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Read the Bible

JPS Old Testament

Numbers 31:17

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Captive;   Prisoners;   Sanitation;   War;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Midianites;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Know, Knowledge;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Midian;   Moab;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ban;   Midian, Mtdianites;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Eleazar ;   Midian, Midianites ;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Jephthah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Slave;   War;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ban;   Hafá¹­arah;   Midian and Midianites;   Sidra;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
King James Version
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
Lexham English Bible
Now kill every male among the little children, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man.
English Standard Version
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
New Century Version
Kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations.
New English Translation
Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man.
Amplified Bible
"Now therefore, kill every male among the children, and kill every woman who is not a virgin.
New American Standard Bible
"Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Now therefore, slay all the males among the children, and kill all the women that haue knowen man by carnall copulation.
Legacy Standard Bible
So now, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately.
Contemporary English Version
You must put to death every boy and all the women who have ever had sex.
Complete Jewish Bible
Now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has ever slept with a man.
Darby Translation
And now slay every male among the little ones, and slay every woman that hath known man by lying with him,
Easy-to-Read Version
Now, kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations with a man.
George Lamsa Translation
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
Good News Translation
So now kill every boy and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse,
Christian Standard Bible®
So now, kill every male among the dependents and kill every woman who has gone to bed with a man,
Literal Translation
And now kill every male among the infants; yea, you shall kill every woman having known a man by lying with a male.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now therfore slaie all the males amoge ye childre, & kyll all ye wemen yt haue knowne men & lyen wt them.
American Standard Version
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
Bible in Basic English
So now put every male child to death, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe therfore, slay all the men children, and kyl the women that haue lien with men fleshly.
King James Version (1611)
Now therefore kill euery male among the little ones, and kill euery woman that hath knowen man, by lying with him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Now then slay every male in all the spoil, slay every woman, who has known the lying with man.
English Revised Version
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
Berean Standard Bible
So now, kill all the boys, and kill every woman who has had relations with a man,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And therfor sle ye alle men, what euer thing is of male kynde, and litle children; and strangle ye the wymmen that knew men fleischli;
Young's Literal Translation
`And now, slay ye every male among the infants, yea, every woman known of man by the lying of a male ye have slain;
Update Bible Version
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that has had sex with a man.
Webster's Bible Translation
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
World English Bible
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
New King James Version
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.
New Living Translation
So kill all the boys and all the women who have had intercourse with a man.
New Life Bible
Now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has had a man.
New Revised Standard
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by sleeping with him.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore, slay ye every male among the young, - every woman also that hath cohabited with man, slay ye.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore kill all that are of the male sex, even of the children: and put to death the women, that have carnally known men.
Revised Standard Version
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately.

Contextual Overview

13 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. 14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war. 15 And Moses said unto them: 'Have ye saved all the women alive? 16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to revolt so as to break faith with the LORD in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD. 17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. 18 But all the women children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. 19 And encamp ye without the camp seven days; whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, ye and your captives. 20 And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood, ye shall purify.' 21 And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war that went to the battle: 'This is the statute of the law which the LORD hath commanded Moses: 22 Howbeit the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

kill every male: The sword of war should spare women and children, as incapable of resisting; but the sword of justice knows no distinction, except that of guilty or not guilty, or more or less guilty. This was the execution of a righteous sentence upon a guilty nation, in which the women were the greatest criminals; and it may safely be said, that their lives were forfeited by their personal transgressions. With respect to the execution of the male infants, who cannot be supposed to have been guilty, God, the author and supporter of life, who has a right to dispose of it when and how he thinks proper, commanded it; and "shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Judges 21:11, Judges 21:12

him: Heb. a male

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:1 - knew Genesis 24:16 - known Genesis 34:25 - Simeon Genesis 34:28 - General Numbers 31:32 - the booty Deuteronomy 20:13 - thou shalt smite 1 Samuel 15:3 - slay 1 Kings 11:15 - every male

Cross-References

Genesis 24:10
And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed; having all goodly things of his master's in his hand; and he arose, and went to Aram-naharaim, unto the city of Nahor.
Genesis 24:61
And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
1 Samuel 30:17
And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels and fled.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones,.... Which they had taken and brought captives, Numbers 31:9

and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him; who might be such, at least many of them, who had lain with Israelitish men; and as the adulterers had been put to death, so now the adulteresses; or they were ordered to, be slain, even all of them, lest they should entice the children of Israel to uncleanness, and so to idolatry again: now these were known to be such, either by conjecture at their age, or rather, through the examination of matrons, unless it can be thought, as it is by some, that it was by divine revelation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 31:17. Kill every male among the little ones — For this action I account simply on the principle that God, who is the author and supporter of life, has a right to dispose of it when and how he thinks proper; and the Judge of all the earth can do nothing but what is right. Of the women killed on this occasion it may be safely said, their lives were forfeited by their personal transgressions; and yet even in this case there can be little doubt that God showed mercy to their souls. The little ones were safely lodged; they were taken to heaven and saved from the evil to come.


 
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