Number of fighting men associated with the tribe of Issachar in the wilderness census (rounded from 57,400)
The number 57,000 appears in rounded form in Numbers 2:8, where the tribe of Issachar is counted as 57,400 registered men in the census at Sinai. The figure is part of the detailed listing of Israel's army in the wilderness, where each tribe was mustered according to their clans. As a specific census number, it does not carry an independent symbolic meaning in biblical tradition like numbers such as 7, 12, 40, and 70, which bear deeper theological symbolism. Its significance lies in the historical context: the organization of Israel's twelve tribes as an ordered camp around the tabernacle. In Numbers 2:8, the exact number given is 57,400. The tribe of Issachar was placed in Judah's camp division on the east side of the tabernacle, together with Judah and Zebulun (Num 2:3–9). The censuses in Numbers (chapters 1–2 and 26) show the military organization of the Israelites during the wilderness journey. The numbers have been discussed by scholars, and some believe the Hebrew word 'elef' (אלף) may mean 'clan' or 'military unit' instead of the literal 'thousand'.*