Census

Weighing the historicity of the exodus story entails more than addressing the lack of archaeological evidence.

Exploring the possibility of reading the wilderness census in a way that is historically plausible. 

The Priestly Torah has two different conceptions of why/how the firstborn Israelites are exempt from serving as priests. Is a questionable firstborn census an effort to weigh in on this dispute?

Two Problems In Parashat Bemidbar 

Census is a necessary and standard procedure for governing. Indeed, the Bible contains numerous stories of censuses that are mundane and unproblematic. Only two texts suggest otherwise: Exodus 30 and 2 Samuel 24 (=1 Chronicles 21), a census by King David.^[1]