וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד בְּאֶחָד֩ לַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְצֵאתָ֛ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר׃ שְׂא֗וּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ כׇּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר שֵׁמ֔וֹת כׇּל־זָכָ֖ר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם׃
On the first day of the second month, in the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt, יהוה spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, saying: Take a census of the whole Israelite company [of fighters] by the clans of its ancestral houses, listing the names, every male, head by head.
שְׂאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ, סִפְרו את
כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם, בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת. אין זו ספירה טכנית גרידא; היא תכלול הן את שמות הנספרים הן את קבוצות ההשתייכות שלהם. כיוון שזהו מפקד צבאי, לא יימנו בו כל בני העם אלא –
כָּל זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם, הספירה תהיה לנוכח הראשים הנספרים,
Take a census of the entire congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their patrilineal house, according to the number of names. This is not merely a technical count, as it will include both the names of those counted as well as the group to which they belong. Since this is a military census, it will not encompass the entire people, but only every male, by their head count. The census will be performed in their presence, so that their heads can be counted. 1
Abravanel (1437-1508, Portugal): Surely this is just the opposite of what the Torah had commanded on an earlier occasion (Exodus, 30, 12): "When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thous numberest them". Rashi explains this to mean: "when you desire to discover their total number, do not number them by their polls, but let each one give a half a shekel and by numbering the shekels, you will know their number". How then could the Almighty have commanded them here to number them by their polls?
לגלגלתם. עַ"יְ שְׁקָלִים — בֶּקַע לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת:
לגלגלתם BY THEIR POLLS — i. e. by means of shekels — “a beka a head (לגלגלת)”, as was prescribed on a previous occasion (Exodus 38:26).
Ramban (Nachmanides, 13th c., Spain): "Ye shall number them" (tifkdu) - an expression of visitation, remembrance and providence. Cf.: "And the Lord remembered (pakad) Sarah" (Genesis 21, 1). This is its implication in every context. It also expresses the idea of "bailment" (pikadon), something entrusted to someone's care for safekeeping. When the Almighty commanded Moses to number the children of Israel and said "ye shall number them", it implied that he should not actually count them but that each on rather should entrust to him a ransom of his soul of half a shekel...
תפקדו אותם. לא אמר תספרו אותם כי לא היו ישראל נמנין לגלגלותם, אבל הזכיר לשון פקידה שהוא ענין השגחה, כלומר שישגיחו עליהם, לידע כמה הם, וההשגחה הזו על ידי חצאי השקלים.
תפקדו אותם, “you are to count them.” The reason that the Torah did not use the word תספרו for counting here is that this was not a head count. The term פקידה implies (divine) supervision. The Israelites were commanded to find out how many of them there were, but they did not arrive at the number through counting heads but through counting the half-shekel each one of these men had to contribute.
Abravanel (1437-1508, Portugal): That counting was because the half-shekel was needed to provide sockets for the construction of the Tabernacle. The half-shekel was not a requirement of the counting, for he that fulfills the command of God will come to no hurt.
...
Now that the counting itself was an essential requirement, the Amighty commanded that it should be done without resort to a half-shekel or any other medium out of fear of a plague, since those discharging a religious duty can come to no harm. Let him not fear nor be dismayed by the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor of the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
...
Now that the counting itself was an essential requirement, the Amighty commanded that it should be done without resort to a half-shekel or any other medium out of fear of a plague, since those discharging a religious duty can come to no harm. Let him not fear nor be dismayed by the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor of the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶל־יוֹאָ֣ב ׀ שַׂר־הַחַ֣יִל אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֗וֹ שֽׁוּט־נָ֞א בְּכׇל־שִׁבְטֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מִדָּן֙ וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע וּפִקְד֖וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑ם וְיָ֣דַעְתִּ֔י אֵ֖ת מִסְפַּ֥ר הָעָֽם׃ {ס} וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹאָ֜ב אֶל־הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְיוֹסֵ֣ף יְהֹוָה֩ אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ אֶל־הָעָ֜ם כָּהֵ֤ם ׀ וְכָהֵם֙ מֵאָ֣ה פְעָמִ֔ים וְעֵינֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ רֹא֑וֹת וַאדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ לָ֥מָּה חָפֵ֖ץ בַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃ וַיֶּחֱזַ֤ק דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֶל־יוֹאָ֔ב וְעַ֖ל שָׂרֵ֣י הֶחָ֑יִל וַיֵּצֵ֨א יוֹאָ֜ב וְשָׂרֵ֤י הַחַ֙יִל֙ לִפְנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ לִפְקֹ֥ד אֶת־הָעָ֖ם אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ וַיַּעַבְר֖וּ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וַיַּֽחֲנ֣וּ בַעֲרוֹעֵ֗ר יְמִ֥ין הָעִ֛יר אֲשֶׁ֛ר בְּתוֹךְ־הַנַּ֥חַל הַגָּ֖ד וְאֶל־יַעְזֵֽר׃ וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ הַגִּלְעָ֔דָה וְאֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ תַּחְתִּ֖ים חׇדְשִׁ֑י וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ דָּ֣נָה יַּ֔עַן וְסָבִ֖יב אֶל־צִידֽוֹן׃ וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ מִבְצַר־צֹ֔ר וְכׇל־עָרֵ֥י הַחִוִּ֖י וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑י וַיֵּ֥צְא֛וּ אֶל־נֶ֥גֶב יְהוּדָ֖ה בְּאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע׃ וַיָּשֻׁ֖טוּ בְּכׇל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ מִקְצֵ֨ה תִשְׁעָ֧ה חֳדָשִׁ֛ים וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים י֖וֹם יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ וַיִּתֵּ֥ן יוֹאָ֛ב אֶת־מִסְפַּ֥ר מִפְקַד־הָעָ֖ם אֶל־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַתְּהִ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל שְֽׁמֹנֶה֩ מֵא֨וֹת אֶ֤לֶף אִֽישׁ־חַ֙יִל֙ שֹׁ֣לֵֽף חֶ֔רֶב וְאִ֣ישׁ יְהוּדָ֔ה חֲמֵשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֖לֶף אִֽישׁ׃ וַיַּ֤ךְ לֵב־דָּוִד֙ אֹת֔וֹ אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֖ן סָפַ֣ר אֶת־הָעָ֑ם {פ}
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד אֶל־יְהֹוָ֗ה חָטָ֤אתִי מְאֹד֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔יתִי וְעַתָּ֣ה יְהֹוָ֔ה הַֽעֲבֶר־נָא֙ אֶת־עֲוֺ֣ן עַבְדְּךָ֔ כִּ֥י נִסְכַּ֖לְתִּי מְאֹֽד׃
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד אֶל־יְהֹוָ֗ה חָטָ֤אתִי מְאֹד֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔יתִי וְעַתָּ֣ה יְהֹוָ֔ה הַֽעֲבֶר־נָא֙ אֶת־עֲוֺ֣ן עַבְדְּךָ֔ כִּ֥י נִסְכַּ֖לְתִּי מְאֹֽד׃
The king said to Joab, his army commander, “Make the rounds of all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and take a census of the people, so that I may know the size of the population.” Joab answered the king, “May the LORD your God increase the number of the people a hundredfold, while your own eyes see it! But why should my lord king want this?” However, the king’s command to Joab and to the officers of the army remained firm; and Joab and the officers of the army set out, at the instance of the king, to take a census of the people of Israel. They crossed the Jordan and encamped at Aroer, on the right side of the town, which is in the middle of the wadi of Gad, and-d [went on] to Jazer. They continued to Gilead and to the region of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to-e Sidon. They went onto the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites, and finished at Beer-sheba in southern Judah. They traversed the whole country, and then they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Joab reported to the king the number of the people that had been recorded: in Israel there were 800,000 soldiers ready to draw the sword, and the men of Judah numbered 500,000. But afterward David reproached himself-f for having numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned grievously in what I have done. Please, O LORD, remit the guilt of Your servant, for I have acted foolishly.”
Ramban (Nachmanides, 13th c., Spain): It sounds far-fetched to me that David should not have borne in mind Holy Writ, which states that (Exodus: 30, 12): "Every man shall give a ransom for his soul...when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them". If David did overlook the matter why did not Joab make the necessary shekels? Surely David's action was abhorrent to Joab, as it is said (1 Chronicles 21, 3): "But, my lord the kind, are they not all my lord's servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel?" Why then did not Joab number them through shekels in order to avoid sin?
Levi ben Gershon (1288 – 1344, France): David's offense lay in that he, the Lord's anointed and sweet singer of Israel should place his trust in the weight of numbers rather than in God alone, whose salvation does not depend on numbers, whether great or small.
Abravanel (1437-1508, Portugal): I maintain that the seriousness of the offence lay rather in the high status of the offender rather than in the actual deed. David himself was by nature unassuming and humber: "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty" (Psalms 131, 1). He always placed his trust in the Almighty: "In Thee O Lord have I taken refuge" (Psalms 71 ,1). After serving God with such perfect devotion for seventy years he deserved severe punishment for becoming in the end overconfident and boastful and putting his trust in numbers by commanding Joab to count the people and pride himself in front of his enemies.