ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Numbers 31.17-18

Book: Numbers · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"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 Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah."

"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 yourselves." (Numbers 31:15-20, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"15. Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive? 16. Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh."

"17. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18. But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves."

"19. “Encamp outside of the camp seven days. Whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives. 20. As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves.”" (Numbers 31:15-20, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"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 LORD."

"17. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. him: Heb. a male 18. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves."

"19. 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. 20. And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood. that: Heb. instrument, or, vessel of skins" (Numbers 31:15-20, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"15. And Moses saith unto them, 'Have ye kept alive every female? 16. lo, they, they have been to the sons of Israel, through the word of Balaam, to cause a trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and the plague is in the company of Jehovah."

"17. 'And now, slay ye every male among the infants, yea, every woman known of man by the lying of a male ye have slain; 18. and all the infants among the women, who have not known the lying of a male, ye have kept alive for yourselves."

"19. 'And ye, encamp ye at the outside of the camp seven days, any who hath slain a person, and any who hath come against a pierced one, ye cleanse yourselves on the third day, and on the seventh day, ye and your captives; 20. and every garment, and every skin vessel, and every work of goats' [hair], and every wooden vessel, ye yourselves cleanse.'" (Numbers 31:15-20, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: Moses (traditional)
  • Audience: Israelite congregation post-Sinai
  • Location: Sinai → wilderness wanderings → plains of Moab
  • Time period: events c. 1445-1406 BC; composed c. 1446-1406 BC

Theological reading

Key words

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.