The Rabbenu Bachaya points out when we take each of the first letters of tbe names of the shevotim and multiply them individualy by 1000 as Ruevain, 200,000, Shimon, 300,000 and so on. We leave out Levi and use Yosef, so when we add them all together, the sum is 597,000, 3000 who died by the aigal, missing from 600,000.
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