Are the numbers in the Bible accurate?

Answer

Critics often argue that the numbers in the Bible are not literal or are impossible to accept. In the book of Numbers, for example, an early census indicated that men twenty years old or older formed an army of more than 603,000, «even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.», (Numbers 1:46). Would it have been possible for Israel to have an army of this size during their sojourn in the wilderness?

The Bible claims to be God’s Word and therefore perfect (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So, the original communication of the biblical text was accurate. Further, studies from textual criticism related to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament reveal an extremely high level of textual integrity, assuring us that what was originally written is preserved in our Bible today.

However, there remain some legitimate reasons to discuss some of the Bible’s numbers. One issue is the discrepancy between numbers recorded in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and in the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible made between the third and first centuries BC). The census in Numbers 1 falls into a different category of dispute, however. In Numbers 1, the question is whether Israel could muster an army of that size. A military force of 603,000 implies a general population of at least 2.4 million—over half the population of Egypt at the time.

In examining the accuracy of the numbers in the Bible, several factors should be considered:

1) Just because a number is surprisingly large does not mean it is inaccurate. The Bible teaches that the Israelites “multiplied greatly” during their 430 years in Egypt and “became so numerous that the land was filled with them” «And theChildren of Israel were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.” , (Exodus 1:7). The Egyptian Pharaoh was so concerned about their population increase that he tried to decrease the number of slaves by pressuring the Hebrew midwives to kill the newborn sons “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” , (Exodus 1:8,15) “And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one named Shiphrah and the other Puah.” , (Exodus 1:8,15). While exact numbers are not provided, if the king was concerned that the Hebrew population might soon surpass that of the Egyptians, then it is highly likely that a large number of Israelites resided in the region during the exodus.

The census in Numbers 1, which only counted men 20 years old and above, indicates that the total number of Hebrews could have exceeded 2 million people. Although this is a substantial figure, it is not unattainable. It would necessitate a population growth rate of 2.6 percent—remarkably high, but not significantly above the 2.2 percent growth rate observed globally in the mid-twentieth century. Assuming each generation had an average of six children, a growth from 70 individuals to 2 million people in 400 years is plausible.

2) The Bible’s precision in numbers is linked to an accurate translation of the text. Let’s consider the census figures in Numbers 1 as an example (bearing in mind that the same applies to the census in Numbers 26):

In Numbers 1:21, the men of fighting age in the tribe of Reuben are described as “six and forty thousand and five hundred” (Young’s Literal Translation), which is rendered as “46,500” in nearly all other translations. However, two words in this phrase are open to interp

Variations. The Hebrew term translated as “thousand” is used elsewhere in Scripture as a general reference to groups, not as a specific number. For example, the word is applied to tribes «And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, who are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto you. », (Numbers 10:4), clans «and with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel. », (Joshua 22:14), families «Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, », (Joshua 22:21), and divisions «These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel. », (Numbers 1:16).

Furthermore, the word translated as “and” can also mean “or,” depending on the context. Exodus 21:15 and Exodus 21:17, for instance, use this word in a context in which it obviously means “or.”

Therefore, if the word for “thousands” is a reference to family groups, and the second instance of the word for “and” is understood to mean “or,” then Numbers 1:21 would be translated as “six and forty clans, or five hundred.” The tribe of Reuben, then, would have had 500 fighting men from 46 family groups.

3) Belief in the Bible’s accuracy in numbers allows for the possibility of scribal error. Numbers 1:46 gives the final tally of the troops from all the tribes of Israel: “The total number was 603,550.” That number, implying a total population of 2.4 million, is debated. However, if we assume a scribal error in th

Upon copying this passage, the total military count would be “598 families with 5,550 men.” This figure aligns with the lower census numbers: the total population of Israelites would be approximately 22,200.

A typographical error like this is entirely plausible. While the Hebrew language itself expresses numbers using words, ancient people often utilized a form of shorthand, employing lines or dots akin to modern-day tally marks. Such marks could have been relatively easy to misinterpret, and most potential scribal errors in Old Testament manuscripts involve precisely that kind of discrepancy (2 Samuel 10:18;1 Chronicles 19:18;1 Kings 4:26;2 Kings 24:8;2 Chronicles 9:25;2 Chronicles 36:9).

Whether the size of the Israelite army was over 600,000 or closer to 5,500, the accuracy of the Bible, in its original autographs, is not in question. What is debatable is our translation of certain Hebrew words and the precision of a scribe’s recording of a numerical phrase.