Numbers 31:16

¹⁴ And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.

¹⁵ And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

¹⁷ Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

¹⁸ But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: “Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.
KJV: Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
WEB: Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.
ASV: Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah.
DARBY: Lo, these, through the counsel of Balaam, caused the children of Israel to commit sin against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague on the assembly of Jehovah.
BLB: Behold, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against YHWH in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of YHWH.

ÅB: Det var jo de som på Bileams råd forførte Israels barn til troløshet mot Herren for Peors skyld, så sotten kom over Herrens menighet.
OTB: Se, det var de som etter Bileams råd fikk israelittene til å være utro mot Herren ved Peor, slik at en plage rammet Herrens folk.
B1930: Det var jo de som på Bileams råd forførte Israels barn til troløshet mot Herren for Peors skyld, så sotten kom over Herrens menighet.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

2 Peter 2:15
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
Read in context
Numbers 25:1–9
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
Read in context
Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Read in context
Deuteronomy 4:3
Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.
Read in context
Joshua 22:17
Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,
Read in context
Numbers 24:14
And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
Read in context
Proverbs 23:27
For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
Read in context
Numbers 25:18
For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor’s sake.
Read in context