Numbers 31:21

Numbers 31:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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;
• New International Version (NIV)Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is what is required by the law that the Lord gave Moses:
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: "This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses:
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses:

Context of Numbers 31:21

19And you, camp outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day. 20You shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of leather and all the work of goats’ hair, and all articles of wood.” Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded Moses: 22only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin and the lead, 23everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water.

Numbers 31:21 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֶלְעָזָ֤ר הַכֹּהֵן֙ אֶל־אַנְשֵׁ֣י הַצָּבָ֔א הַבָּאִ֖ים לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה זֹ֚את חֻקַּ֣ת הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃Read the interlinear

• Then Eleazarאֶלְעָזָר'el‛âzâr · EleazarH499
• the priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• to the menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of warצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
• who had goneבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to battleמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• Thisזֶהzeh · thisH2088
• is the statuteחֻקָּהchûqqâh · statuteH2708
• of the lawתּוֹרָהtôrâh tôrâh · instructionH8451
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• has commandedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
• Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872

Cross-references for Numbers 31:21

• Numbers 30:16These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, as between a man and his wife, and as between a father and his daughter, while she is in her youth in her father’s house.

Commentaries on Numbers 31:21

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-24Verses 19-24 The Israelites had to purify themselves according to the law, and to abide without the camp seven days, though they had not contracted any moral guilt, the war being just and lawful, and commanded by God. Thus God would preserve in their minds a dread and detestation of shedding blood. The spoil had been used by Midianites, and being now come into the possession of Israelites, it was fit that it should be purified.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-24Israelite soldiers who touched dead bodies became ceremonially unclean (ritually impure). They had to go through the required purification rituals. These rituals were routine, but they were important. They also had to purify their equipment (see 5:1–4; 19:1–22).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-2419-24. abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person ... purify both yourselves and your captives--Though the Israelites had taken the field in obedience to the command of God, they had become defiled by contact with the dead. A process of purification was to be undergone, as the law required (Le 15:13; Nu 19:9-12), and this purifying ceremony was extended to dress, houses, tents, to everything on which a dead body had lain, which…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 31:21

• Armies
• Purification

In the dictionaries

• Eleazar
• Moses
• Prey
• Purify
• Abel-Shittim
• Balaam
• Numbers, Book of
• Priest, High
• Slave; Slavery
• Zimri (1)

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