One verse. Three ways to understand.
Count all the people in the community of Israel who are twenty years old and older, organized by their family groups, everyone who is able to serve in the military.
God is instructing Moses to take a census of all Israelite men of military age, counting them by their family lines.
These are AI-assisted adaptations, not separate Bible editions. Compare them with the KJV source and read our methodology. How these readings are made →
Read the KJV source
King James Version · EnglishTake the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel.Ask the AI Assistant
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📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Numbers, the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, dealing with disobedience, plagues, and preparations for entering the Promised Land. This verse records God's command to Moses to conduct a second census of men aged twenty and older who were fit for military service, following the first census in Numbers 1 and accounting for losses due to earlier rebellions. This census served to organize the tribes for warfare and to reaffirm God's ongoing plan for His people.