and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.
Parallel translations
- WEB The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh’s tribute was thirty-two persons.
- KJV And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty and two persons.
- NKJV The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord’s tribute was thirty-two persons.
- NASB and the captive people were sixteen thousand, from whom the Lord’s tribute tax was thirty-two persons.
- NLT and 16,000 virgin girls, of whom 32 were the Lord’s share.
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
The captives in the soldiers' half were sixteen thousand, of whom thirty-two were the Lord's tribute given to the priest.
Overview
Even the human captives were included in the proportional offering to God, given over to the service of the sanctuary. This completed the soldiers' tribute. The thoroughness of the accounting reflects the comprehensive lordship of God over all that His people possess.
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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 31:40 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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