Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 26:57/רמב"ן על במדבר כ״ו:נ״ז
אוְאֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַלֵּוִי – לֹא יָדַעְתִּי לָמָּה יִמְנֶה בְּנֵי לֵוִי, וּמַה תּוֹעֶלֶת עַתָּה בְּמִנְיָנָם. אוּלַי לְאֵלֶּה נִתְּנוּ הֶעָרִים לָשֶׁבֶת וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶן לִבְהֶמְתָּם, לֹא לַנּוֹלָדִים אַחֲרֵי כֵן. אוֹ שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה לָהֶם לְכָבוֹד לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם, שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לִגְיוֹן שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ פָּחוּת שֶׁלֹּא יַשְׁגִּיחוּ עָלָיו לִמְנוֹתוֹ כִּשְׁאָר הָעָם. וְהִזְכִּיר עַמְרָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ כִּי בְּנֵי לֵוִי יִמָּנוּ לִשְׁנַיִם, לְכֹהֲנִים וּלְוִיִּם, וְרָאוּי לִפְקֹד אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו לְעַצְמָן:
1AND THESE ARE THEY THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THE LEVITES. I do not know why He [commanded] that the Levites should be counted [here], and what purpose [is served] now by counting them [since they did not receive any portion in the Land]. Perhaps [they were counted because] it was only to these [Levites] that they gave the [forty-eight] cities to dwell in and their open land for their cattle,139 and not to those who were born afterwards. Or [it may be that this census] was done as an expression of honor for them before G-d, so that “the legion of the King”140 should not be treated as less important [than the other people], by not bothering to count them like the rest of the people. Scripture mentions Amram and his wife [Jochebed, with the children she bore — Aaron, Moses and Miriam their sister, although it does not do so in connection with any other Levite families], because the sons of [that] Levite [Amram] were counted as two [groups], as priests and as Levites,141 and it was fitting that Aaron and his sons [who were originally Levites but later on became priests] should be counted separately [therefore Scripture mentions especially the names of the parents and of their children].