Numbers 31:9

31:9 The Israelites took the women of Midian captives along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder.

Numbers 31:12

31:12 They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the plains ¹  of Moab, along the Jordan River ²  across from Jericho. ³ 

Numbers 31:18

31:18 But all the young women ⁴  who have not had sexual intercourse with a man ⁵  will be yours. ⁶ 

Numbers 31:35-54

31:35 and 32,000 young women who had never had sexual intercourse with a man. ⁷ 

31:36 The half-portion of those who went to war numbered 337,500 sheep; 31:37 the Lord’s tribute from the sheep was 675. 31:38 The cattle numbered ⁸  36,000; the Lord’s tribute was 72. 31:39 The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. 31:40 The people were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 people. ⁹ 

31:41 So Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord’s raised offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

31:42 From the Israelites’ half-share that Moses had separated from the fighting men, ¹⁰  31:43 there were 337,500 sheep from the portion belonging to the community, 31:44 36,000 cattle, 31:45 30,500 donkeys, 31:46 and 16,000 people.

31:47 From the Israelites’ share Moses took one of every fifty people and animals and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

31:48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders over thousands and the commanders over hundreds, approached Moses 31:49 and said to him, ¹¹  “Your servants have taken a count ¹²  of the men who were in the battle, who were under our authority, ¹³  and not one is missing. 31:50 So we have brought as an offering for the Lord what each man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves ¹⁴  before the Lord.” ¹⁵  31:51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all of it in the form of ornaments. 31:52 All the gold of the offering they offered up to the Lord from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds weighed 16,750 shekels. ¹⁶  31:53 Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. 31:54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders ¹⁷  of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial ¹⁸  for the Israelites before the Lord.

[31:12]  ¹ tn Or “steppes.”

[31:12]  ² tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[31:12]  ³ tn Again this expression, “the Jordan of Jericho,” is used. It describes the intended location along the Jordan River, the Jordan next to or across from Jericho.

[31:18]  ⁴ tn Or “girls.” The Hebrew indicates they would be female children, making the selection easy.

[31:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “who have not known [a] man by lying with a man.”

[31:18]  ⁶ sn Many contemporary scholars see this story as fictitious, composed by the Jews during the captivity. According to this interpretation, the spoils of war here indicate the wealth of the Jews in captivity, which was to be given to the Levites and priests for the restoration of the sanctuary in Jerusalem. The conclusion drawn from this interpretation is that returning Jews had the same problem as the earlier ones: to gain a foothold in the land. Against this interpretation of the account is a lack of hard evidence, a lack which makes this interpretation appear contrived and subjective. If this was the intent of a later writer, he surely could have stated this more clearly than by making up such a story.

[31:35]  ⁷ sn Here again we encounter one of the difficulties of the book, the use of the large numbers. Only twelve thousand soldiers fought the Midianites, but they brought back this amount of plunder, including 32,000 girls. Until a solution for numbers in the book can be found, or the current translation confirmed, one must remain cautious in interpretation.

[31:38]  ⁸ tn The word “numbered” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[31:40]  ⁹ tn Heb “soul.”

[31:42]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the men who were fighting.”

[31:49]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to Moses”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:49]  ¹² tn Heb “lifted up the head.”

[31:49]  ¹³ tn Heb “in our hand.”

[31:50]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “our souls.”

[31:50]  ¹⁵ sn The expression here may include the idea of finding protection from divine wrath, which is so common to Leviticus, but it may also be a thank offering for the fact that their lives had been spared.

[31:52]  ¹⁶ sn Or about 420 imperial pounds.

[31:54]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text does not repeat the word “commanders” here, but it is implied.

[31:54]  ¹⁸ tn The purpose of the offering was to remind the Lord to remember Israel. But it would also be an encouragement for Israel as they remembered the great victory.