New Living Translation
Numbers 31:7
7They attacked Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men.
Numbers 31:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
- New International Version (NIV)They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man.
- English Standard Version (ESV)They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And they warred against the Midianites, just as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed all the males.
Context of Numbers 31:7
5So they chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of 12,000 men armed for battle. 6Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge. They attacked Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men. 8All five of the Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder.
Read all of Numbers 31Numbers 31:7 word by word
וַֽיִּצְבְּאוּ֙ עַל־מִדְיָ֔ן כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיַּֽהַרְג֖וּ כָּל־זָכָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Numbers 31:7
- Deuteronomy 20:13When the Lord your God hands the town over to you, use your swords to kill every man in the town.
- Judges 21:11“This is what you are to do,” they said. “Completely destroy all the males and every woman who is not a virgin.”
- 1 Samuel 27:9David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.
- 1 Kings 11:15Years before, David had defeated Edom. Joab, his army commander, had stayed to bury some of the Israelite soldiers who had died in battle. While there, they killed every male in Edom.
- Judges 6:1The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.
Commentaries on Numbers 31:7
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-12Verses 7-12 The Israelites slew the Kings of Midian. They slew Balaam. God's overruling providence brought him thither, and their just vengeance found him. Had he himself rightly believed what he had said of the happy state of Israel, he would not have thus herded with the enemies of Israel. The Midianites' wicked wiles were Balaam's projects: it was just that he should perish with them, Ho 4:5. They took the women and children captives. They burnt their…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7The Israelites killed all of the Midianite men in the particular groups they attacked from their camp in the plains of Moab (31:12). They did not destroy all the Midianites who were part of the larger Midianite alliance (compare Judges 6–8). The number of animals and virgins mentioned in Numbers 31:32–35 shows that the 12,000 Hebrews fought a large enemy army.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. they slew all the males--This was in accordance with a divine order in all such cases (De 20:13). But the destruction appears to have been only partial--limited to those who were in the neighborhood of the Hebrew camp and who had been accomplices in the villainous plot of Baal-peor (Nu 25:1-3), while a large portion of the Midianites were absent on their pastoral wanderings or had saved themselves by flight. (Compare Jud 6:1).Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 31:7
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
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