Numbers 31:52

All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The narrator records the final accounting of the Midianite war, noting the commanders' gold offering immediately after Moses and Eleazar received the sacred articles and before the soldiers distributed their personal plunder. This moment closes the military campaign with a financial reckoning.

The words — הֵרִ֙ימוּ֙ (he.Ri.mu) literally means "they raised," denoting the commanders' act of presenting the contribution. It modifies זְהַ֣ב (ze.Hav), "gold," to specify the material of the sacred offering.

The thread — The practice of raising precious metals for Yahweh appears in Exodus 35:24 and 1 Chronicles 29:4 during tabernacle and temple preparations. The exact weight of 16,750 shekels is recorded solely in this passage.

Why it lands — The text requires distinguishing between consecrated war spoons and private gain. It asks the reader to recognize that sacred accounting follows military success.

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 all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the Lord, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.