And the sons of Judah, after their families of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Pherez, the family of the Pharzites; of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites.
Numbers 26 counts Israel a second time, on the plains of Moab, just before the nation enters the promised land. Verse 20 names Judah's three surviving clans — Shelah, Perez and Zerah (older translations: Pharez and Zarah) — and behind them lies one of the darkest family stories in the Bible.
The first census opened the book; this one closes the wilderness years. One writer sets out what the new list is for:
The new numbering of the people shows how they have come through the wilderness, and whether they increased or decreased. It also shows God's faithfulness to His word, whether in grace or judgment.
That faithfulness has a sobering edge. Of the men counted the first time, almost nobody appears in this list:
How sad to think that, out of the six hundred thousand men of war counted the first time, only two remain — Joshua and Caleb! All the rest lay decaying in the dust, buried beneath the sand of the desert, all passed away. The two men of simple faith remained to have their faith rewarded.
Judah's list starts with his third son, because God's judgment had fallen on his first two sons. One commentator reads the surviving names as the story of a family brought back from nothing:
First, we go back to Er and Onan, so that we may remember what a history Judah's family had. In these, the enmity to God and the iniquity in which it shows itself find their condemnation and pass away. No fruit of righteousness — Tamar, the "palm" — can come from these. In the third son, Shelah, Judah's seed finds, as it were, its resurrection. His name tells of "peace," now found for the first time.
The other two clans came from Tamar. The same writer traces what each name produced in Israel's later history:
Shelah is fruitful, but much more so is Tamar's seed. Of these, Pharez, the "breaker forth," breaks out into a vast fruitfulness. It fills up all the later history of Judah. From him come her kings, and her great King. Twin with Pharez comes Zerah, or the sunrise. From Zerah come, later on, singers such as Ethan, and warriors such as Shammah, Sibbechai and Maharai, stout defenders of the throne.
Later, people who wanted the best for the family of Boaz pointed back to this clan:
Their desire was that the house or family of Boaz might be large and influential in the tribe of Judah, like the house of Pherez. The census taken in the plains of Moab near Jericho lists Pherez's two sons and their families (Num. 26:20-21). He was an ancestor of Boaz (Ruth 4:18-21).
Perez's own beginning was a scandal. One writer will not soften Tamar's part in it:
She comes before me in this picture as a sinner and nothing else. She was the wife, in turn, of two men, each cut off for his wickedness by divine judgment. Yet she still dares to provoke divine judgment herself, by a crime equal to theirs. But the wonder above all this is that this very sin brings her name into the Lord's genealogy. It was this sin that made her the mother of Pharez, one of the direct line of Christ's ancestry!
These totals were not just record-keeping. They set the size of each tribe's share of the land:
This section now provides that they shall receive their inheritance in the land according to the number of the tribes. These numbers plainly represent gains or losses for which they were responsible; and as they had flourished, so they would inherit.
Judah came out of the desert stronger than it went in. One writer ties that to the meaning of the tribe's name:
Judah, however, is in happy contrast to the previous decline, for it increased from 74,600 (Num. 1:27) to 76,500 (v. 22). This shows that the trials of the wilderness journey need not weaken us; they may strengthen us instead. This depends on the reality and consistency of our faith in the living God. Judah's name (meaning "praise") may remind us that the spirit of praise increases fruitfulness.
- Counted. The census at the journey's end shows how each tribe came through the wilderness. Its rise or fall proved God's faithfulness to His word, in grace and in judgment.
- Recovered. Judah's list begins with Shelah, because judgment had removed Er and Onan. In this third son the family line finds, as it were, its resurrection.
- Breaking out. Perez, the "breaker forth," fills Judah's later story with kings and with her great King. His twin Zerah supplies singers and warriors.
- Grace. Perez entered the world through Tamar's sin, and that very sin brought her name into the genealogy of Christ.
- Inherited. The numbers decided the land: as each tribe had flourished, so it would inherit. Judah, whose name means praise, grew stronger in the desert, not weaker.
And the sons of Pherez of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.
Numbers 26 records the second counting of Israel. It was taken on the plains of Moab, after the wilderness generation had died and their children stood ready to cross into the land. Inside the tribe of Judah, this verse pauses on one son, Perez (spelled Pharez in older translations), and names the two families that came from him. That small detail carries a history, and a future, far larger than a census line.
This is not bookkeeping. The journey is over, and possession is about to begin.
The journey is now over. God counts His people again, and counts them by name, as heirs ready to take possession of the inheritance. He has kept them through everything, and brought them as far as Canaan. Even their clothes did not wear out.
The figures gathered family by family are not neutral. They decide how much land each group receives.
This fifth section now states that their inheritance in the land will be given to them according to the number of each tribe. These numbers clearly represent gains or losses for which they were responsible. As they had flourished, so they would inherit.
Judah's older son Shelah had a family too. But the line of Perez went much further.
Shelah is fruitful, but Tamar's offspring far more so. From them Pharez, the "one who breaks out," breaks out into a huge abundance of fruit, which fills all the later history of Judah. From him come her kings, and her great King.
Perez was born from Judah's shameful dealings with Tamar (Genesis 38). Yet this is the line God chose.
Who was Pharez? Let Genesis 38 answer. Why not begin with his father, Judah? His was the greatest of the tribes of Israel. But the promised blessing had to come through Pharez, the son of Tamar. God led His line of promise through lowly things of the world, and took up those that people would reject. This was to magnify His grace and exalt His name.
Hezron and Hamul are the only sons of Perez counted here. One writer reads their names as two traits that belong together.
Two families of Pharez get special mention: Hezron (possibly "enclosure") and Hamul ("compassionate"). They may stand for two tendencies that often fall into conflict with each other. They should not. Their true meaning shows when they are joined.
Centuries later the townspeople of Bethlehem blessed a marriage by wishing it the fruitfulness of this very household.
Their desire was that the house or family of Boaz might be large and influential in the tribe of Judah, like the house of Pherez. Pherez was the second son of Judah, and the twin brother of Zerah. The census of the children of Israel, taken on the plains of Moab near Jericho, lists his two sons and their families (Numbers 26:20-21). He was an ancestor of Boaz (Ruth 4:18-21).
Other tribes shrank during the wilderness journey. Judah, whose families this verse lists, did not.
Judah, however, is in happy contrast to the earlier decline, for it grew from 74,600 (Numbers 1:27) to 76,500 (v.22). This shows that the trials of the wilderness journey need not weaken us. They may strengthen us instead. That depends on how real and steady our faith in the living God is.
Most readers skip chapters full of names. One writer says they were never meant to be passed over.
We can be sure that these histories are parables, right down to the genealogical tables. Treated as nothing more than lists, they have been completely neglected... Let us only remember this: in all His Word, God is thinking of our souls.
- Counted — the journey is over, and God counts His people by name "as heirs ready to take possession of the inheritance."
- Portioned — each tribe's inheritance comes "according to the number of each tribe," so the count has consequences.
- Chosen — the line runs through Perez, born of Judah and Tamar, because "God led His line of promise through lowly things of the world."
- Named — Hezron and Hamul are the two families of Perez. Their names read as "enclosure" and "compassionate," meant to be joined rather than set against each other.
- Multiplied — Perez "breaks out into a huge abundance of fruit," reaching Boaz, Judah's kings, and "her great King."