The Staff of Moses
CHAPTER FOUR

NUMBERS AND NATIONAL BIRTH IN THE WILDERNESS

Numbers chapters 2 to 22

THE ENCAMPMENT AND
THE MARCHING ORDERS

Numbers 2 continued
The twelve tribes were divided into four major standards or groups, each standard consisting of three tribes. The east side was headed by Judah together with Issachar and Zebulon.
The south side was headed by Reuben and included Simeon and Gad.
First marched the east side headed by Judah, then the south side headed by Reuben, then came the Tabernacle with the Levites.

[Numbers 2:17] 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.
The west side was headed by Ephraim with Manasseh and Benjamin. They were the third to march.
The north side was headed by Dan with Asher and Naphtali. They were the last to march.

[Numbers 2:32] 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.
Total: 603,550

[Numbers 2:33] BUT THE LEVITES WERE NOT NUMBERED AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL; AS THE L-RD COMMANDED MOSES.

[Numbers 2:34] AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE L-RD 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.

The Order of March

In the wilderness the tribes were encamped around the Tabernacle (Numbers chapter 2). On marching forward the tribes were to proceed in the same order with the group from the east belonging to Judah going first; then the group of Reuben came from the south; then the middle section consisting of the Tabernacle and the Levites ; then that of the west headed by Ephraim ; and then came the threesome connected with Dan from the north, who followed behind at the end. The signals for moving off were relayed by the blowing of silver trumpets (Numbers ch. 10).

			Dan
		Asher		Naphtali
	Manasseh				Issachar
Ephraim			Tabernacle			Judah
	Benjamin				Zebulon
		Simeon		Gad
			Reuben

THE ORDER OF ENCAMPMENT

Judah , Issachar and Zebulon

Judah was to camp in the east together with Issachar and Zebulon. Part of Finland was settled by descendants of Issachar. In history, distinctly separate groups, both identified as Suebi though basically different, were to settle in Switzerland and Holland. The Suebi settlers in Switzerland were from Jashub son of Issachar whereas the Suebi in Holland were otherwise known as Suardenoi and descend from Sered son of Zebulon. Issachar was to dominate Switzerland, Zebulon - Holland; but groups from both Tribes were found in each country. The Alemanni were a branch of the Suebi who settled in Alsace (in east France) and Switzerland. The Alemans came from the Jashubi (Suebi) of Issachar. The Alemani were often confused with the Alans who in part also settled alongside them and were named after Elon son of Zebulon. A king of the Alemans converted to Judaism. Amongst the Alemani were the Juthones, whose name is reminiscent of that of the Jutes from Jutland of Denmark, and both peoples descended from Judah. The Jutes at one stage had a center in the region of Holland which also had other Judaean elements though dominated by Zebulon. The Sabalingoi (People –[“goi”] of-Zebulon) were reported of in Frisia, in North Holland.

Reuben , Simeon and Gad

After the trio led by Judah, came that to the south headed by Reuben, who was encamped together with Simeon and Gad. Reuben was to become the Ribuari Franks who gained control of France, including the area of Brittany in the west. The Samnitesfrom Simeon were in Brittany of west France along with the Namnites (from Namuel, son of Simeon) according to Ptolemy (ca. 120 CE). Much later, in the late 400's and 500's, the area of Brittany was to be conquered and populated by people from Wales and Celtic Britain who were being pushed out by the Anglo-Saxon invasions. The peoples of Celtic Britain and Wales who re-populated Brittany also included descendants of Simeon. Ptolemy placed the SIMENI on the east coast of Britain in an area overlapping that of the ICENI whose name resembles a Phoenician rendition of the name Yachin, son of Simeon. The Silures of south Wales came from Shaul, son of Simeon, son of Israel. The Tribe of Gad gave rise to the Goths who were often closely connected with the Franks of Reuben. “Goth” was another name for “Gad”. The Goths and related peoples became the Swedes some of whom settled in Finland. The Fins call themselves Suomi which name (though meaning something else) may have been inspired by an ancestral form for Simeon. The Fins once regarded themselves as descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel as did the Khazars who spoke a Finnish language and in part are considered to have been a Gothic group. From the above, Gad and Simeon were associated both in Finland and Khazaria. The Goths also once had a kingdom in southern France, which became dominated by the Ribuari and other Franks descended from Reuben. Gad, Reuben, and Simeon were all interconnected and all influential in the early French kingdom.

Ephraim , Manasseh and Benjamin

The third trio described in the Book of Numbers (ch.2) in the Israelite encampment was to the west. This was composed of Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin, with Ephraim leading. Manasseh and Ephraim gave rise to the early “Celtic” settlers of Britain and to the Anglo-Saxon hosts who conquered the “Celts” and in turn were overcome by the Normans from Benjamin. The three tribes are recalled together in the Book of Psalms: <BEFORE EPHRAIM AND BENJAMIN AND MANASSEH STIR UP THY STRENGTH, AND COME AND SAVE US> [Psalms 80:2]. In general we can say very roughly that Ephraim dominated the Anglo-Saxons from the British Celts of Manasseh. Benjamin was present amongst the Celtic Belgae on the southeast coast of Britain and Ireland and also amongst the Normans who conquered England. Later Manasseh was paramount in the USA while Ephraim retained his majority in Britain and her daughter-nations.

Dan , Asher and Naphtali

Dan was prominent in Denmark, Ireland, North England, and Wales. Naphtali was in Norway and North England. Asher became the “As” or “Aseir” who were important in early Scandinavian history and also found in lowland Scotland and Wales. Descendants of the three tribes are still to be found in geographic proximity.
The above identifications show that the arrangement of the Camp was to some degree parallel to the future geographical positions of the tribal descendants. What is more significant is that the triadic teams often reflected a destined close association.

THE PRESERVATION OF RELATIVE TRIBAL POSITIONING

The Israelites inherited the Land of Canaan and divided it amongst the different tribes. In Biblical times, Gad was to the northeast and Gad in Sweden is also to the northeast of the block of countries in Europe of Hebrew origin. Reuben had adjoined Gad to the south. France is also south (west) of Sweden, as the crow flies. The eastern half of Manasseh was south of Gad. The half tribe of Manasseh neighbored the other-half of itself on the West Bank of the Jordan. Similarly the Sicambian Franks (partly of Shecem, a clan of Manasseh) in Belgium and France, and the Frisians (of Manasseh) occupy parallel positioning to Reuben of France and to Gad of Sweden. They also have a western part on the other side of the North Sea (i.e. over the Jordan!) in Northern Britain! In the Land of Israel, Gad was bordered on the west by northern Dan and by Naphtali in the same way that Gad ( Sweden) is bordered by Denmark of Dan and by Norway of Naphtali. There was another section of Dan in Ancient Israel on the coast in the southwest. This parallels the descendants of Dan in Ireland and Wales in southwest Britain. Asher was significant in both Scotland and Scandinavia. Norway (Naphtali) is east of Asher ( Scotland) just as in Bible times (Joshua chapter 19). Asher was north of Josephite-Manasseh in the Holy Land, and thus Scotland (Asher) is north of the Josephite Saxons in England. South of Joseph (Manasseh and Ephraim) were Benjamin and Judah. The Benjaminites of Normandy and Belgium, and the Belgae and Judaeans (i.e. Jutes), of southern England correspond roughly to the same placement against the Tribes of Joseph. These correspondences are not exact, but they are quite close. We do not know the precise placements of the tribes in Biblical times nor the intermixing between tribes that occurred both then and in the modern period. In both cases we only have approximations and these correspond with each other and must be reasonably accurate.

The Priestly Line

[Numbers 3:1] THESE ALSO ARE THE GENERATIONS OF AARON AND MOSES IN THE DAY THAT THE L-RD SPAKE WITH MOSES IN MOUNT SINAI.

[Numbers 3:2] AND THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE SONS OF AARON; NADAB THE FIRSTBORN, AND ABIHU, ELEAZAR, AND ITHAMAR.
Eleazar and Ithamar were the only two destined to survive. All future Priestly families would descend from them.

[Numbers 3:3] THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE SONS OF AARON, THE PRIESTS WHICH WERE ANOINTED, WHOM HE CONSECRATED TO MINISTER IN THE PRIEST'S OFFICE.

[Numbers 3:4] AND NADAB AND ABIHU DIED BEFORE THE L-RD, WHEN THEY OFFERED STRANGE FIRE BEFORE THE L-RD, IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI, AND THEY HAD NO CHILDREN: AND ELEAZAR AND ITHAMAR MINISTERED IN THE PRIEST'S OFFICE IN THE SIGHT OF AARON THEIR FATHER.
<<THEY OFFERED STRANGE FIRE…THEY HAD NO CHILDREN>>: Strange fire means worshipping G-d in a way that was not permitted. The sages suggested that deliberately having no children may have been associated with this form of illicit worship. G-d wants a person to have a normal family life and raise children if he can.

[Numbers 3:5] AND THE L-RD SPAKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING,

[Numbers 3:6] BRING THE TRIBE OF LEVI NEAR, AND PRESENT THEM BEFORE AARON THE PRIEST, THAT THEY MAY MINISTER UNTO HIM.

[Numbers 3:7] AND THEY SHALL KEEP HIS CHARGE, AND THE CHARGE OF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION BEFORE THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION, TO DO THE SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE.

[Numbers 3:8] AND THEY SHALL KEEP ALL THE INSTRUMENTS OF THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION, AND THE CHARGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, TO DO THE SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE.
The Levites were emissaries for all the Children of Israel.

[Numbers 3:9] AND THOU SHALT GIVE THE LEVITES UNTO AARON AND TO HIS SONS: THEY ARE WHOLLY GIVEN UNTO HIM OUT OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.

[Numbers 3:10] AND THOU SHALT APPOINT AARON AND HIS SONS, AND THEY SHALL WAIT ON THEIR PRIEST'S OFFICE: AND THE STRANGER THAT COMETH NIGH SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH.
From Aaron, the brother of Moses, came the Priestly families. These are called “Cohanim” (i.e. Cohens) in Hebrew.
[Numbers 3:11] AND THE L-RD SPAKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING,

[Numbers 3:12] AND I, BEHOLD, I HAVE TAKEN THE LEVITES FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL INSTEAD OF ALL THE FIRSTBORN THAT OPENETH THE MATRIX AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: THEREFORE THE LEVITES SHALL BE MINE;

[Numbers 3:13] BECAUSE ALL THE FIRSTBORN ARE MINE; FOR ON THE DAY THAT I SMOTE ALL THE FIRSTBORN IN THE LAND OF EGYPT I HALLOWED UNTO ME ALL THE FIRSTBORN IN ISRAEL, BOTH MAN AND BEAST: MINE SHALL THEY BE: I AM THE L-RD.
Originally, it was intended that the firstborn of each family should be the Priests. The firstborn were replaced by the Tribe of Levi. Even so, some minor degree of an additional sanctity was still attached to the firstborn.

The Cushite Wife of Moses

The Book of Numbers continues to speak of the Priestly service, of marriage arrangements and ceremonial arrangements and of events that occurred in the Wilderness. At one stage Aaron and Miriam the brother and sister of Moses criticized Moses because he had taken an “Ethiopian” woman, in Hebrew a “Cushit”. This term could denote a Negroid female.
[Numbers 12:1] AND MIRIAM AND AARON SPAKE AGAINST MOSES BECAUSE OF THE ETHIOPIAN [Hebrew: “Cushit”] WOMAN WHOM HE HAD MARRIED: FOR HE HAD MARRIED AN ETHIOPIAN [“Cushit”] WOMAN.
G-d censured Aaron and Miriam. Both were very important people and at a high spiritual level. They were mistaken. There is a lot to learn from this. G-d defended Moses. G-d (Numbers 12:7-8) declared that Moses had reached the highest level of communication with the Almighty that is humanly possible.

The Spies Demoralize

The Israelites were approaching the land of Canaan and so sent out spies to appraise the country. Twelve spies were sent out, one for each tribe [13:2]. The spies came back claiming that the inhabitants of the land were too powerful to be conquered [ 13:32]. Only Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim and Caleb from the Tribe of Judah dissented and affirmed that the Land could be conquered.
[Concerning their descendants it was the Jews from Judah who were destined in our time to begin conquering and reclaiming the Land. They were to be assisted by first Britain and after that by the USA both of whom descend from Joseph.]
The people became disheartened and bewailed their leaving Egypt [14;2]. G-d was angry and decreed that they should wander in the Wilderness for forty years until all that rebellious generation would die out [14:23, 14:33].

“Anglos” & Jews Foreshadowed
by Joshua and Caleb

Only Joshua and Caleb were to enter the Land of Canaan [Numbers 14:30]. Later, the Jews of Judah would return to resettle in it. The Jews were be assisted by the British who conquered “ Palestine ” from the Turks and enabled the Jews to establish a settlement and the substructure of a state. After the British, came the Americans who supported the state of Israel politically, morally, economically, and militarily. They did this at times when all the rest of the world was antagonistic to the Zionist enterprise. The British and the Americans were from the Tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh while the Jews were dominated by Judah. Joshua from Ephraim and Caleb from Judah were prototypes for the future.
The Conquest of Lands East of the Jordan
Korah of the Tribe of Levi, together with people from the Tribe of Reuben, rebelled against the authority of Moses but were miraculously destroyed (ch.16). The Israelites continued in their journeys and destroyed the Canaanite kingdom of Arad. They were attacked by a plague of snakes so Moses erected a bronze statue of a serpent. Anyone who was bitten would glance at the bronze serpent and be healed (21:9). Sihon the Amorite King of Heshbon east of the Jordan River refused to allow them to pass through his land so they made war on him and conquered his country. They did the same to Og King of Bashan ( 21:33). As a result of these victories, Balak the King of Moab became alarmed. Balak feared lest he too be next in line to face the onward progress of the Hebrew hosts. Balak sent a report unto the elders of Midian and then sent messengers to a kind of super-sorcerer named Balaam (22:4-5). Balak asked Balaam to come to him and curse the Israelites for him.

The Staff of Moses CHAPTER FOUR