Numbers 26:58

families of the Levites--The census of this tribe was taken separately, and on a different principle from the rest. (See Exo 6:16-19).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

58. It is not here stated to which of the three families of Num_26:57 these five branches of the Levites belonged. (This is done in Exo_6:16-21. Libnites belonged to Gershon; Hebronites and Korahites to Kohath; Mahlites and Mushites to Merari.) The verse appears to be separate from Num_26:57, and to be derived from a different source.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Core. Three other families are mentioned, Exodus vi. 17, &c. They were not going out to war. (Du Hamel)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The families of the Levites are here numbered by themselves, because they were not to have a distinct share of the land, whence it is that they are not so distinctly and exactly mentioned as the other tribes, but confusedly and imperfectly, some of them being wholly omitted here. See Exo 6:17-19.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

These are the families of the Levites. The three Levitical sub-tribes have been named in the preceding verse, and the present enumeration of families is an independent one. The Libnites were Gershonites, (Num_3:21) the Hebronites and Korathites (or Korahites) were Kohathites, (Num_3:19 Num_16:1) the Mahlites and Mushites were Merarites. (Num_3:33) Two other families, the Shimites (Num_3:21) and the Uzzielites, (Num_3:27 1Ch_26:23, and cf. Exo_6:22 1Ch_24:24, 1Ch_24:25) are omitted here, perhaps because the list is imperfect (see, however, the note on verse 62).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

אלה משפחת לוי THESE ARE THE FAMILIES OF LEVI — there are missing here the families of Shimei and Uzziel and part of that of Jizhar (cf. Exodus 6:16 ff. and Rashi on v. 13).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Now Rashi commented: “And these are they that were numbered of the Levites. The families of the Shimeites and the Uzzielites, Verse 27. and part of the Itzharites, namely Nepheg and Zichri, are missing here.”. Now the family of the Korachites is mentioned here in Verse 58, but Nepheg and Zichri are omitted. This is the meaning of Rashi’s statement that “part of the Itzharites are missing here.” And I [further] wonder! Why did Scripture count here in [Verse 57, speaking of] the Levites, the families of the three ancestors [Gershon, Kohath, and Merari — the three sons of the Levites mentioned above, 3:17], and then again count [in Verse 58] the families of their sons [mentioning amongst them: the family of the Machlites, the family of the Mushites, who were both sons of Merari], Verse 19. since Merari had no other children except Machli and Mushi, Verse 19. and for what then is the family of the Merarites [mentioned here in Verse 57, seeing that both his children, Machli and Mushi, are counted in Verse 58 as separate families], and there were no other [children of Merari] apart from them! But [we must say that Scripture mentioned each of the three families of the three sons of Levi here in Verse 57] as [a sign of] honor, since all three sons of Levi were great men in Israel, and their memories were a blessing. Therefore all the descendants of Gershon [the first son of Levi] were called the family of the Gershonites in his honor, and similarly all the children of Merari [his third son] were called the family of the Merarites in his honor [as mentioned here in Verse 57]. And afterwards they appointed for themselves paternal families, and became divided up into [smaller] families as did the other tribes, and were called by particular names, [such as] the family of the Machlites and the family of the Mushites [in Verse 58]. Similarly in the case of Kohath [the second son of Levi] all his children were included in [the term] the family of the Kohathites [in Verse 57], and continued to divide themselves up further into [smaller] families of [his] children — the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Korachites [in Verse 58]. And Scripture did not mention here [in Verse 58] “the family of the Amramites,” … because it was divided up into priests and Levites, and it mentioned their [individual] names [Aaron and Moses — in Verse 59] in [their] honor. However, it did not mention [in that verse Aaron’s] priesthood, because of the honor of Moses [i.e., since Moses was not the High Priest, but remained a Levite, Scripture in his honor did not want here to emphasize that Aaron was “the priest”]. Similarly you will see in the first census [taken in the second year after the exodus] when counting [the Levites], that Scripture states, And these were the sons of Levi, by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari, [stating all their names] because of their individual distinction, for in [the case of] the other tribes it does not mention them in this way [i.e., it does not mention any individual names].And the reason [why Scripture mentions in Verse 58] the family of the Korachites [and does not mention ‘the family of the Itzharites,’, Verse 27. which would have included the other two sons of Itzhar apart from Korach, i.e., Nepheg, and Zichri]. Now the family of the Korachites is mentioned here in Verse 58, but Nepheg and Zichri are omitted. This is the meaning of Rashi’s statement that “part of the Itzharites are missing here.” is because it was originally called the family of the Itzharites, Verse 27. since at [the time of] that [first] census Nepheg and Zichri also had children, [hence the family of the Itzharites included Itzhar’s three sons, Korach, and Nepheg, and Zichri. Now the family of the Korachites is mentioned here in Verse 58, but Nepheg and Zichri are omitted. This is the meaning of Rashi’s statement that “part of the Itzharites are missing here.” and their descendants]. Now, however, [at the time of this second census] only Korach had children, and therefore they were called after his name [the family of the Korachites, here in Verse 58]. However, in my opinion, it was not right that the name of the Itzharites should be completely removed from his offspring, even though some of his [Itzhar’s] children had died; but they did this after the incident of [the rebellion of] Korach because of the honor of Korach’s sons[who originally joined their father’s revolt against Moses, but subsequently repented], in order to publicize in Israel their name and their memory in all future generations. For likewise [we see that] Scripture makes a point of saying, But the children of Korach died not [in order to emphasize that they turned aside from their father’s evil ways]. And since Nepheg and Zichri had come to an end [because all their children died], and all the descendants of Itzhar [that] remained [were] Korach’s, they called them the family of the Korachites [here in Verse 58], in order to publicize [the fact] that this [Korach’s] children were more righteous and better than he. And the Midrash of Rabbi Moshe the Preacher on the verse, ye are ‘hame’at’ (the fewest) of all peoples ” instead of ‘hame’at’, Rabbi Moshe the Preacher explained it as an allusion to the fact that the Israelites numbered sixty-five families, five less than the families of the traditional seventy nations of the world. The verse thus means: “you are ‘hei [which is the Hebrew number five] less’ than all the peoples.” Now Rabbi Moshe the Preacher arrived at this figure of sixty-five by counting fifty-seven families amongst all the other tribes [as mentioned here in Verses 5-49], and eight families of Levites [as mentioned here in Verses 57-58]. — To this Ramban objects, since, as explained above, the three mentioned in Verse 57 are not separate families, but are merely mentioned as a sign of honor to the three distinguished sons of Levi. Hence there are only five separate families of the Levites [as mentioned in Verse 58], so that the total together with the fifty-seven of the Israelites is only sixty-three! Consequently the whole interpretation of the verse, ye are ‘hame’at’ of all the peoples by Rabbi Moshe the Preacher, is not true — since there were not sixty-five families, but only sixty-three. — that [you are] less [than all peoples] by ‘hei,’ is not true — because Scripture counts [here] eight [families] for the children of Levi [in Verses 57-58], but they were only five — [those mentioned in Verse 58], for the three mentioned [in Verse 57] were the fathers [of these five, and thus cannot be counted as separate families], as we have explained.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.