Numbers Chapter 31
Showing all 54 verses for Numbers Chapter 31.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "
"The LORD said to Moses,"
God speaks directly to Moses again, showing that even in the closing chapters of a long journey, God is still present, still guiding, still involved in the smallest instructions. Jesus wants you to know that no stage of life is ever too late or too ordinary for God to keep speaking into it.
"Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. "
""Take revenge on the Midianites on behalf of Israel. After that, you (Moses) will die and join your ancestors.""
This is Moses' final earthly assignment, tied directly to God's justice against a nation that had deliberately lured Israel into idolatry and immorality. Jesus does not ask you to seek personal revenge, but He does call you to trust that God ultimately settles every wrong in His own time and way.
"And 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. "
"Moses told the people, "Arm some men for war and send them against the Midianites, to carry out the LORD's judgement on Midian.""
Moses passes on God's command faithfully, even though he knows he will not return from this campaign himself. Jesus honours anyone who keeps serving others wholeheartedly right up to the very end of their calling, without holding anything back.
"Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war. "
""Send a thousand soldiers from every tribe of Israel to the war.""
A thousand men from each tribe means every family in Israel shares in this responsibility together, not just a few. Jesus calls His people to shoulder shared burdens as one body, so no single group carries the weight alone.
"So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. "
"So 12,000 armed men were assembled, a thousand from each of the twelve tribes."
Exactly twelve thousand men come forward, showing Israel's obedience was precise and complete, with nothing held back and nothing added. Jesus delights in a willing, wholehearted response to what He asks, rather than a partial or grudging one.
"And 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. "
"Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who carried the sacred equipment and the trumpets for signalling."
Phinehas goes out with the holy instruments and trumpets, reminding the army that this battle belongs to God, not merely to human strategy or strength. Jesus wants every difficult task you face to be carried out with His presence at the centre, not sidelined to the edges.
"And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. "
"They fought the Midianites exactly as the LORD had instructed Moses, and killed all the men."
Israel carries out exactly what the Lord commanded, no more and no less, showing obedience rooted in trust rather than personal agenda. Jesus asks for the same close following of what He actually calls you to do, rather than acting on your own assumptions.
"And 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. "
"They also killed the five kings of Midian - Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba - and Balaam son of Beor was killed with the sword as well."
Balaam, who once refused to curse Israel for money, dies here having eventually corrupted them through his counsel anyway, showing that compromise found another way in when direct attack failed. Jesus warns that the subtler temptation to lead others astray is every bit as serious as open hostility, and it never goes unanswered.
"And 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. "
"The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children, and seized all their cattle, flocks and other possessions as plunder."
The women and children are taken captive rather than killed outright in the battle itself, reflecting some restraint even amid a harsh judgement. Jesus always looks for the measure of mercy possible even within necessary consequences, and calls His followers to do the same.
"And they burnt all their cities wherein they and all their goodly castles, with fire. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"They burned down all the Midianite towns and their fortified settlements."
The destruction of Midian's cities marks the complete end of the corrupting influence that had drawn Israel into sin at Peor. Jesus teaches that sin left unaddressed keeps spreading, so sometimes real love means removing the source of temptation entirely rather than letting it linger.
"And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts. "
"They took all the plunder and the captives, both people and animals."
The plain, matter-of-fact record of everything taken shows how thoroughly this campaign was carried out under God's command. Jesus cares about the details of obedience, not just the grand gesture, and sees faithfulness even in the small, practical follow-through.
"And 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. "
"They brought the captives, the livestock and the goods back to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the whole community, at the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, near Jericho."
Everything is brought back to Moses, Eleazar and the whole congregation for accountability, rather than kept privately by the soldiers. Jesus values transparency and shared accountability within a community, so that no one is left to act alone without oversight.
"And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. "
"Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community went out of the camp to meet the returning army."
Moses and Eleazar go out to personally meet the returning army rather than waiting passively in the camp. Jesus is the kind of leader who goes out to meet His people where they are, rather than expecting them to always come all the way to Him first.
"And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. "
"Moses was angry with the army's officers - the commanders over thousands and over hundreds - who had come back from the fighting."
Moses' anger here is not about ego but about a serious lapse in following God's full instruction. Jesus shows that righteous concern for obedience to God, rather than personal offence, is what should stir a leader's heart.
"And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? "
"Moses asked them, "Why have you let all the women live?""
Moses immediately spots the danger that sparing all the women repeats the very trap that caused Israel's earlier downfall at Peor. Jesus wants you to learn from past mistakes rather than unknowingly walking straight back into the same temptation.
"Behold, 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. "
"Moses said, "These are the very women who, on Balaam's advice, led Israel to sin against the LORD in the Peor affair, which caused a plague to strike the whole community.""
Moses names the source of Israel's earlier failure plainly: it was Balaam's counsel that led them into sin at Peor. Jesus teaches that naming the real root of a problem honestly, rather than glossing over it, is the only way to actually deal with it.
"Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. "
""So now kill every boy among the children, and kill every woman who has slept with a man.""
This is one of the hardest commands in the whole Bible, born from the specific danger these particular women posed of leading Israel back into the same idolatry and immorality. Jesus does not ask you to carry out this ancient judgement yourself, but He does call you to take spiritual danger to your own faith with real seriousness, not casual dismissal.
"But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. "
""But keep alive for yourselves the young girls who have not slept with a man.""
The young girls who had no part in leading Israel into sin are kept alive, showing a distinction is still drawn between the guilty and the innocent even here. Jesus always sees each person individually and never punishes the innocent for what others have done.
"And 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. "
""Stay outside the camp for seven days. Anyone who has killed someone, or touched a dead body, must purify themselves and their captives on the third day and the seventh day.""
Everyone who fought or touched the dead must wait outside the camp and go through purification, showing that even necessary, commanded actions still required ritual cleansing before rejoining the community. Jesus reminds us that even doing something right can leave us needing to pause, reflect and be made clean before moving on.
"And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood. "
""Also purify all your clothing, everything made of leather, everything made of goat hair, and everything made of wood.""
Even the soldiers' clothing and equipment needed purifying, showing that holiness was meant to touch every ordinary object of daily life, not just people. Jesus cares about the wholeness of your whole life, not only the parts that feel obviously spiritual.
"And 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; "
"Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had gone to battle, "This is the legal requirement that the LORD gave to Moses.""
Eleazar, not Moses, delivers this particular ordinance, showing how priest and leader worked together, each fulfilling their proper role. Jesus values a community where different people carry different responsibilities in harmony rather than one person trying to do it all.
"Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, "
""Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead" -"
The list of metals shows that even material wealth taken in judgement was not simply pocketed but brought under God's ordinance for proper handling. Jesus asks that everything you gain, even fairly, still be brought under His lordship rather than treated as purely your own.
"Every 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. "
""anything that can withstand fire must be passed through fire to become clean, and then purified further with the water of purification; anything that can't withstand fire must be passed through water instead.""
Metals that can withstand fire are purified by fire, and everything else by water, showing that God provided a fitting way to make clean whatever needed it, according to what it could bear. Jesus meets each of us with the particular kind of cleansing and refining we actually need, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
"And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp. "
""Wash your clothes on the seventh day, and then you will be clean and can come back into the camp.""
Washing clothes and waiting until the seventh day before returning to camp shows that rejoining community life properly required following through on the whole process, not skipping to the end. Jesus wants you to complete the process of making things right rather than rushing past it.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "
"The LORD spoke to Moses,"
Once again God speaks directly with fresh instruction, this time about fairly dividing what was taken. Jesus is interested not only in how battles are fought but in how the outcomes are shared afterwards, with fairness in view from the start.
"Take 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: "
""Count up everything that was captured, both people and animals - you, Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the community's families.""
Moses, Eleazar and the chief fathers together take the count, keeping this important task in the hands of trusted, accountable leadership rather than any one individual alone. Jesus values shared oversight in matters that affect the whole community.
"And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation: "
""Split the plunder into two halves: one half for the soldiers who went to fight, and one half for the rest of the community.""
The spoil is split evenly between those who fought and the whole congregation who stayed behind, recognising that both roles mattered even though only some went into battle. Jesus honours every kind of contribution to a shared cause, not just the most visible or dangerous one.
"And 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: "
""From the soldiers' half, set aside a tax for the LORD - one out of every five hundred, whether people, cattle, donkeys or sheep.""
A small, precise tribute is set apart for the Lord from the fighters' share, teaching that even hard-won gains are first offering back to God before being kept. Jesus asks that the first portion of whatever you gain be offered back to Him in gratitude.
"Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the LORD. "
""Take that from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as a contribution set apart for the LORD.""
This portion goes to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering, connecting the spoils of battle directly back to worship and the service of God. Jesus wants what you gain in life to flow back towards honouring Him and supporting those who serve Him.
"And 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. "
""From the rest of the community's half, take one out of every fifty - people and all kinds of animals - and give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the tabernacle.""
A larger though still modest portion from the people's half goes to the Levites who cared for the tabernacle, ensuring those who serve God daily are also provided for. Jesus teaches that those who devote their lives to serving others in His name deserve to be supported by the community they serve.
"And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses. "
"Moses and Eleazar the priest did exactly as the LORD had instructed Moses."
The simple statement that Moses and Eleazar did exactly as commanded shows obedience carried through to full completion, not just begun. Jesus is pleased when a task is not only started well but finished faithfully to the end.
"And 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, "
"The plunder that the soldiers had captured came to 675,000 sheep,"
The staggering number of sheep taken shows the scale of what God had given Israel through this victory, far beyond what a small force could have won on its own. Jesus wants you to recognise His hand behind abundance that clearly outstrips ordinary human effort.
"And threescore and twelve thousand beeves, "
"72,000 cattle,"
Even the smaller categories of livestock are counted carefully, showing that God's people were to be meticulous and honest stewards of what had been entrusted to them. Jesus notices and values careful, honest handling of even modest resources.
"And threescore and one thousand asses, "
"61,000 donkeys,"
The precise counting of the donkeys continues the pattern of thorough, transparent record-keeping for goods that would be shared among the whole community. Jesus values honesty and clarity in how communal resources are tracked and distributed.
"And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him. "
"and 32,000 people - the women who had not slept with a man."
The number of young women kept alive is recorded plainly alongside the livestock counts, a stark reminder of how costly and unsettling this whole episode was even amid obedience. Jesus never asks us to be numb to the human weight even of things done rightly under difficult circumstances.
"And 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: "
"Half of that total - the portion belonging to those who had gone to war - was 337,500 sheep,"
The soldiers' half is carefully calculated and recorded, ensuring fair and transparent treatment for those who had risked their lives in battle. Jesus wants those who bear the greatest personal cost for others to be treated with fairness and honour, not shortchanged.
"And the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen. "
"and the LORD's tribute from the sheep was 675."
A tiny, exact portion of the sheep is set apart for the Lord, showing that even in enormous numbers, God's portion was never rounded away or forgotten. Jesus values precise, faithful giving, however small it may seem in proportion to what you have.
"And the beeves were thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute was threescore and twelve. "
"The cattle numbered 36,000, of which the LORD's tribute was 72."
The cattle tribute is similarly small and exact, continuing the pattern of God receiving a modest but definite share of every category of gain. Jesus is honoured by consistency in giving across every part of your life, not just the areas that feel significant.
"And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD’s tribute was threescore and one. "
"The donkeys numbered 30,500, of which the LORD's tribute was 61."
The donkeys' tribute follows the same careful pattern, reinforcing that nothing gained was outside the scope of honouring God with a portion of it. Jesus asks for wholehearted stewardship that touches every category of what you have, not selective generosity.
"And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty and two persons. "
"The people numbered 16,000, of which the LORD's tribute was 32 people."
Even among the captives, a small tribute is set apart for the Lord, a sobering reminder of how thoroughly this whole event was treated as belonging to God's ordinance from beginning to end. Jesus calls you to bring even the hardest and most uncomfortable parts of life under His lordship, not just the pleasant ones.
"And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses. "
"Moses gave the tribute - the LORD's portion - to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had commanded."
Moses hands over the Lord's portion to Eleazar exactly as commanded, closing this section with the same note of full obedience it began with. Jesus is glad when a task, however difficult or drawn out, is carried through faithfully to its conclusion.
"And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided from the men that warred, "
"Now, from the community's half, which Moses had separated out from the fighters' portion,"
The record carefully distinguishes the congregation's half from the soldiers', ensuring both groups know clearly what belongs to them. Jesus values clarity and transparency so that no one is left confused or shortchanged about what has been fairly given.
"(Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep, "
"the half belonging to the community was 337,500 sheep,"
The congregation's half is recorded in full detail, just as the soldiers' half was, showing equal care and honour given to both groups. Jesus does not treat any group's contribution as less important or less worth recording accurately.
"And thirty and six thousand beeves, "
"36,000 cattle,"
The cattle count for the congregation's half continues this same careful, even-handed record-keeping. Jesus values consistency and fairness applied evenly to everyone, not just to those who did the most visible work.
"And thirty thousand asses and five hundred, "
"30,500 donkeys,"
The donkeys of the congregation's half are likewise recorded precisely, maintaining the same standard of transparency throughout. Jesus wants every part of communal life handled with the same integrity, down to the smallest detail.
"And sixteen thousand persons;) "
"and 16,000 people."
The final count of persons in the congregation's half completes this careful and even record, leaving nothing ambiguous about what was fairly shared. Jesus finishes what He starts, leaving nothing unresolved or unclear for those who trust Him.
"Even 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. "
"From the community's half, Moses took one out of every fifty - people and animals alike - and gave them to the Levites, who were responsible for the tabernacle, just as the LORD had commanded."
Moses again gives a portion to the Levites from the congregation's half, ensuring those who served at the tabernacle were provided for from every source, not just one. Jesus wants those who serve God's people to be consistently and reliably supported, from every part of the community's resources.
"And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses: "
"The officers in charge of the army - the commanders over thousands and over hundreds - came to Moses."
The officers approach Moses themselves after the battle, showing initiative in coming forward rather than waiting to be summoned. Jesus welcomes those who take the initiative to come to Him openly with what is on their heart.
"And 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. "
"They said to Moses, "We've counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.""
The officers report with evident relief and gratitude that not a single man was lost in this campaign, recognising this as remarkable and worth acknowledging aloud. Jesus wants you to notice and give thanks for God's protection rather than taking safety for granted.
"We 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. "
""So we've brought an offering to the LORD - gold jewellery, chains, bracelets, rings, earrings and ornaments that each man collected - to make atonement for our lives.""
The officers voluntarily bring an offering of gold to make atonement for their souls, recognising that even a victorious, commanded battle still left something needing to be set right before God. Jesus welcomes a humble, voluntary response of gratitude and repentance rather than one that has to be demanded.
"And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels. "
"Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from them - all of it crafted jewellery."
Moses and Eleazar receive this gold together, once again showing leadership shared between the civil and priestly roles rather than concentrated in one person. Jesus values partnership and shared responsibility even in receiving what is offered to God.
"And 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. "
"The total gold from the officers' offering to the LORD came to 16,750 shekels."
The total weight of gold offered is recorded precisely, showing that generosity, even when spontaneous, was still honoured with careful accounting. Jesus cares that gifts given to Him are received and handled with the same integrity with which they were given.
"(For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.) "
"(The ordinary soldiers, meanwhile, had already kept plunder for themselves individually.)"
This note clarifies that ordinary soldiers had already kept some personal spoil, distinguishing it from the officers' separate voluntary offering. Jesus is not against you keeping what is rightly yours, but He delights when, beyond that, you still choose to give back to Him freely.
"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 memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD. "
"Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders and brought it into the tabernacle, as a reminder for the people of Israel before the LORD."
The gold is brought into the tabernacle as a lasting memorial before the Lord, turning a moment of victory and atonement into something the whole community would remember for generations. Jesus wants the good things He does in your life to become lasting testimonies that point others back to Him.