2:1-34 Israel’s camps were to be organized by tribal groupings. This arrangement may have reflected concerns for social status, access to water, and security for the Tabernacle, which represented the Lord’s presence. The Egyptian army from approximately this same era camped in a similar defensive formation to protect the sacred objects that accompanied their field campaigns.

2:2 Each area of the Hebrew camp was identified by family banners, which were probably flags or streamers (1:52). The use of such tribal symbols or battle flags finds an analogy in modern bedouin life, where the divisions of tribe, clan, and family have long held great importance. • The tribes camped around the sanctuary at a safe distance (cp. Josh 3:4) that respected the gap between God’s holiness and the non-Levitical tribes.