Bible Strands
Numbers 31:48
Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The commanders of thousands and hundreds approach Moses immediately after the distribution of the tribute to the Levites. They act as military officers initiating a report to their leader following the campaign against Midian.
The words — The verb יִקְרְבוּ (yikrevu) means they drew near, indicating their physical and administrative approach to Moses. The noun פְּקֻדִים (pequdim) translates to officers or appointed overseers, defining their role over the army units.
The thread — This structure of commanders over thousands and hundreds reporting to leadership appears in Exodus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 1:15. The census reporting motif continues in Numbers 31:49 and parallels the administrative divisions in 1 Chronicles 27:1-15.
Why it lands — It requires a reader to recognize that military success is immediately followed by administrative accountability. It asks a reader to see that leadership structures are established to ensure every unit is accounted for before the leader addresses the camp.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses: