Numbers 31:28

Numbers 31:28 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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:
• New International Version (NIV)From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord one out of every five hundred, whether people, cattle, donkeys or sheep.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And levy for the Lord a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And levy a tribute for the Lord on the men of war who went out to battle: one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep;

Context of Numbers 31:28

26“You and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the fathers’ households of the congregation are to take a count of the spoil of war that was captured, both people and livestock. 27Divide the spoil into two [equal] parts between those who were involved in the war, that is, those who went out to battle and all [the rest of] the congregation. Levy a tax for the Lord from the warriors who went to battle, one in five hundred of the persons, the oxen, the donkeys, and the flocks. 29Take this tribute from the warriors’ half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the Lord. 30From the Israelites’ half [of the spoil] you shall take one out of every fifty of the persons, the oxen, the donkeys, the flocks, and of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who are in charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.”

Numbers 31:28 word by word

וַהֲרֵמֹתָ֨ מֶ֜כֶס לַֽיהוָ֗ה מֵאֵ֞ת אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ הַיֹּצְאִ֣ים לַצָּבָ֔א אֶחָ֣ד נֶ֔פֶשׁ מֵחֲמֵ֖שׁ הַמֵּא֑וֹת מִן־הָאָדָם֙ וּמִן־הַבָּקָ֔ר וּמִן־הַחֲמֹרִ֖ים וּמִן־הַצֹּֽאן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And levyרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
• a tributeמֶ֫כֶסmekes · tributeH4371
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• of warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• which went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• to battleצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · army: warH6635
• oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: personH5315
• of fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
• hundredמֵאָהmê'âh mê'yâh · hundredH3967
• of the personsאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• and of the beevesבָּקָרbâqâr · cattleH1241
• and of the assesחֲמוֹרchămôr chămôr · donkeyH2543
• and of the sheepצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629

Cross-references for Numbers 31:28

• Genesis 14:20And blessed, praised, and glorified be God Most High, Who has given your enemies into your hand.” And Abram gave him a tenth of all [the treasure he had taken in battle].
• Joshua 6:19All the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy (consecrated) to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”
• 2 Samuel 8:11King David also dedicated these [gifts] to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he subdued:
• 1 Chronicles 18:11King David also dedicated these to the Lord [setting them apart for sacred use], with the silver and the gold which he brought from all the nations: from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and from Amalek.
• 1 Chronicles 26:26This Shelomoth and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries of the dedicated gifts which King David, the heads of the fathers’ households, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the army, had dedicated.
• Proverbs 3:9Honor the Lord with your wealth And with the first fruits of all your crops (income);
• Isaiah 18:7At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the Lord of hosts From a people tall and smooth (clean shaven), From a people feared far and wide, A powerful and oppressive nation, Whose land the rivers divide— To the place [of worship] of the name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion [in Jerusalem].
• Isaiah 23:18But her commercial gain and her prostitute’s wages will be dedicated to the Lord; it will not be treasured or stored up, but her commercial gain will become sufficient food and stately clothing for those who dwell (minister) in the presence of the Lord.
• Isaiah 60:9The islands and coastlands will confidently wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from far away, Their silver and gold with them, For the name of the Lord your God, For the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.
• Matthew 22:21They said, “[The Emperor Tiberius] Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”
• Numbers 31:30From the Israelites’ half [of the spoil] you shall take one out of every fifty of the persons, the oxen, the donkeys, the flocks, and of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who are in charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.”
• Numbers 18:26“Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the Israelites the tithe which I have given to you from them as your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe [paid by the people].

Commentaries on Numbers 31:28

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28And levy a tribute unto the Lord - one soul of five hundred, etc. - The person to be employed in the Lord's service, under the Levites - the cattle either for sacrifice, or for the use of the Levites, Numbers 31:30. Some monsters have supposed that one out of every five hundred of the captives was offered in sacrifice to the Lord! but this is abominable. When God chose to have the life of a man, he took it in the way of justice, as in the case of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 25-47Verses 25-47 Whatever we have, God justly claims a part. Out of the people's share God required one in fifty, but out of the soldiers' share only one in five hundred. The less opportunity we have of honouring God with personal services, the more should we give in money or value.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25-31They divided the plunder into two equal parts. Half went to those who fought against the Midianites and half to the Israelites who stayed behind (compare 1 Samuel 30:21–25). In this way, everyone participated in the conflict. Yet, the smaller group of soldiers each received a larger portion than the much larger group who stayed behind.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 25-3925-39. Take the sum of the prey that was taken--that is, of the captives and cattle, which, having been first lumped together according to ancient usage (Ex 15:9; Jud 5:30), were divided into two equal parts: the one to the people at large, who had sustained a common injury from the Midianites and who were all liable to serve: and the other portion to the combatants, who, having encountered the labors and perils of war, justly received the largest share…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 31:28

• Armies
• Priest
• Servant
• Spoils

In the dictionaries

• Beeves
• Booty
• Prey
• Purify
• Abel-Shittim
• Balaam
• Moses
• Numbers, Book of
• Person, Personality
• Slave; Slavery

Commentaries on Numbers 31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings