Numbers 31:14

14 But Moses was furious with all the generals and captains who had returned from the battle.

Numbers 31:14 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 31:14

And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host
The general officers who had the command of the army, for there does not appear to be anyone that was one general over the whole, otherwise the displeasure would have fallen upon him:

[with] the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which
came from the battle;
rather "with" should be left out, not being in the text; and these captains only explain who the officers were, and these were one hundred and thirty two, as Aben Ezra observes; twelve who were captains over thousands, and were more properly the general officers; and one hundred and twenty over so many hundreds, into which the whole were subdivided.

Numbers 31:14 In-Context

12 they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.

14 But Moses was furious with all the generals and captains who had returned from the battle.

15 “Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded.

16 “These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the LORD at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the LORD ’s people.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds; also in 31:48, 52, 54 .