Bible Strands
Numbers 31:6
And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses directs the military campaign against Midian after each of the twelve tribes contributes one thousand armed men. The narrative occurs at the moment of expedition organization, just before the Israelites engage the enemy.
The words — The verb וַיִּשְׁלַח (va-yishlach) literally means "and he sent," marking Moses' formal dispatch of the forces. The phrase לַמַּטֶּה לַצָּבָא (la-matteh la-tzava) translates to "to the tribe for war," specifying the tribal mobilization for combat.
The thread — Phinehas carries the sanctuary vessels and signaling trumpets, reflecting the priestly mandate to sound trumpets for assembly and battle (Numbers 10:8). The field presence of sacred items contrasts with the earlier failed advance that proceeded without Moses and the ark (Numbers 14:44).
Why it lands — The text requires acknowledgment that military action is conducted under priestly oversight and explicit divine command rather than human strategy. A reader must recognize that warfare in this narrative is governed by ritual preparation and direct instruction.
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 Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
Cross-references
- Numbers 14:44 But they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of the LORD moved from the camp.
- Numbers 10:8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. This shall be a permanent statute for you and the generations to come.
- Exodus 25:9 You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.
- Numbers 25:7 On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,
- Numbers 33:20 They set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.
- Joshua 6:4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns.
- Joshua 6:13 And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding.
- 1 Samuel 4:4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
- 1 Samuel 4:17 The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
- 1 Samuel 14:18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (For at that time it was with the Israelites.)