and they placed him in custody, because it had not been decided what should be done to him.
Parallel translations
- WEB They put him in custody, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
- KJV And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
- BSB and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.
- ESV They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him.
- NKJV They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him.
- NLT They held him in custody because they did not know what to do with him.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They held the man in custody because the proper penalty had not yet been declared. They waited for God's direct word before acting.
Overview
Rather than presuming, the leaders detained the man and sought the LORD's specific instruction. This restraint shows reverence for God's authority in matters of judgment. It models the wisdom of seeking God's will rather than acting on human assumption, trusting him to make his justice known.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 15:34 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.