Bible Strands
Numbers 31:49
and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The army officers, specifically the commanders of thousands and hundreds, address Moses immediately after the Midianite campaign to report the results of their troop census. The words — נָֽשְׂא֗וּ (na.se.'U) = “they have lifted up” [H5375] operates as a military idiom for taking a headcount, paired with רֹ֛אשׁ (rosh) = “[the] head of” [H7218] to denote the formal enumeration of the men. The thread — The motif of complete preservation runs through John 18:9, where Jesus states not one of his followers was lost, while 1 Samuel 30:18 and Psalm 72:14 record God’s consistent action in recovering and safeguarding His people from total loss. Why it lands — It requires the reader to accept that precise accountability under authority is possible, and to evaluate whether their own responsibilities are being tracked and fulfilled without unreported failure.
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 they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 30:18 So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.
- John 18:9 This was to fulfill the word He had spoken: “I have not lost one of those You have given Me.”
- Psalms 72:14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their blood is precious in his sight.