The big picture
Numbers 31 opens in verse 1 with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 27 with “And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went…”, and closes in verse 54 with “And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of…” Repeated or prominent terms include Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Numbers · King James Version · 54Numbers 31:1-8
1–8: The LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Numbers 31:1–8 opens with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” and reaches “And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 31 develops its own movement around Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children, with particular weight carried by Moses, Israel, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” Naming Moses keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites…” Naming Arm and Midian keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
Numbers 31:1-8
King James Version1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
3And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.
4Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
5So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
7And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
8And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
Numbers 31:9-16
9–16: The children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their…
Numbers 31:9–16 opens with “And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and…” and reaches “Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 31 develops its own movement around Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children, with particular weight carried by Moses, children, congregation.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all…” Naming Israel and Midian keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.” The line’s distinctive content terms include beasts, both, prey. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.
Numbers 31:9-16
King James Version9And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.
10And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
11And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.
12And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.
13And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.
14And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
15And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
16Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD .
Numbers 31:17-24
17–24: Therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman…
Numbers 31:17–24 opens with “Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by…” and reaches “And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 31 develops its own movement around Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children, with particular weight carried by fire, abide, camp.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.” The line’s distinctive content terms include kill, known, little. Its relationship to verses 18 shows what work it does in this passage.
“And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain…” The number seven makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Numbers 31:17-24
King James Version17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
18But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.
20And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.
21And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;
22Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.
24And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.
Numbers 31:25-32
25–32: The LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Numbers 31:25–32 opens with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” and reaches “And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 31 develops its own movement around Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children, with particular weight carried by LORD, Eleazar, Moses.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” Naming Moses keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the LORD .” Naming Eleazar and Take keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Numbers 31:25-32
King James Version25And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
26Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:
27And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation:
28And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:
29Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the LORD .
30And of the children of Israel’s half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD .
31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
32And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,
Numbers 31:33-40
33–40: Threescore and twelve thousand beeves,
Numbers 31:33–40 opens with “And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,” and reaches “And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty and two persons.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 31 develops its own movement around Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children, with particular weight carried by thirty, threescore, LORD’s.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,” The number twelve makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.” The number thirty makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Numbers 31:33-40
King James Version33And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,
34And threescore and one thousand asses,
35And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.
36And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep:
37And the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.
38And the beeves were thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute was threescore and twelve.
39And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD’s tribute was threescore and one.
40And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty and two persons.
Numbers 31:41-48
41–48: Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s heave offering, unto…
Numbers 31:41–48 opens with “And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the…” and reaches “And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 31 develops its own movement around Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children, with particular weight carried by Moses, half, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Numbers 31:41-48
King James Version41And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
42And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,
43(Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,
44And thirty and six thousand beeves,
45And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,
46And sixteen thousand persons;)
47Even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD ; as the LORD commanded Moses.
48And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:
Numbers 31:49-54
49–54: They said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war…
Numbers 31:49–54 opens with “And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our…” and reaches “And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 31 develops its own movement around Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children, with particular weight carried by gold, LORD, captains.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD , what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and…” The line’s distinctive content terms include LORD, atonement, bracelets. Its relationship to verses 49 and 51 shows what work it does in this passage.
Numbers 31:49-54
King James Version49And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.
50We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD , what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD .
51And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.
52And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the LORD , of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.
53(For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)
54And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD .
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Numbers 31:1 begins with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Numbers 31:18 forms a natural hinge: “But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.”
The final note
Numbers 31:54 leaves the reader with “And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Moses, LORD, Eleazar, priest, children, thirty help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Why do Rachel and Leah agree to leave?
They see themselves as alienated from their father's household and support the journey God has commanded.
What does the boundary accomplish?
It limits hostile crossing and places their future conduct under divine witness.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.