Numbers 31:5
in Numbers 31So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
KJV
So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
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This verse in Numbers 31
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
a thousand men were recruited from each tribe
on Numbers 31:5-12
Balaam falls in this battle with the five kings of Midian. Joshua 13:21-22 names these kings as princes of Sihon, killed with "the diviner Balaam son of Beor". The narrative had last left him at 24:25, going home.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
So they were delivered out of the thousands of Israel,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
there were delivered--that is, drafted, chosen, an equal amount from each tribe, to prevent the outbreak of mutual jealousy or strife. Considering the numerical force of the enemy, this was a small quota to furnish. But the design was to exercise their faith and animate them to the approaching invasion of Canaan.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּמָּֽסְרוּ֙ | vaiyimaseru | and they were selected | H4560 → | |
| מֵאַלְפֵ֣י | mealfei | from [the] thousands of | H505 → | 505 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶ֖לֶף | ʾelef | one thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| לַמַּטֶּ֑ה | lamateh | to the tribe | H4294 → | 252 times |
| שְׁנֵים־ | sheneim- | two [plus] | H8147 → | 768 times |
| עָשָׂ֥ר | ʾasar | ten | H6240 → | 338 times |
| אֶ֖לֶף | ʾelef | thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| חֲלוּצֵ֥י | chalutzei | armed [men] of | H2502 → | 44 times |
| צָבָֽא׃ | tzava' | war | H6635 → | 485 times |
וַיִּמָּֽסְרוּ֙and they were selected
vaiyimaseruH4560 →
מֵאַלְפֵ֣יfrom [the] thousands of
mealfeiH505 →505 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֶ֖לֶףone thousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
לַמַּטֶּ֑הto the tribe
lamatehH4294 →252 times
שְׁנֵים־two [plus]
sheneim-H8147 →768 times
עָשָׂ֥רten
ʾasarH6240 →338 times
אֶ֖לֶףthousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
חֲלוּצֵ֥יarmed [men] of
chalutzeiH2502 →44 times
צָבָֽא׃war
tzava'H6635 →485 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Numbers
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).