And they warred against the Midianites, just as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed all the males.
Parallel translations
- WEB They fought against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses. They killed every male.
- KJV And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
- BSB Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
- NASB So they made war against Midian, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
- NLT They attacked Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men.
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 fought Midian as the Lord commanded and killed every male, carrying out God's judgment.
Overview
The army obeyed precisely, executing the divine sentence against Midian's men. This was judicial warfare against a people who had deliberately led Israel into sin. Such severe judgment reveals the deadly seriousness of corrupting God's people and points to the holiness that requires sin to be fully dealt with, finally accomplished at the cross.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Judg 21:11This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”
- 1 Kgs 11:15–16For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom
- 1 Sam 27:9David struck the land, and saved no man or woman alive, and took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned, and came to Achish.
- Judg 6:33Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel.
- Judg 6:1–2The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight: and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
- Deut 20:13–14When Yahweh your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword;
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 31:7 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.