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And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.
Numbers 30:1 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded.
  • BSB Then Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded:
  • NKJV Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded:
  • NASB Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the word which the Lord has commanded:
  • NLT Then Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “This is what the Lord has commanded:

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

Moses spoke to the tribal leaders God's command concerning vows, introducing laws on the binding nature of solemn promises.

Overview

Turning from the calendar of offerings to a new subject, Moses addressed the heads of the tribes about the seriousness of vows made to God. Their leadership role made them responsible to oversee this matter among the people. The passage underscores that words spoken before God carry weight, a truth Jesus deepened by calling for simple, truthful speech (Matthew 5:33-37).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Num 7:2That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered:
  • Deut 1:13–17Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
  • Num 1:4–16And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
  • Num 34:17–28These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.
  • Exod 18:25And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Numbers videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Numbers 30:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on NumbersMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 30:1 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.