Numbers 31:17
New International Version
Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,

New Living Translation
So kill all the boys and all the women who have had 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.

Berean Standard Bible
So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,

King James Bible
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath 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 American Standard Bible
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.

NASB 1995
“Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately.

NASB 1977
“Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately.

Legacy Standard Bible
So now, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately.

Amplified Bible
Now therefore, kill every male among the children, and kill every woman who is not a virgin.

Christian Standard Bible
So now, kill every male among the dependents and kill every woman who has gone to bed with a man,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So now, kill all the male children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man,

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

Contemporary English Version
You must put to death every boy and all the women who have ever had sex.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So kill all the Midianite boys and every Midianite woman who has gone to bed with a man.

Good News Translation
So now kill every boy and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse,

International Standard Version
You are to kill every male child and every woman who has had sexual relations with a man.

Majority Standard Bible
So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,

NET Bible
Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man.

New Heart English Bible
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

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.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And now, slay every male among the infants, indeed, slay every woman knowing a man by the lying of a male;

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;

Smith's Literal Translation
And now kill every male among the little ones; and every woman know in man by the bed of a male, do ye kill.
Catholic Translations
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.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, put to death all of them: whatever is of the male sex, even among the little ones, and cut the throats of those women who have known men by sexual relations.

New American Bible
Now kill, therefore, every male among the children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man.

New Revised Standard Version
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by sleeping with him.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Now kill all of the boys of the males and kill every woman who has known sexual relations of males.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Now then slay every male in all the spoil, slay every woman, who has known the lying with man.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Vengeance on Midian
16“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD. 17So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man, 18but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 20:16-18
However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. / For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, / so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.

Joshua 6:17-21
Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. / But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. / For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.” ...

1 Samuel 15:3
Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

Judges 21:10-12
So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children. / This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.” / So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

Deuteronomy 7:2
and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.

1 Samuel 15:18
and sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have wiped them out.’

Joshua 11:14
The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed.

Deuteronomy 2:34
At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors.

1 Kings 11:1-2
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.

Deuteronomy 3:6
We devoted them to destruction, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city.

2 Kings 10:11
So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single survivor.

2 Chronicles 25:12
and the army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

Matthew 5:21-22
You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ / But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

Luke 9:54-56
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” / But Jesus turned and rebuked them. / And He and His disciples went on to another village.

Matthew 15:4
For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’


Treasury of Scripture

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

kill every male.

Judges 21:11,12
And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man…

him.

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Numbers 31
1. The Midianites are spoiled, and Balaam slain
13. Moses is angry with the officers, for saving the women alive
19. How the soldiers, with their captives and spoil, are to be purified
25. The proportion in which the prey is to be divided
48. The voluntary offering unto the treasure of the Lord














So now
This phrase indicates a direct and immediate command. In the Hebrew text, the word "now" (עַתָּה, 'attah) often signifies a transition to action, emphasizing urgency and decisiveness. The context here is a continuation of divine instructions given to Moses, reflecting the seriousness and immediacy of the command. It underscores the importance of obedience to God's directives in the historical narrative of Israel.

kill all the boys
The Hebrew word for "kill" (הָרַג, harag) is a strong term that denotes execution or putting to death. This command, while difficult to comprehend, must be understood within the context of ancient warfare and divine judgment. The boys, future warriors, represented a potential threat to Israel's survival and spiritual purity. Historically, this reflects the harsh realities of ancient Near Eastern conflicts, where complete destruction of the enemy was often seen as necessary to prevent future retaliation.

and kill every woman who has had relations with a man
The phrase "who has had relations with a man" (יָדַע, yada) is a Hebrew idiom for sexual intercourse. This command was aimed at eliminating those who had participated in the idolatrous practices of the Midianites, which had led Israel into sin (Numbers 25). The historical context reveals a time when Israel was called to be a holy nation, set apart from the surrounding peoples. The severity of this command reflects the gravity of idolatry and its consequences, emphasizing the need for purity and faithfulness to God.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So now,
וְעַתָּ֕ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

kill
הִרְג֥וּ (hir·ḡū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

all
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the boys,
זָכָ֖ר (zā·ḵār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2145: Remembered, a male

and kill
הֲרֹֽגוּ׃ (hă·rō·ḡū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

every
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

woman
אִשָּׁ֗ה (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

who has had relations with
יֹדַ֥עַת (yō·ḏa·‘aṯ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

a man,
זָכָ֖ר (zā·ḵār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2145: Remembered, a male


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OT Law: Numbers 31:17 Now therefore kill every male among (Nu Num.)
Numbers 31:16
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