Numbers 31:19

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify [both] yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

Complete Jewish Bible:

Pitch your tents outside the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed a person or touched the corpse of someone slain, purify yourselves on the third and seventh days, you and your captives.

Berean Standard Bible:

All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives.

American Standard Version:

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.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

And do ye abide^{H2583} without^{H2351} the camp^{H4264} seven^{H7651} days^{H3117}: whosoever hath killed^{H2026} any person^{H5315}, and whosoever hath touched^{H5060} any slain^{H2491}, purify^{H2398} both yourselves and your captives^{H7628} on the third^{H7992} day^{H3117}, and on the seventh^{H7637} day^{H3117}.

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Commentary for Numbers 31:19

Numbers 31:19 is part of the instructions given by Moses to the Israelite soldiers after they had waged a war against the Midianites at the command of God. The broader context is found in Numbers 31, where the Israelites are seeking vengeance for the Midianites' role in seducing the Israelites into idolatry and immorality, as described in Numbers 25.

**Themes:**
1. **Ritual Purity and Impurity:** The verse reflects the ancient Israelite belief in ritual purity and impurity. Coming into contact with a dead body rendered a person ritually impure, necessitating a period of purification.
2. **Divine Commandments:** The instructions given by Moses demonstrate adherence to specific divine commandments concerning warfare, treatment of captives, and purification rituals.
3. **Separation and Cleansing:** The requirement for the soldiers and captives to remain outside the camp for seven days symbolizes a period of separation from the community due to their state of impurity. The purification process on the third and seventh days likely involved bathing, washing clothes, and sacrifices, as described in other parts of the Torah.
4. **Integration of Captives:** The inclusion of captives in the purification process may indicate an initial step towards their integration into the Israelite community, albeit with certain restrictions due to their previous association with idolatry and the potential for spiritual contamination.

**Historical Context:**
The events in Numbers 31 occur towards the end of the Israelites' forty-year wandering in the wilderness, shortly before their entry into the Promised Land. This period is characterized by the establishment of the Israelite religious and social laws, as well as the formation of their national identity. The conflict with the Midianites is one of several military encounters the Israelites face as they transition from a loose collection of tribes into a more unified nation under God's laws.

The purification rituals outlined in this verse reflect the broader ancient Near Eastern practices of the time, which often included periods of isolation and ceremonial washings to restore ritual purity. The specific seven-day period of purification aligns with other purity laws found in the Torah, such as those concerning childbirth, skin diseases, and bodily discharges.

In summary, Numbers 31:19 emphasizes the importance of ritual purity in the religious life of the Israelites, the necessity of following divine commands, and the careful process of reintegration into the community following contact with death during warfare. It also provides insight into the early formation of Israelite society and its legal and ritual systems.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H2583
   There are 135 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חָנָה
   Transliteration: chânâh
   Pronunciation: khaw-naw'
   Description: a primitive root (compare חָנַן); properly, to incline; by implication, to decline (of the slanting rays of evening); specifically, to pitch atent; gen. to encamp (for abode or siege); abide (in tents), camp, dwell, encamp, grow to an end, lie, pitch (tent), rest in tent.
   
2. Strong's Number: H2351
   There are 159 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חוּץ
   Transliteration: chûwts
   Pronunciation: khoots
   Description: or (shortened) חֻץ; (both forms feminine in the plural) from an unused root meaning to sever; properly, separate by awall, i.e. outside, outdoors; abroad, field, forth, highway, more, out(-side, -ward), street, without.
   
3. Strong's Number: H4264
   There are 190 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מַחֲנֶה
   Transliteration: machăneh
   Pronunciation: makh-an-eh'
   Description: from חָנָה; an encampment (of travellers or troops); hence, an army, whether literal (of soldiers) or figurative (of dancers, angels, cattle, locusts, stars; or even the sacred courts); army, band, battle, camp, company, drove, host, tents.
   
4. Strong's Number: H7651
   There are 345 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שֶׁבַע
   Transliteration: shebaʻ
   Pronunciation: sheh'-bah
   Description: or (masculine) (שִׁבְעָה); from שָׁבַע; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number; ([phrase] by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare שִׁבְעָנָה.
   
5. Strong's Number: H3117
   There are 1931 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: יוֹם
   Transliteration: yôwm
   Pronunciation: yome
   Description: from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb); age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger.
   
6. Strong's Number: H2026
   There are 158 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: הָרַג
   Transliteration: hârag
   Pronunciation: haw-rag'
   Description: a primitive root; to smite with deadly intent; destroy, out of hand, kill, murder(-er), put to (death), make (slaughter), slay(-er), [idiom] surely.
   
7. Strong's Number: H5315
   There are 683 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נֶפֶשׁ
   Transliteration: nephesh
   Pronunciation: neh'-fesh
   Description: from נָפַשׁ; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental); any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, [phrase] slay, soul, [phrase] tablet, they, thing, ([idiom] she) will, [idiom] would have it.
   
8. Strong's Number: H5060
   There are 142 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נָגַע
   Transliteration: nâgaʻ
   Pronunciation: naw-gah'
   Description: a primitive root; properly, to touch, i.e. lay the hand upon (for any purpose; euphemistically, to lie with a woman); by implication, to reach (figuratively, to arrive, acquire); violently, to strike (punish, defeat, destroy, etc.); beat, ([idiom] be able to) bring (down), cast, come (nigh), draw near (nigh), get up, happen, join, near, plague, reach (up), smite, strike, touch.
   
9. Strong's Number: H2491
   There are 85 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חָלָל
   Transliteration: châlâl
   Pronunciation: khaw-lawl'
   Description: from חָלַל; pierced (especially to death); figuratively, polluted; kill, profane, slain (man), [idiom] slew, (deadly) wounded.
   
10. Strong's Number: H2398
    There are 220 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: חָטָא
    Transliteration: châṭâʼ
    Pronunciation: khaw-taw'
    Description: a primitive root; properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn; bear the blame, cleanse, commit (sin), by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend(-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin(-ful, -ness), trespass.
    
11. Strong's Number: H7628
    There are 47 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שְׁבִי
    Transliteration: shᵉbîy
    Pronunciation: sheb-ee'
    Description: from שְׁבוּ; exiled; captured; as noun, exile (abstractly or concretely and collectively); by extension, booty; captive(-ity), prisoners, [idiom] take away, that was taken.
    
12. Strong's Number: H7992
    There are 94 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שְׁלִישִׁי
    Transliteration: shᵉlîyshîy
    Pronunciation: shel-ee-shee'
    Description: ordinal from שָׁלוֹשׁ; third; feminine athird (part); by extension, a third (day, year or time); specifically, a third-story cell); third (part, rank, time), three (years old).
    
13. Strong's Number: H7637
    There are 94 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שְׁבִיעִי
    Transliteration: shᵉbîyʻîy
    Pronunciation: sheb-ee-ee'
    Description: or שְׁבִעִי; ordinal from שִׁבְעִים; seventh; seventh (time).