Numbers 31:45 — Word Study
WLCוַחֲמֹרִ֕ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת׃
BSA30,500shᵉlôwshîym donkeyschămôwr [asses, male donkeys]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַחֲמֹרִ֕ים | and donkeys | Conjunction, noun common both plural absolute |
| שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים | thirty | Adj |
| אֶ֖לֶף | thousand | |
| וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ | and five | Conjunction |
| מֵאֽוֹת׃ | hundred |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | 30,500 donkeys, |
| KJV | And thirty thousand asses and five hundred, |
| ASV | and thirty thousand and five hundred asses, |
| YLT | and of asses thirty thousand and five hundred; |
| WEB | thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, |
| BBE | And thirty thousand, five hundred asses, |
Where they part company is חֲמוֹרִ֕ים — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is straightforward, with a main clause followed by numeral phrases that specify the quantity of donkeys.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
subjectחֲמוֹר
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Numbers 31:45
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Inventory of Spoilsgenerated
Numbers 31:45 details the spoils taken by the Israelites after a battle, including livestock and people. This verse specifically mentions the number of donkeys, contributing to the overall account of what was captured. It reflects the organization and record-keeping of the Israelite community as they divided the spoils according to God's command.
Cross References
The Key Word — חֲמוֹרִ֕ים, chamorimgenerated
The word חֲמוֹר (chamor) refers specifically to a male donkey, derived from a root meaning 'to be red' or 'dun.' This term is used consistently throughout the Old Testament to denote this animal, indicating its importance in agricultural and transport contexts.
The parsing shows that it is a plural noun, meaning there are multiple donkeys being counted. This highlights the significance of livestock in the economy and daily life of the Israelites.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is structured around a noun phrase that identifies the subject: חֲמוֹרִ֕ים, donkeys. The numeral phrases following it provide the specific count of thirty thousand and five hundred.
The Hebrew word order emphasizes the quantity of donkeys, placing the numeral phrases directly after the noun to clarify the total count.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חֲמוֹרִ֕ים as ὄνοι — donkeys. This choice maintains the specific reference to the animal, similar to the Hebrew.
The use of ὄνοι shows a consistent understanding of the term across both the Hebrew and Greek texts, ensuring that the meaning remains clear.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 31:45 lists the number of donkeys taken by the Israelites after a battle. It states there were 30,500 donkeys, which reflects the importance of these animals in their society and economy.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The number 30,500 represents the total count of male donkeys taken by the Israelites as spoils after a battle.
Donkeys were important for transportation and agricultural work, making them valuable assets in the ancient Israelite economy.
This verse is part of the inventory of spoils taken after a battle, showcasing the organization of the Israelites in managing their resources.
Other verses in the same chapter mention cattle and people, indicating a comprehensive accounting of the spoils.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What role do animals like donkeys play in our lives today, similar to their role in ancient Israel?
- How can understanding the significance of livestock in the Bible enhance our reading of these texts?
- What does this inventory tell us about the Israelite community's values and priorities?
- In what ways can we apply the principles of organization and accountability seen in this passage to our own lives?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 31:45 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep: No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 31 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges25–54. The apportionment of the spoil. Those who fought and those who remained behind were to receive equal shares. This was an ancient custom, which was traced to the action of David (1 Samuel 30:24 f.). But before the appropriation by individuals, a religious tax was to be paid. The fighters were to pay from their share 1/500th to the priests, and the others 1/50th to the Levites. Such a tax is not mentioned elsewhere in the O.T., but perhaps, like the foregoing regulation, it had an ancient custom behind it. Mohammed, whose religion was ultimately based on the O.T., enjoined a similar tax of 1/5th (Koran viii. 42, cited by Gray).
Read Cambridge on Numbers 31 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
30,500 donkeys,
thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,
30,500 donkeys,
30,500 donkeys,
Tyndale line
And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,
and thirty thousand and five hundred asses,
and thirty thousand and five hundred asses,
And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,
And thirtie thousand asses, and fiue hudreth,
Strictly literal
and thirty thousand five hundred asses,
and of asses thirty thousand and five hundred;
and thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys;
And asses thirty thousand five hundred,
30,500 donkeys,
From the Latin
And out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses,
Simplified
30,500 donkeys,
And thirty thousand, five hundred asses,
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is confirmed by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Dead Sea Scrolls show no variation in this verse, though five words were supplied by an editor due to damage.
וַחֲמֹרִ֕ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
וחמרים שׁלשׁים אלף וחמשׁ מאות
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
[וחמורים] [שלושים] [אלף] [וחמש] [מאות]
nothing on the leather here — 5 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Numbers 31:45
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
חֲמוֹר (chamor) refers to a male donkey, derived from a root meaning 'to be red' or 'dun.' The term is consistently translated as 'ass' or 'donkey' across various lexicons, indicating its specific reference to this animal in the Old Testament.
חֲמוֹר n.m. (he)-ass
base
H2543 חֲמוֹר (he)-ass
2543 chamowr kham-ore'
or (shortened) chamor {kham-ore}; from 2560; a male ass (from
its dun red):--(he)ass.
see HEBREW for 02560
חֲמוֹר (cha.mor) — donkey.
(he) ass
Conj | N-cp — Conjunction · noun common both plural absoluteHC/Ncbpa
שְׁלֹשִׁים (*shlowshiym*) means 'thirty' and can also refer to 'thirtieth' as an ordinal number. It is an indeclinable noun and is derived from the root word for 'three.' The entries indicate that it is used in various contexts, but there are no significant disagreements among the lexicons.
שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) 174 n.indecl. thirty
bef. n. sg.
as ordin.
base
H7970 שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) n. indecl. thirty . bef. n. sg.
. as ordin.
7970 shlowshiym shel-o-sheem'
or shloshiym {shel-o-sheem'}; multiple of 7969; thirty; or
(ordinal) thirtieth:--thirty, thirtieth. Compare 7991.
see HEBREW for 07969
see HEBREW for 07991
שְׁלֹשִׁים (she.lo.shim) — thirty.
thirty, thirtieth
Aramaic equivalent: te.la.tin (תְּלָתִין "thirty" H8533)
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
אֶ֫לֶף (eleph) means 'thousand' in Hebrew. It can refer to the numeral itself or denote a company or clan, particularly a group of men under one leader. The word is built from the concept of a thousand, and it is associated with the ox's head, which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand
base
H505 אֶ֫לֶף thousand
505 'eleph eh'-lef
prop, the same as 504; hence (the ox's head being the first
letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral)
a thousand:--thousand.
see HEBREW for 0504
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand.
: thousand
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand: clan.
: clan
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
HAcbsa — HAcbsa
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
חָמֵשׁ (chamesh) means 'five' in Hebrew. It serves as both a cardinal number and can indicate a multiple of five when combined with another number. The word also has an ordinal form, 'fifth.' The entries consistently define this numeral without any noted disagreement.
חָמֵשׁ, חֲמִשָּׁה 342 n.m. and f. five
base
H2568 חָמֵשׁ, חֲמִשָּׁה five
2568 chamesh khaw-maysh'
masculine chamishshah {kham-ish-shaw}; a primitive numeral;
five:--fif(-teen), fifth, five (X apiece).
חָמֵשׁ (cha.mesh) — five.
1) five
1a) five (cardinal number)
1b) a multiple of five (with another number)
1c) fifth (ordinal number)
HC/Acbsc — ConjunctionHC/Acbsc
fiv (chamesh; pente).
See NUMBER.
מֵאָה (me'ah) means 'hundred' in Hebrew. It can refer to a simple number, a component of a larger number, or a fraction representing one one-hundredth. The entries consistently describe its use as a numeral without significant disagreement.
מֵאָה 583 n.f. hundred
as simple number
as part of larger number
a hundredth part
base
H3967 מֵאָה hundred . as simple number
. as part of larger number
. a hundredth part
3967 me'ah may-aw'
or metyah {may-yaw'}; properly, a primitive numeral; a
hundred; also as a multiplicative and a
fraction:--hundred((-fold), -th), + sixscore.
מֵאָה (me.ah) — hundred.
1) hundred
1a) as simple number
1b) as part of larger number
1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)
Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְאָה "hundred" H3969)
HAcfpa — HAcfpa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.