Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
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Numbers 31:17-18 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh’s vengeance on Midian. You shall send one thousand out of every tribe, throughout all the tribes of Israel, to the war.” So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. They fought against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses. They killed every male. They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods, they took as plunder. All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire. They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal. They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho. Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the princes of the congregation, went out to meet them outside of the camp. Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war. Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Parallel Translations
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Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
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Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
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Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
But all the women children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (8)
- Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (v18) When you go out to battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God delivers them into your hands and you carry them away captive, and see…
- Leviticus 25:44 (v18) “ ‘As for your male and your female slaves, whom you may have from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female…
- Deuteronomy 7:2 (v17) and when Yahweh your God delivers them up before you, and you strike them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant…
- Deuteronomy 20:14 (v18) but the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its plunder, you shall take for plunder for yourself.…
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (v17) But of the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes; but you…
Show all 8 cross-references
- Judges 21:11-12 (v17) This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.” They found among the…
- 2 Chronicles 28:8-10 (v18) The children of Israel carried away captive of their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters, and also took away much…
- Isaiah 14:2 (v18) The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in Yahweh’s land for servants and for…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v17 That is, all the men-children.
That is, all the men-children.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On v18 Num 31:18 But all the women children, that have…
Num 31:18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Ver. 18. That have not known a man.] As far as they could conjecture by their age. But the way of a man with a maid, is one of Solomon’s secrets. {Pro 30:19} Of Rebecca it is noted, that she went for a maid, and she was so. {Gen 24:16} But Quartilla, the strumpet in Petronius, was not ashamed to say, Iunonem meam iratam habeam, si unquam me meminerim virginem fuisse, {a} That she could not remember that ever she was a maid. And what a base slander was that cast upon our religion by an impudent Jesuit, Sylvester Petrasancta, Puellas plerumque corruptas nuptui dari in reformato Evangelio, {b} That few maids amongst us come clear to marriage.
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{a} Petron., Satyr.
{b} Rivetti Jesuita Vapulans.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv17–18 Among the little ones, which they were forbidden to…
Among the little ones, which they were forbidden to do to other people, Deu 20:14, except the Canaanites, to whom this people had equalled themselves by their horrid crimes; and therefore it is not strange, nor unjust, that God, the supreme Lord of all men’s lives, who as he gives them, so may take them away when he pleaseth, did equal them in the punishment.
Every woman that hath known man; partly for punishment, because the guilt was general, and though some of them only did prostitute themselves to the Israelites, yet the rest made themselves accessory by their consent, or concurrence, or approbation; and partly for prevention of the like mischief from such an adulterous generation.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv17–18 And do ye abide without the camp seven days.....…
And do ye abide without the camp seven days..... Which was the time that anyone that touched a dead body remained unclean, Num 19:11,
whosoever hath killed any person; as most of them if not all must have done; all the males of Midian that fell into their hands being slain by them, that were men grown:
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and whosoever hath touched any slain; as they must to strip them of their garments, and take their spoil from them:
purify both yourselves and your captives, on the third and on the seventh day; which were the days appointed for the purification of such that were polluted by touching dead bodies, Num 19:11 and their captives, which were the female little ones; (for as for the women, and males among the little ones, they were ordered to be slain;) though they were Heathens, yet inasmuch as they were to be for the service of the Israelites, and to be brought up in their religion, they were to be purified also; to which purpose is the note of Jarchi;"not that the Gentiles receive uncleanness and need sprinkling, but as ye are the children of the covenant, so your captives, when they come into the covenant, and are defiled, need sprinkling.''
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v17 The little ones - Which they were forbidden to…
The little ones - Which they were forbidden to do to other people, Deut. xx, 14, except the Canaanites, to whom this people had equaled themselves by their horrid crimes, and therefore it is not strange, nor unjust, that God, the supreme Lord of all mens lives, who as he gives them, so may take them away when he pleaseth, did equal them in the punishment. Every woman -Partly for punishment, because the guilt was general, and though some of them only did prostitute themselves to the Israelites, yet the rest made themselves accessary by their consent or approbation; and partly, for prevention of the like mischief from such an adulterous generation.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v17 Verse 17. Kill every male among the little ones]…
Verse 17. Kill every male among the little ones] For this action I account simply on the principle that God, who is the author and supporter of life, has a right to dispose of it when and how he thinks proper; and the Judge of all the earth can do nothing but what is right. Of the women killed on this occasion it may be safely said, their lives were forfeited by their personal transgressions; and yet even in this case there can be little doubt that God showed mercy to their souls. The little ones were safely lodged; they were taken to heaven and saved from the evil to come.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v17 Num 31:17. Kill every male among the little ones…
Num 31:17. Kill every male among the little ones — Which they were forbidden to do to other people, (Deu 20:14,) except the Canaanites, to whom this people had equalled themselves by their horrid crimes; and therefore it is not strange, nor unjust, that God, the supreme Lord of all men’s lives, who, as he gives them, so may take them away when he pleaseth, did equal them in the punishment. Kill every woman, &c.— Partly for punishment, as having, in general, either prostituted themselves to the Israelites, or some way been accessary in enticing them to idolatry, in which they were so confirmed that there was no hope of reclaiming them; and partly for prevention of the like mischief in future; for had they been saved alive, they would probably have continued to lead the Israelites into the sin of fornication, and have poisoned their minds by their superstitions. The female children were to be spared, because, being young, there was some hope they might be reformed from idolatry, and become proselytes to the true religion. These they might have as servants, or might marry them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v17 Of children. Women and children, ordinarily speaking, were not…
Of children. Women and children, ordinarily speaking, were not to be killed in war, Deuteronomy xx. 14. But the great lord of life and death was pleased to order it otherwise in the present case, in detestation of the wickedness of this people, who by the counsel of Balaam, had sent their women amongst the Israelites on purpose to draw them from God. (Challoner) --- Only those who were under twelve would be thus reserved; and as their tender minds might yet receive the impressions of virtue, by a proper education, they might, one day, be married by some of the Hebrews. The boys were all slain, either because they might be inclined to resent the injury done to their relations, or because they were all consecrated to Beelphegor; the first-born to be his priests, the rest to be victims, if necessary, to avert any evil. For "the heathens in cold blood," says Paine, "offered their children in sacrifice to Baalpeor." It was on this account, that the killing of all the first-born in Egypt, was felt so terribly, as the people could not lawfully approach their gods. (Forbes) --- Moses did not reserve the girls for the purpose of debauchery, as Paine ignorantly pretends; for that was contrary to his own laws, nor did he wantonly kill the innocent, which he also strictly forbade, and which he would have been still more afraid to do, if he had been an impostor. But he preserved the lives of those girls who might be presumed innocent, and who might live to do good, while he took the revenge of the Lord (ver. 3,) upon the rest. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v17 17. The little ones — The object of the…
17. The little ones — The object of the command to kill every male was to exterminate the whole nation, the cup of whose iniquity was full. For the righteousness of the mode see Jos_6:21, note. Every woman who might possibly have been engaged in the licentious worship of Peor was to share the fate of the male children, to preserve Israel from all taint of that abomination. The pure maidens could be incorporated into Israel without peril to the national religion. Jos_6:23-25, notes. They could not be treated as concubines, since the law against fornication was in full force, (Deu_22:25-29,) but they could be lawfully married to their captors. Deu_21:10-14.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v18 (18) Keep alive for yourselves.—The Israelites were allowed to…
(18) Keep alive for yourselves.—The Israelites were allowed to make slaves of their captives. Shortly after the capture of these Midianitish women, and, it may be, as arising out of it, the law concerning marriage with captives was enacted. (See Deu_21:10-14.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v18 Keep alive for yourselves, i.e., for domestic slaves in…
Keep alive for yourselves, i.e., for domestic slaves in the first instance. Subsequently no doubt many of them became inferior wives of their masters, or were married to their sons. Infants were probably put to death with their mothers.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v18 General Information:
General Information:
Moses speaks to the commanders of the Israelite army about becoming clean before God.
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who have never slept with a man
This refers to girls who were virgins. (See: Euphemism)
All of you
Moses is referring to anyone who fought in battle, not just the commanders.
you must purify yourselves
They must become spiritually clean again before entering the camp.
everything made of animal hide and goats' hair, and everything made of wood
This can be stated in active form. AT: "everything that someone has made of animal hide, goats' hair, or wood" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
had relations with
die
pure
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v17 31:17-18 Only young virgin women were to be spared,…
31:17-18 Only young virgin women were to be spared, since they had not participated in the incident at Baal-peor.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.