Take yee the summe] There was one numbring of the people before this, and another after it, three in all; the first is that of Exod. 30. 11, 12. and chap. 38. vers. 25. when they were called, and numbred for contribution to the building of the Tabernacle, when every one gave half a shekel for an offering to the Lord, as a ransome for his soule; figuring thereby the redemption of Christ: the next numbring was that of this place; which was done, not onely that the number of the people might be known, but that they might be the more orderly disposed, and placed about the Tabernacle: and the third and last was in the last yeer of their travell, viz. the 40. when the former generation was worne out; for there was not a man of them remaining except Joshua and Caleb whom Moses and Aaron numbred in the wildernesse of Sinai, Numbers 26:63,and 64. their posterity was numbred for possession, and partition of the land of Canaan: and this was in the plaines of Moab, Numbers 26:3,and 63. of the children of Israel] None were numbred but the Israelites, though there came with them out of Egypt a mixed multitude of people, that were not Israelites; nor all that were so, but onely such as were able for warre, women, children, sicke persons, and decrepit old men being omitted; of which sort it is like there were not many, since at their coming out of Egypt, there was not a feeble person among their tribes, Psalms 105:37. Some suppose they were not numbred, because God had promised an innumerable multiplication of them as of the stars, Genesis 15:5. and (which much more overreacheth all reckonings of Arethmetick) as of the dust of the earth, Genesis 13:16. which seemeth to have warrant from these words, But David took not the number of them from 20. yeeres old and under, because the Lord had said, he would increase Israel like to the starres of the heavens. 1 Chronicles 27:23. poll] In Hebrew, their skulls, for their heads; their heads for their bodies; their bodies for their persons; by a Synecdoche; the meaning is, man by man.