Numbers 31:54
in Numbers 31And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah.
KJV
And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.
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This verse in Numbers 31
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels
on Numbers 31:51-54
The gold weighs sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels, brought by the captains of thousands and of hundreds. Verse 53 adds in a parenthesis that the men of war had taken spoil every man for himself, and readers divide over it, with Barnes taking it that the common soldiers made no offering and Gill taking it that every man contributed out of what he had kept. The gold is carried into the tabernacle for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, which is the use Exodus 30:16 gave for the atonement money of a people numbered.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), that is, a monument of God's goodness to them, that they might be encouraged to trust in him in their further wars, and a monument of their gratitude to God (sacrifices are said to be memorials), that he, being well pleased with this thankful acknowledgment of favours bestowed, might continue and repeat his mercies to them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The holy instruments - The holy breast-plate, wherein was the Urim and Thummim, which was easily carried, and very useful in war upon many emergent occasions. All the males - Namely all who lived in those parts, for colonies of them, were sent forth to remoter places, which therefore had no hand either in their former sin, or in this present ruling.
And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
officers . . . said . . . there lacketh not one man of us--A victory so signal, and the glory of which was untarnished by the loss of a single Israelitish soldier, was an astonishing miracle.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקַּ֨ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֜ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| וְאֶלְעָזָ֤ר | veelazar | and Eleazar | H499 → | 72 times |
| הַכֹּהֵן֙ | hakohen | the priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַזָּהָ֔ב | hazahav | the gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
| מֵאֵ֛ת | meet | from with | H854 → | 929 times |
| שָׂרֵ֥י | sarei | [the] commanders of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| הָאֲלָפִ֖ים | haalafim | the thousands | H505 → | 505 times |
| וְהַמֵּא֑וֹת | vehameot | and the hundreds | H3967 → | 581 times |
| וַיָּבִ֤אוּ | vaiyaviu | and they brought | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֹתוֹ֙ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֹ֣הֶל | ʾohel | [the] tent of | H168 → | 345 times |
| מוֹעֵ֔ד | moed | meeting | H4150 → | 223 times |
| זִכָּר֥וֹן | zikaron | a memorial | H2146 → | 24 times |
| לִבְנֵֽי־ | livnei- | for [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| לִפְנֵ֥י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ פ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיִּקַּ֨חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
מֹשֶׁ֜הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
וְאֶלְעָזָ֤רand Eleazar
veelazarH499 →72 times
הַכֹּהֵן֙the priest
hakohenH3548 →750 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַזָּהָ֔בthe gold
hazahavH2091 →389 times
מֵאֵ֛תfrom with
meetH854 →929 times
שָׂרֵ֥י[the] commanders of
sareiH8269 →421 times
הָאֲלָפִ֖יםthe thousands
haalafimH505 →505 times
וְהַמֵּא֑וֹתand the hundreds
vehameotH3967 →581 times
וַיָּבִ֤אוּand they brought
vaiyaviuH935 →2568 times
אֹתוֹ֙<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֹ֣הֶל[the] tent of
ʾohelH168 →345 times
מוֹעֵ֔דmeeting
moedH4150 →223 times
זִכָּר֥וֹןa memorial
zikaronH2146 →24 times
לִבְנֵֽי־for [the] people of
livnei-H1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
לִפְנֵ֥י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
יְהוָֽה׃ פYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 10:4Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
it leads to
- Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
- Acts 10:31
and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.
- Malachi 3:16
At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD…
- Psalms 141:2
May my prayer be set before You like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering.
- Philippians 4:6
Through
Joshua 4:7you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these…
it leads to
- Exodus 12:14
And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 12:14
Through
Exodus 30:16Take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to make atonement for…
it leads to
- Numbers 16:40
just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the…
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Numbers 16:40
Through
Psalms 145:7They will extol the fame of Your abundant goodness and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
it leads to
- Isaiah 63:7
I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD has done for us—the many good things for the house of Israel according to His great…
- Isaiah 63:7
About Numbers
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.