God’s Word Translation
Numbers 31:18
18But save for yourselves every girl who has never gone to bed with a man.
Numbers 31:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
- New International Version (NIV)but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately.
Context of Numbers 31:18
16“Remember, they were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the incident that took place at Peor. The Lord’s community experienced a plague at that time. 17So kill all the Midianite boys and every Midianite woman who has gone to bed with a man. But save for yourselves every girl who has never gone to bed with a man. 19“Everyone who killed a person or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp seven days. You and your prisoners of war must use the ritual water on the third and seventh days in order to take away your sin. 20Do the same for all the clothes and everything made of leather, goats’ hair, or wood.”
Read all of Numbers 31Numbers 31:18 word by word
וְכֹל֙ הַטַּ֣ף בַּנָּשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָדְע֖וּ מִשְׁכַּ֣ב זָכָ֑ר הַחֲי֖וּ לָכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Numbers 31:18
- Numbers 21:10The Israelites moved and set up camp at Oboth.
- Leviticus 25:44“You may have male and female slaves, but buy them from the nations around you.
- Deuteronomy 20:14But take the women and children, the cattle and everything else in the city, including all its goods, as your loot. You may enjoy your enemies’ goods that the Lord your God has given you.
- Deuteronomy 21:10When you go to war with your enemies and the Lord your God hands them over to you, you may take them captive.
- 2 Chronicles 28:8The Israelites captured 200,000 women, boys, and girls from their relatives ⌞the Judeans⌟. They also took a lot of goods from Judah and brought them to Samaria.
- Isaiah 14:2People will take them and bring them to their own place. The nation of Israel will possess nations as male and female slaves in the Lord’s land. They will take their captors captive and rule their oppressors.
Commentaries on Numbers 31:18
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 The sword of war should spare women and children; but the sword of justice should know no distinction, but that of guilty or not guilty. This war was the execution of a righteous sentence upon a guilty nation, in which the women were the worst criminals. The female children were spared, who, being brought up among the Israelites, would not tempt them to idolatry. The whole history shows the hatefulness of sin, and the guilt of tempting…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-18Only young, virgin women were to be spared. They were allowed to live because they had not taken part in the sin at Baal Peor.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1814-18. And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host--The displeasure of the great leader, though it appears the ebullition of a fierce and sanguinary temper, arose in reality from a pious and enlightened regard to the best interests of Israel. No order had been given for the slaughter of the women, and in ancient war they were commonly reserved for slaves. By their antecedent conduct, however, the Midianitish women had forfeited all claims to mild or…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 31:18
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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