Numbers 31:15-16

31:15 Moses said to them, “Have you allowed all the women to live? ¹  31:16 Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the Lord in the matter of Peor – which resulted in the plague among the community of the Lord!

Deuteronomy 20:14

20:14 However, the women, little children, cattle, and anything else in the city – all its plunder – you may take for yourselves as spoil. You may take from your enemies the plunder that the Lord your God has given you.

Deuteronomy 20:2

20:2 As you move forward for battle, the priest ²  will approach and say to the soldiers, ³ 

Deuteronomy 28:5

28:5 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed.

Deuteronomy 28:8-10

28:8 The Lord will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do – yes, he will bless you in the land he ⁴  is giving you. 28:9 The Lord will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments ⁵  and obey him. ⁶  28:10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the Lord, ⁷  and they will respect you.

¹ tn The verb is the Piel perfect of the word חָיָה (khayah, “to live”). In the Piel stem it must here mean “preserve alive,” or “allow to live,” rather than make alive.

² sn The reference to the priest suggests also the presence of the ark of the covenant, the visible sign of God’s presence. The whole setting is clearly that of “holy war” or “Yahweh war,” in which God himself takes initiative as the true commander of the forces of Israel (cf. Exod 14:14-18; 15:3-10; Deut 3:22; 7:18-24; 31:6, 8).

³ tn Heb “and he will say to the people.” Cf. NIV, NCV, CEV “the army”; NRSV, NLT “the troops.”

⁴ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” Because English would not typically reintroduce the proper name following a relative pronoun (“he will bless…the Lord your God is giving”), the pronoun (“he”) has been employed here in the translation.

⁵ tn Heb “the commandments of the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in the previous verse.

⁶ tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

⁷ tn Heb “the name of the Lord is called over you.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership; see 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1, as well as BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph. 2.d.(4).