7
They waged warוַיִּצְבְּאוּagainstעַלMidian,מִדְיָןasכַּאֲשֶׁרYHWHיְהוָהhad commandedצִוָּהMoses,מֹשֶׁהand they killedוַיַּהַרְגוּeveryכָּלmale.זָכָר
Numbers 31:7
Study it in the app“They waged war against Midian, as YHWH had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Numbers 31:7, word by word
- They waged warיִּצְבְּאוּyitsbu
wage war
To make war against someone.
Where else “yitsbu” appears- Midianמִדְיָןmidyan
Midian
See it on the mapWhere else “midyan” appears- YHWHיְהוָהyehva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehva” appears- had commandedצִוָּהtsiva
command
To give an order: "as YHWH had commanded".
Where else “tsiva” appears- Mosesמֹשֶׁהmoshe
Moses
Moses, the man God called to bring Israel out of Egypt and through whom he gave the Law. His name sounds like "draw out" (Exodus 2:10).
Where else “moshe” appears- and they killedיַּהַרְגוּyahargu
kill
Kill, slay.
Where else “yahargu” appears- maleזָכָרzachar
male
A person of the male sex, man or boy.
Where else “zachar” appears
Places in this verse
Midian ?
Today: northwest Saudi Arabia, southern Jordan; debated
A region east of the Gulf of Aqaba, in what is now northwest Saudi Arabia; its borders are not certain.
Moses fled to Midian, married there and tended sheep (Exod 2:15-21). Centuries later the Midianites oppressed Israel until Gideon defeated them (Judg 6:1; 7:21).
The context
6Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the army, them and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, to the army, and the holy articles and the trumpets of acclamation were in his hand.
7 · This verse (above)
8And the kings of Midian they killed along with their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian; and Balaam son of Beor they killed with the sword.