Numbers 31:30-40

30 Also of the half part of the sons of Israel, thou shalt take the fiftieth head of men, and of oxen, and of asses, and of sheep, and of all living beasts; and thou shalt give those to the deacons, that (stand) watch in the keepings of the tabernacle of the Lord. (And from the half portion given to the Israelites, thou shalt take the fiftieth head of people, and of oxen, and of donkeys, and of sheep, yea, of all the living beasts; and thou shalt give them to the Levites, who keep charge of the Tabernacle of the Lord.)

31 And Moses and Eleazar did, as the Lord commanded.

32 Forsooth the prey which the host had taken, was six hundred and five and seventy thousand of sheep, (And the spoils which the army had captured, were six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,)

33 of oxen, two and seventy thousand, (and seventy-two thousand oxen,)

34 of asses, sixty thousand and a thousand; (and sixty-one thousand donkeys;)

35 the souls of the persons of women kind, that knew not men, were two and thirty thousand. (and thirty-two thousand young women, who knew not men.)

36 And the half part (that) was given to them that were in the battle, of sheep three hundred seven and thirty thousand, and five hundred; (And so the half portion of the sheep, that was given to them who were in the battle, was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand, and five hundred;)

37 of which six hundred five and seventy sheep were numbered into the part of the Lord; (of which six hundred and seventy-five sheep were paid as the tribute, or the tax, to the Lord;)

38 and of six and thirty thousand oxen, two and seventy oxen; (and of the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen were paid as the tribute, or the tax, to the Lord;)

39 and of thirty thousand asses and five hundred, one and sixty asses; (and of the thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys, sixty-one donkeys were paid as the tribute, or the tax, to the Lord;)

40 (and) of [the] sixteen thousand persons of men, two and thirty persons befelled into the part of the Lord. (and of the sixteen thousand women, that is, the virgins, thirty-two persons were paid as the tribute, or the tax, to the Lord.)

Numbers 31:30-40 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.