Numbers 31:46-54

46 and of sixteen thousand women, (and of the sixteen thousand virgins,)

47 Moses took the fiftieth head, and he gave them to the deacons, that (stood) watch in the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded. (Moses took the fiftieth of each, and he gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the Tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded.)

48 And when the princes of the host, and the tribunes, and the centurions had nighed to Moses, [And when the princes of the host were gone to Moses, and the leaders of thousands, and rulers of hundreds,] (And then the leaders of the army, the tribunes, and the centurions, came to Moses,)

49 they said, We thy servants have told, (or totalled,) the number of fighters, which we had under our hand, or power, and soothly not one failed; (and they said, We thy servants have counted up again the number of the fighters, that we have under our command, and not one of them is missing;)

50 for which cause we offer, or bring, to thee free gifts of the Lord, all by ourselves, that that we might find of gold in the prey, girdles for the women's middles, and bands of the arms, and rings, and ornaments of the arm nigh the hand, and bands of the necks of women, that thou pray the Lord for us. (for which reason, we now freely bring to thee gifts for the Lord, from each of us, of that which we found in the spoils, yea, gold, and girdles for the women's middles, and arm bands, and rings, and bracelets, and women's necklaces, and we also ask that thou pray to the Lord for us.)

51 And Moses and Eleazar, the priest, took all the gold in diverse kinds, (And so Moses and Eleazar, the priest, received all these diverse things of gold,)

52 by the weight of the saintuary, sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels, of the tribunes, and the centurions [of the leaders of thousands, and rulers of hundreds]. (by the measure of the sanctuary, sixteen thousand and seven hundred and fifty shekels, from the tribunes, and the centurions.)

53 For that that each man ravished in the prey, was his own; (For the spoils that each man had taken from the battle, was his own;)

54 and they bare the gold taken into the tabernacle of witnessing, into mind of the sons of Israel, before the Lord. (and they took the gold, and brought it into the Tabernacle of the Witnessing, so that the Lord would remember the Israelites, and would protect them.)

Numbers 31:46-54 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 31

This chapter contains an order to make war upon Midian, which was accordingly done, Nu 31:1-12, but Moses was wroth, because they saved the women alive, who, through the counsel of Balaam, had been the cause of sin, and of the plague for it in Israel, and therefore orders them, and the male children, to be slain, Nu 31:13-18, and then directs to the purification of the soldiers, their captives and spoil, Nu 31:19-24, and by the command of God an account is taken of the prey, and a division of it made between the soldiers and the congregation, and out of each part a tribute is levied for the Lord, Nu 31:25-31 and the sum of the whole booty is given, Nu 31:32-35 and of the part which belonged to the soldiers, and of the tribute given to the Lord, Nu 31:36-41 and of the part which belonged to the children of Israel, Nu 31:42-47 and besides the above tribute to the Lord, the officers made a voluntary oblation out of their spoil, both by way of gratitude for sparing their lives, and to make atonement for their souls, Nu 31:48-54.