דברי הימים א, פרק ז׳, פסוק ב׳

The family lineage of Tola stands out for its deep-rooted military strength and highly structured leadership. His six sons served as the primary leaders of their respective families, guiding their ancestral houses [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Over the generations, this family consistently produced strong, capable soldiers [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

By the time of King David, the family's military power was officially recorded at twenty-two thousand, six hundred men. This specific figure comes from the national census carried out by Joab, the son of Zeruiah, under the king's direct orders. Importantly, this count did not include the general population; it strictly recorded the fighting men who were trained for combat [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The primary approach among commentators is that this figure represents only the descendants of five of Tola's sons, entirely excluding the lineage of Uzzi, his eldest son [רש״י, רד״ק, רלב״ג]. Uzzi's family experienced an explosive rate of growth compared to the other branches of the family. Because the men in his line took many wives and had many children, their numbers swelled to thirty-six thousand men on their own. As a result, they were counted separately to highlight their massive and exceptional population growth [רד״ק, רלב״ג].

Regarding the internal organization of the family, a specific leadership structure emerged. Uzzi's first son established an independent lineage of his own. Meanwhile, the rest of Uzzi's sons were grouped together with his brothers, remaining under the broader, general leadership of Tola. This arrangement ultimately formed the six main ancestral houses that trace their roots back to Tola [מלבי״ם].