As mentioned in the introduction to this section, the Twelve Tribes of Yisra’el are defined as the twelve clans, or extended family groups, which descended from Ya’aqov/Yisra’el.  Each of these twelve families has as its origin one of the twelve sons of Ya’aqov, with the exclusion of Levi and Yosef, and the inclusion of both Yosef’s sons, Efra'im and Menashe in their place.

The Chumash (the first five books of the Tanakh) is replete with accounts wherein various tribes are involved with different sorts of affairs during the Yisra’eli Exodus and journey to the Promised Land.  Perhaps some of the most well-known accounts involving all twelve tribes are those regarding the counting of citizens —  specifically adult males of combat readiness —  within these tribes.  For the sake of curiosity, the census figures from the twelve tribes are included in this section.

At the beginning of the book of Ba-Midbar (Numbers), YHWH commanded Mosheh to take a census of all male adults twenty years of age and up, “every one who goes out to the legion in Yisra’el[.]”  The inclusion of this phrase could define the census as having been taken for purposes which were related to military readiness, as the infirm and the stricken elderly would likely not have been counted in this census.

One man from each tribe, presumably its leader, was named along with the able-bodied male head count from his tribe. These details are tabulated below (the order of tribes is as given in the census figures listed in Ba-Midbar, chapter 1):

tribe name	tribal chief	population
Reuven	Elitzur ben-Shedeur	46,500
Shimeon	Shelumiel ben-Tzurishaddai	59,300
Gad	Eliasaf ben-Deuel	45,650
Yehudah	Nachshon ben-Amminadav	74,600
Issachar	Nethanel ben-Tzuar	54,400
Zevulun	Eliav ben-Chelon	57,400
Efraim	Elishama ben-Ammihud	40,500
Menashe	Gamaliel ben-Pedahtzur	32,200
Benyamin	Avidan ben-Gideoni	35,400
Dan	Achiezer ben-Ammishaddai	62,700
Asher	Pagiel ben-Ochran	41,500
Naftali	Achira ben-Enan	53,400
Total sum		603,550

One will note that, due to the fact that the Levites were no longer regarded as one of the twelve tribes, their numbers are not counted at this point.  Another interesting point is the fact that later in this book, Mosheh is commanded again by YHWH to enumerate the adult males of at least 20 years of age.  This census was presumably ordered because of the devastating plague which broke out following the incident of Ba’al-pe’or.  Here are the figures from that later census:

tribe	population	difference
Reuven	43,730	-2,770
Shimeon	22,200	-37,100
Gad	40,500	-5,150
Yehudah	76,500	+1,900
Issachar	64,300	+9,900
Zevulun	60,500	+3,100
Efraim	32,500	-8,000
Menashe	52,700	+20,500
Benyamin	45,600	+10,200
Dan	64,400	+1,700
Asher	53,400	+11,900
Naftali	45,400	-8,000
Total sum	601,730	-1,820

An additional bit of information regarding the population of the Levites is also given in this census:  they were numbered at 23,000.  Their number, curiously, was not counted with the earlier census, and the scripture deliberately includes this fact.  The reason for their separation is given as the fact that the number of the Levites included all males from one month of age and above, not the minimal age of 20 years as required for the counting of the rest of Yisra’el.  Here we are reassured regarding the purpose of these enumerations as instrumental in orchestrating the allotment of the heritage of land between the 12 tribes, whereas the counting of the Levites was likely meant more for statistical reasons.