survivor after Sennacherib wiped out the Ten Tribes, is first now, and Yehudah will lead the eastern triad, which is the avant garde, the front line. The remainder of the list will likewise follow the triad-groupings for the safe-enclosure of the Mishkan.
NACHSHON BEN AMI-NADAV: Are the "princes" named here the same ones who carried out the census in the last chapter? In this case, yes (cf Numbers 1:7).
2:4 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM ARBA'AH ELEPH VE SHESH ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם אַרְבָּעָה וְשִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
BN: And the number in his battalion: seventy-four thousand, six hundred.
The numbers were given in the last chapter, and the chapter-structure we are using is a late artifice that did not exist in the original, so in reality the numbers were given just a few verses ago. Why repeat them, unless these were two separate versions which the Redactor decided to retain?
And are these all the exact same numbers? On this occasion, yes (cf Numbers 1:27).
2:5 VE HA CHONIM ALAV MATEH YISASCHAR VE NASI LIVNEY YISASCHAR NETAN-EL BEN TSU'AR
וְהַחֹנִים עָלָיו מַטֵּה יִשָּׂשכָר וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי יִשָּׂשכָר נְתַנְאֵל בֶּן צוּעָר
KJ: And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar.
BN: And those that pitch next to him shall be the tribe of Yisaschar; the prince of the Beney Yisaschar being Netan-El ben Tsu'ar.
2:6 U TSEVA'O U PEKUDAV ARBA'AH VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדָיו אַרְבָּעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those who conscripted: fifty-four thousand, four hundred.
With Yehudah we were given PHEKUDEYHEM, meaning "their battalion"; but here we are given PHEKUDAV, meaning "his battalion"; why the difference? Is YHVH (who supposedly said these things, and should surely be the model of consistency) playing favourites?
2:7 MATEH ZEVULUN VE NASI LIVNEY ZEVULUN ELI-AV BEN CHELON
מַטֵּה זְבוּלֻן וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי זְבוּלֻן אֱלִיאָב בֶּן חֵלֹן
KJ: Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall becaptain of the children of Zebulun.
BN: And the tribe of Zevulun; the prince of the Beney Zevulun being Eli-Av ben Chelon.
This reads like a shorthand version of the two previous.
2:8 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDAV SHIVAH VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדָיו שִׁבְעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
BN: And the number conscripted to his battalion: fifty-seven thousand, four hundred.
2:9 KOL HA PEKUDIM LE MACHANEH YEHUDAH ME'AT ELEPH U SHEMONIM ELEPH VE SHESHET ALAPHIM VE ARBA ME'OT LE TSIVOTAM RISHONAH YISA'U
כָּל הַפְּקֻדִים לְמַחֲנֵה יְהוּדָה מְאַת אֶלֶף וּשְׁמֹנִים אֶלֶף וְשֵׁשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת לְצִבְאֹתָם רִאשֹׁנָה יִסָּעוּ
KJ: All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.
BN: The total number conscripted to the camp of Yehudah therefore a hundred and eighty-six thousand, four hundred, according to the number of their conscripts; they shall march as the vanguard.
Yisaschar and Zevulun are thus subordinate to Yehudah, part of his camp, but under his authority. Yehudah is in the vanguard of the vanguard.
2:10 DEGEL MACHANEH RE'U-VEN TEYMANAH LE TSIVOTAM VE NASI LIVNEY RE'U-VEN ELI-TSUR BEN SHEDEY-UR
דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה רְאוּבֵן תֵּימָנָה לְצִבְאֹתָם וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן אֱלִיצוּר בֶּן שְׁדֵיאוּר
KJ: On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
BN: On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Re'u-Ven, according to their battalions; the prince of the Beney Re'u-Ven being Eli-Tsur ben Shedey-Ur.
Re'u-Ven is the second in authority, with Shim'on and Gad under his command; but he is equal second with Dan, the one on the north and the other on the south, protecting the flanks.
Note that the word used here is NASI = "prince"; elsewhere the military leaders will be denoted as Aluph (plural Aluphim), from the same word that gives ELEPH = a thousand, because they will command battallions a thousand strong; presumably the NASI'IM were the overall tribal chieftains under whom the ALUPHIM undertook the real generalship.
2:11 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDAV SHISHAH VE ARBA'IM ELEPH VA CHAMESH ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדָיו שִׁשָּׁה וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those conscripted: forty-six thousand, five hundred.
2:12 VE HA CHONIM ALAV MATEH SHIMON VE NASI LIVNEY SHIMON SHELUMI-EL BEN TSURI-SHADAI
וְהַחוֹנִם עָלָיו מַטֵּה שִׁמְעוֹן וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי שִׁמְעוֹן שְׁלֻמִיאֵל בֶּן צוּרִישַׁדָּי
KJ: And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
BN: And those that pitch next to him shall be the tribe of Shim'on; the prince of the Beney Shim'on being Shelumi-El ben Tsuri-Shadai,
The constant change of tenses in the KJ is bewildering me. The Yehudit is entirely consistent: it does its utmost to avoid any verbs, and therefore any tenses at all, but when it does it is either the present or the future, never the past - in this list anyway.
2:13 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM TISHA VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH U SHELOSH ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם תִּשְׁעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those conscripted: fifty-nine thousand, three hundred.
2:14 U MATEH GAD VE NASI LIVNEY GAD EL-YASAPH BEN RE'U-EL
וּמַטֵּה גָּד וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי גָד אֶלְיָסָף בֶּן רְעוּאֵל
KJ: Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
BN: Next the tribe of Gad; the prince of the Beney Gad being El-Yasaph [or Eli-Asaph) ben Re'u-El.
2:15 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM CHAMISHA VE ARBA'IM ELEPH VE SHESH ME'OT VA CHAMISHIM
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם חֲמִשָּׁה וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those conscripted: forty-five thousand, six hundred and fifty.
And of course, if the Exodus really is an account of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ach-Mousa defeating the Hyksos, pursuing them to Kena'an, and conquering Kena'an, then the numbers in these battalions are entirely plausible.
2:16 KOL HA PEKUDIM LE MACHANEH RE'U-VEN ME'AT ELEPH VE ECHAD VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT VA CHAMISHIM LE TSIVOTAM U SHENAYIM YISA'U
כָּל הַפְּקֻדִים לְמַחֲנֵה רְאוּבֵן מְאַת אֶלֶף וְאֶחָד וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים לְצִבְאֹתָם וּשְׁנִיִּם יִסָּעוּ
KJ: All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank.
BN: The total number in the camp of Re'u-Ven: a hundred and fifty-one thousand, four hundred and fifty, counted by their battalions; and they shall be the second rank.
It is difficult to work out how they would "set forth second", unless it means that the protecting flanks do not march until the whole of the vanguard has gone forward; in which case they are protecting the Mishkan and the Leviyim (Levites), but Yehudah is out there on his own - whence my description of him earlier as the vanguard. But why would that be, unless an advance party was needed to scour the horizon for potental attackers? And surely both the north and south flanks need to set out simultaneously. Let us wait and see what happens to Dan, but I think this means "the second rank" in terms of status, not position.
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2:17 VE NASA OHEL MO'ED MACHANEH HA LEVIYIM BETOCH HA MACHANEH KA ASHER YACHANU KEN YISA'U ISH AL YADO LE DIGLEYHEM
וְנָסַע אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד מַחֲנֵה הַלְוִיִּם בְּתוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר יַחֲנוּ כֵּן יִסָּעוּ אִישׁ עַל יָדוֹ לְדִגְלֵיהֶם
KJ: Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.
BN: Then the Tent of Meeting, with the camp of the Leviyim, shall set forward in the midst of the camps; just as they set up camp, so shall they set forward now, every man in his place, by their standards.
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2:18 DEGEL MACHANEH EPHRAYIM LE TSIVOTAM YAMAH VE NASI LIVNEY EPHRAYIM ELI-SHAMA BEN AMI-CHUD
דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה אֶפְרַיִם לְצִבְאֹתָם יָמָּה וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי אֶפְרַיִם אֱלִישָׁמָע בֶּן עַמִּיהוּד
KJ: On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.
BN: On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephrayim, according to their battalions; the prince of the Beney Ephrayim being Eli-Shama ben Ami-Chud,
The west side being the rear of the expedition. But the geographical adjective used here is YAMAH, which means "towards the sea", and not MA'ARAVAH, which means "towards the sunset", and is the more commonly used word for "west". If the Beney Yisra-El were travelling east across Sinai from Goshen, the Mediterranean Sea would be to the north, and the Red Sea to the south-east, either way rendering YAMAH inappropriate. According to tradition, of course, the Beney Yisra-El had already crossed the Red Sea, and were now in what is today southern Jordan; in which case the Red Sea was indeed to the west, behind them. But they are also at Mount Sinai, and Mount Sinai is generally held to be in the Sinai desert, which is east of the Red Sea, and therefore the direction in which they are now heading, and no sea to their west until you cross the whole of North Africa and reach the Atlantic. And if they were still travelling East, and had already crossed the Red Sea, they are heading straight for Babylon!
EPHRAYIM: As the younger-born of Yoseph's sons, his tribe shouldn't really have pre-eminence over Menasheh, let alone the other Ya'akovite sons; yet such pre-eminence he was given, when Ya'akov blessed the boys before his death (Genesis 49), in the tradition of ultimogeniture that clearly prevailed at the time; and he will keep that pre-eminence and pre-dominance, through the entire period of Yisra-El.
2:19 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM ARBA'IM ELEPH VA CHAMESH ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם אַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those who were conscripted, was forty thousand, five hundred
2:20 VE ALAV MATEH MENASHEH VE NASI LIVNEY MENASHEH GAMLI-EL BEN PEDAH-TSUR
וְעָלָיו מַטֵּה מְנַשֶּׁה וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי מְנַשֶּׁה גַּמְלִיאֵל בֶּן פְּדָהצוּר
KJ: And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
BN: And next to him shall be the tribe of Menasheh; the prince of the Beney Menasheh being Gamli-El ben Pedah-Tsur.
2:21 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM SHNAYIM U SHELOSHIM ELEPH U MATAYIM
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם שְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף וּמָאתָיִם
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those conscripted: thirty-two thousand, two hundred.
2:22 U MATEH BIN-YAMIN VE NASI LIVNEY VIN-YAMIN AVI-DAN BEN GID'ONI
וּמַטֵּה בִּנְיָמִן וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי בִנְיָמִן אֲבִידָן בֶּן גִּדְעֹנִי
KJ: Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
BN: And the tribe of Bin-Yamin, the prince of the Beney Bin-Yamin being Avi-Dan ben Gid'oni.
The three Rachelite tribes together. Check what familial connections there are for the other configurations. Or will they prove to be geographical connections?
Leah's boys were Re'u-Ven, Shim'on, Levi, Yehudah, Yisaschar and Zevulun.
Zilpah's were Gad and Asher.
Bilhah's were Dan and Naphtali.
Rachel's were Yoseph (whose sons were Menasheh and Ephrayim) and Bin-Yamin (who she called Ben Oni).
You can check these against the camp layout at verse 16, above.
Leah's boys were Re'u-Ven, Shim'on, Levi, Yehudah, Yisaschar and Zevulun.
Zilpah's were Gad and Asher.
Bilhah's were Dan and Naphtali.
Rachel's were Yoseph (whose sons were Menasheh and Ephrayim) and Bin-Yamin (who she called Ben Oni).
You can check these against the camp layout at verse 16, above.
2:23 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM CHAMISHAH U SHELOSHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם חֲמִשָּׁה וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those conscripted: thirty-five thousand, four hundred.
2:24 KOL HA PEKUDIM LE MACHANEH EPHRAYIM ME'AT ELEPH U SHEMONAT ALAPHIM U ME'AH LE TSIVOTAM U SHLISHIM YISA'U
כָּל הַפְּקֻדִים לְמַחֲנֵה אֶפְרַיִם מְאַת אֶלֶף וּשְׁמֹנַת אֲלָפִים וּמֵאָה לְצִבְאֹתָם וּשְׁלִשִׁים יִסָּעוּ
KJ: All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank.
BN: The total numbers of conscripts from the camp of Ephrayim: one hundred and eight thousand, one hundred; and they shall have the third rank.
As with the camp of Re'u-Ven at verse 16, "setting forth third" suggests that the Leviyim have been left behind, protected by the camp of Ephrayim; the description above infers that Yehudah leads, and then the Leviyim carry the Ohel Mo'ed with Re'u-Ven on one flank, Dan on the other, and Ephrayim bringing up the rear; presumably with all the women and children and old men and any other stragglers in or behind that latter group (which is why the Beney Amalek were able to rout them; see Deuteronomy 25:17–19) . But having them travel east in the way this verse describes it, Yehudah leads, Re'u-Ven follows, the Leviyim are left stranded, Dan is still waiting, and Ephrayim is pushing his way past the Leviyim. The charge of the light brigade! The order can therefore only be interpreted as a chain of command and not as an order of passage.
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2:25 DEGEL MACHANEH DAN TSAPHONAH LE TSIVOTAM VE NASI LIVNEY DAN ACHI-EZER BEN AMI-SHADAI
דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה דָן צָפֹנָה לְצִבְאֹתָם וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי דָן אֲחִיעֶזֶר בֶּן עַמִּישַׁדָּי
KJ: The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
BN: On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan, according to their battalions; the prince of the Beney Dan being Achi-Ezer ben Ami-Shadai.
2:26 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM SHNAYIM VE SHISHIM ELEPH U SHEVA ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם שְׁנַיִם וְשִׁשִּׁים אֶלֶף וּשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those conscripted: sixty-two thousand, seven hundred.
2:27 VE HA CHONIM ALAV MATEH ASHER VE NASI LIVNEY ASHER PAGI-EL BEN ACHRAN
וְהַחֹנִים עָלָיו מַטֵּה אָשֵׁר וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי אָשֵׁר פַּגְעִיאֵל בֶּןעָכְרָן
KJ: And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.
BN: And pitched next to him shall be the tribe of Asher; the prince of the Beney Asher being Pagi-El ben Achran.
2:28 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM ECHAD VE ARBA'IM ELEPH VA CHAMESH ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם אֶחָד וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those conscripted: forty-one thousand, five hundred.
2:29 U MATEH NAPHTALI VE NASI LIVNEY NAPHTALI ACHI-RA BEN EYNAN
וּמַטֵּה נַפְתָּלִי וְנָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי נַפְתָּלִי אֲחִירַע בֶּן עֵינָן
KJ: Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.
BN: And the tribe of Naphtali; the prince of the Beney Naphtali being Achi-Ra ben Eynan.
2:30 U TSEVA'O U PHEKUDEYHEM SHELOSHAH VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT
וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקֻדֵיהֶם שְׁלֹשָׁה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת
KJ: And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
BN: And his battalion, the number of those conscripted: fifty-three thousand, four hundred.
2:31 KOL HA PEKUDIM LE MACHANEH DAN ME'AT ELEPH VE SHIV'AH VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH VE SHESH ME'OT LA ACHARONOT YIS'U LE DIGLEYHEM
כָּל הַפְּקֻדִים לְמַחֲנֵה דָן מְאַת אֶלֶף וְשִׁבְעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת לָאַחֲרֹנָה יִסְעוּ לְדִגְלֵיהֶם
KJ: All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards.
BN: The total number of conscripts in the camp of Dan: one hundred and fifty-seven thousand, six hundred; they shall have the lowest rank, with their standards.
ACHARANOT: But they can't go "hindmost", because they are the left flank, and Ephrayim is behind them - again, this can only indicate their status and rank, not their marching position, which has already been given as "west".
Either that, or we have to turn the entire diagram around, allowing Shim'on to be the vanguard, and Yehudah and Ephrayim to be the flanks - but that simply shifts the problem, because Yehudah is clearly the vanguard.
And let me again note that these are only the conscripts - thousands of men too old or insufficiently "able-bodied" to be conscripted, all women, and boys below the age of twenty, are at the back of the camp, though whether behind Ephrayim, or in front and protected by him, is not clear from the text.
Either that, or we have to turn the entire diagram around, allowing Shim'on to be the vanguard, and Yehudah and Ephrayim to be the flanks - but that simply shifts the problem, because Yehudah is clearly the vanguard.
And let me again note that these are only the conscripts - thousands of men too old or insufficiently "able-bodied" to be conscripted, all women, and boys below the age of twenty, are at the back of the camp, though whether behind Ephrayim, or in front and protected by him, is not clear from the text.
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2:32 ELEH PEKUDEY VENEY YISRA-EL LE VEIT AVOTAM KOL PEKUDEY HA MACHANOT LE TSIVOTAM SHESH ME'OT ELEPH U SHELOSHET ALAPHIM VA CHAMESH ME'OT VA CHAMISHIM
אֵלֶּה פְּקוּדֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם כָּל פְּקוּדֵי הַמַּחֲנֹת לְצִבְאֹתָם שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים
KJ: These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
BN: These are the conscripts from among the Beney Yisra-El, by their clans; the total number of conscripts in their camps: six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.
2:33 VE HA LEVIYIM LO HATPAKDU BETOCH BENEY YISRA-EL KA ASHER TSIVAH YHVH ET MOSHEH
וְהַלְוִיִּם לֹא הָתְפָּקְדוּ בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה
KJ: But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
BN: But the Leviyim were not included in the count of the Beney Yisra-El, as YHVH instructed Mosheh.
2:34 VA YA'ASU BENEY YISRA-EL KE CHOL ASHER TSIVAH YHVH ET MOSHEH KEN CHANU LE DIGLEYHEM VE CHEN NASA'U ISH LE MISHPECHOTAV AL BEIT AVOTAV
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה כֵּן חָנוּ לְדִגְלֵיהֶם וְכֵן נָסָעוּ אִישׁ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָיו עַל בֵּית אֲבֹתָיו
KJ: And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.
BN: Thus did the Beney Yisra-El, following all the instructions which YHVH had given to Mosheh; so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, each one according to its family, each according to its clan.
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