Numbers 31:25

Study note

Setting — The text states Yahweh speaks directly to Moses immediately after commanding the army to wash their clothes on the seventh day and re-enter the camp. This utterance functions as the formal introduction to the administrative orders that follow in Numbers 31:26.

The words — The Hebrew sequence וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵ/אמֹר (va-yomer Yahweh el-Mosheh le-'emor) literally renders "and Yahweh said to Moses to say." The infinitive absolute לֵ/אמֹר (le-'emor) reinforces the certainty and immediacy of the command about to be delivered.

The thread — This divine speech formula anchors the narrative transition in Numbers 31:26, where Eleazar and the family heads receive the census instructions. It mirrors the pattern of Numbers 1:1 and Exodus 25:1, where Yahweh's direct address initiates covenantal administration.

Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to recognize that divine instruction follows ritual purification, establishing order before distribution. A reader must prepare to receive specific commands regarding the counting and allocation of captives and livestock.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.