Judea has been allowed to be autonomous under King Herod and then his son, Archelaus, so that Rome did not have to concern itself with administrative matters in a minor territory on the very edge of its empire. In 6 CE, the Roman government sacked Archelaus for incompetence and sent him into exile. It appointed Quirinius as governor of Syria, with oversight of Judea.
In order that Judea could be taxed on the same basis as the rest of the Roman Empire, Quirinius was to undertake a census in Judea as soon as possible after he took over. This was the first census to affect part of Palestine, but did not involve Galilee, as that territory was ruled by another of Herod's sons, Herod Antipas. The census took place in 6 CE, but possibly quite early in 7 CE.
Jn the bible the first census is reported in the book of numbers.
In the Bible, King David's decision to conduct a census is mentioned in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. This act was seen as sinful because it reflected pride and a lack of trust in God to protect and provide for his people. The consequences of this census included a plague that affected Israel until David repented.
Pharoh
The first census recorded in the Bible is found in the book of Numbers, in chapter 1. This census was taken by Moses at God's command to count the number of men over 20 years old among the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt.
The word "census" appears only once in the Bible, specifically in the New International Version (NIV) of the book of Luke 2:1, which refers to the census that took place during the time of Jesus' birth. Other translations may use different terms, such as "tax" or "registration," but the concept of a census is present in various contexts throughout the biblical narrative.
The forbidden census in the Bible is significant because it demonstrates the importance of relying on God's guidance and not on human strength or numbers. It shows that true power comes from trusting in God rather than in worldly measures of success.
Don Cleveland Norman has written: 'The 500th anniversary pictorial census of the Gutenberg Bible' -- subject(s): Bible, Bibliography
It means the same as it does now - the counting and classifying of the people in the cities and towns of a province or country.
Numbers 1:44-47; 2:32- Census at Mount Sinai. Numbers 26:1, 2, 51-Census on the plains of Moab. 2 Samuel 24:1- David's illegal census.
Read the book of Numbers in the Bible and find out. The census is by tribes and their names were the sons of Jacob, plus the son of Joseph, so do not think that these tribes are individuals.
The decree for a census of the Roman world was issued by Emperor Augustus. This event is specifically noted in the Bible in the Gospel of Luke, where it describes a census that required individuals to return to their ancestral towns for registration. The census was part of Augustus's broader administrative reforms to ensure better governance and taxation in the empire.
Exodus ch.30 Numbers ch.2 Numbers ch.26