Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war.”
- KJV Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
- NKJV A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.”
- NASB You shall send a thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel to the war.”
- NLT From each tribe of Israel, send 1,000 men into battle.”
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
Each of the twelve tribes is to send one thousand men, ensuring all Israel shares in the task.
Overview
A thousand soldiers from every tribe were levied, distributing the responsibility evenly across the nation. This united participation underscored that Midian's corruption had threatened all Israel. The orderly arrangement reflects God's design for shared accountability among His covenant people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Lev 26:8Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
- 1 Sam 14:6Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
- Judg 7:2Then the LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
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 31:4 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.