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Numbers 31:32

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 31:32 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,
Numbers 31:32 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 31

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
29take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for Jehovah`s heave-offering.
30And of the children of Israel`s half, thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the asses, and of the flocks, [even] of all the cattle, and give them unto the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah.
31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Jehovah commanded Moses.
32Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,
33and threescore and twelve thousand oxen,
34and threescore and one thousand asses,
35and thirty and two thousand persons in all, of the women that had not known man by lying with him.
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What do historical commentaries say?

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught--Some of the captives having been killed (Num 31:17) and part of the cattle taken for the support of the army, the total amount of the booty remaining was in the following proportions: Prey Total Amount Half to Soldiers Deducted to God Half to Congregation Deducted to Levites Sheep 675,000 337,500 675 337,500 6,750 Beeves 72,000 36,000 72 36,000 720 Asses 61,000 30,500 61 30,500 610 Persons 32,000 16,000 32 16,000 320”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Compare Numbers 31:11, and render “And the prey” (i. e., the live prey) “in addition to the spoil which the men of war seized, etc.” The “spoil” is described in Numbers 31:50. The number of sheep, beeves, asses, and persons taken is given in this and following verses in round thousands. Hence, the Lord’s tribute (Numbers 31:29, Numbers 31:37-38, etc.), being the 500th part of the half, comes out also in round numbers. The enormous amount both of live stock and of personal ornament was characteristic of the Midianites. When they invaded Israel in the days of the Judges, their wealth was still of the same kind (Judges 6:5; Judges 8:24 ff). The Bedouins, notwithstanding their wild nomadic life,…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“31:32-35 The total number of animals and young girls who were not killed was quite large, which indicates that Israel fought against many Midianites.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the booty: It appears from the enumeration here, that the Israelites, in this war with the Midianites, took 32,000 female prisoners, 61,000 asses, 72,000 beeves, and 675,000 sheep and small cattle; besides the immense number of males who fell in battle, and the women and children who were slain by the divine command ( Num 31:17). This booty was divided into equal parts, by which partition a far larger share was justly given to the warriors employed on the expedition, who were only 12,000, than to those, who being equally willing to go, were ordered to stay in the camp. Each party was to give a certain proportion to Jehovah, as their sovereign, in grateful acknowledgment that to him they owed…”
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Related study paths

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