And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.
Parallel translations
- WEB They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal.
- BSB and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.
- NKJV And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast.
- NASB And they took all the plunder and all the spoils, both of people and of livestock.
- NLT After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals,
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
Israel gathered all the captives and plunder, both people and animals, to bring back from the campaign.
Overview
The soldiers collected the spoils of war for distribution under God's instructions. This sets up the later commands about purification and the dividing of the plunder. The careful handling of spoils shows that even victory was to be governed by God's law and holiness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Deut 20:14But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
- Josh 8:2And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
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 31:11 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
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