Numbers 31:17

And therefore slay ye all the men, whatever is of male kind, and the little children, (or And so kill ye all the men, yea, whoever is a male, and all the little children); and strangle ye the women that have known men fleshly;

Wycliffe Modern Spelling

In The King James Version

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

In Context

16whether it be not these that deceived the sons of Israel, at the suggestion of Balaam, and made you to do trespass against the Lord, upon the sin of Peor, wherefore also the people was slain? (was it not they who deceived the Israelites, at Balaam’s suggestion, and made you to trespass against the Lord with your sin at Peor, after which so many of the people then perished with the plague?)

18soothly keep ye to you the young damsels, and all women virgins, (but you can keep for yourselves the young girls, and all the women who still be virgins,)

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Cross References

Deuteronomy 20:13And when thy Lord God hath betaken it in (to) thine hands, thou shalt smite by the sharpness of sword all thing of male kind that is therein, (And when the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thy hands, thou shalt strike down, or shalt kill, with the sharpness of the sword, all the males who be there,)

Judges 21:11And this thing shall be to you, that ye shall keep; slay ye all of male kind, and the women that have known men fleshly; reserve ye the virgins/but keep ye the maidens. (And this word shall be to you, that ye shall obey; kill ye all the males, and the women who have fleshly known men; but reserve ye the virgins or but keep ye the maidens.)

Matthew Henry on Numbers 31:14-25

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, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. 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 commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Numbers 31:17