Numbers 31:16

Numbers 31:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)“They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.

Context of Numbers 31:16

14But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women? Behold, they caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to be unfaithful to the Lord in the matter of Peor, so that the plague took place among the congregation of the Lord! 17Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. 18However, all the girls who have not known a man intimately, keep alive for yourselves.

Numbers 31:16 word by word

הֵ֣ן הֵ֜נָּה הָי֨וּ לִבְנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בִּדְבַ֣ר בִּלְעָ֔ם לִמְסָר־מַ֥עַל בַּיהוָ֖ה עַל־דְּבַר־פְּע֑וֹר וַתְּהִ֥י הַמַּגֵּפָ֖ה בַּעֲדַ֥ת יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

• Beholdהֵןhên · look!H2005
• they causedהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• the sonsבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• counselדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• Balaamבִּלְעָםbil‛âm · BalaamH1109
• to be unfaithfulמַ֫עַלma‛al · unfaithfulnessH4604
• to the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• in the matterדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• of Peorפְּעוֹרpe‛ôr · PeorH6465
• so that the plagueמַגֵּפָהmaggêphâh · plagueH4046
• among the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712

Cross-references for Numbers 31:16

• Numbers 24:14So now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you of what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”
• Numbers 25:1While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to commit infidelity with the daughters of Moab.
• Proverbs 23:27For a prostitute is a deep pit, And a strange woman is a narrow well.
• Ecclesiastes 7:26And I discovered as more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.
• 2 Peter 2:15abandoning the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of unrighteousness;
• Revelation 2:14But I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
• Numbers 25:18for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was killed on the day of the plague because of Peor.”
• Deuteronomy 4:3Your eyes have seen what the Lord has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who followed Baal-peor, the Lord your God has destroyed them from among you.
• Joshua 22:17Is the wrongdoing of Peor not enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the Lord,
• Numbers 25:9But those who died from the plague were twenty-four thousand in number.

Commentaries on Numbers 31:16

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Caused … to commit trespass - More literally, “became to the children of Israel for a cause (or, incitement) of treachery to the Lord.”Read the comment
• 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. 14-16Moses was angry: God had commanded the Israelites to destroy everything. But the Midianite women who had followed Balaam’s advice were allowed to live. These women had played a major role in leading Israel into 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 31:16

• Balaam
• Captive
• Sanitation
• War
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Balaam
• Israel
• Peor
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Peor, Mount Peor, Baal Peor
• Children of Israel
• Baalpeor
• Prey
• Purify

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