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Numbers 31:4

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 31:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
Numbers 31:4 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 31

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
3And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm ye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Jehovah`s vengeance on Midian.
4Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
5So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and 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.
7And they warred against Midian, as Jehovah commanded Moses; and they slew every male.
← Numbers 31:3Numbers 31:5 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Of every tribe a thousand, etc.] So that the whole number of those that were armed were 12,000 as after given: throughout all the tribes of Israel; this is observed, as Jarchi thinks, to comprehend the tribe of Levi, which in some cases was left out of the account: shall ye send to the war; to fight with Midian.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Of every tribe a thousand: Heb. A thousand of a tribe, a thousand of a tribe a thousand: Lev 26:8; Jdg 7:2; Sa1 14:6 Numbers 31:6”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification