Numbers 31:3 (KJV)

Words Then and Now

spake spoke Still heard today: Thus Spake Zarathustra, the famous opening music of 2001: A Space Odyssey Webster’s 1828 · Speak

What these words mean in the King James Bible, and where you’ll still hear them today.

Thou and Ye

yourselves more than one

In the King James Bible, thee, thou, thy, and thine always mean one person, and ye, you, and your more than one: a difference modern English lost. Why keep these words?

Matthew Henry

War with MidianAll who, without commission from God, dare to execute private revenge, and who, from ambition, covetousness, or resentment, wage war and desolate kingdoms,...

Thompson Chains

MosesLink 14 of 18 · next Deuteronomy 33:1
WarriorsSee the chain from Numbers 32:17 · 11 links
MidianLink 5 of 11 · next Judges 6:1

Cross References

Leviticus 26:25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
Exodus 17:9–13 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. …
Exodus 17:16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
Numbers 25:11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
Numbers 25:13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
Judges 5:2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
Judges 5:23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
2 Kings 9:7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.
2 Kings 10:30 And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
Jeremiah 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
Jeremiah 50:28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.

From OpenBible.info, most relevant first.

Topics

Israel Conquest of the Midianites
Midianites And rich spoil taken

Timeline

Timeline of the Bible1491–1451 BC · Israel in the Wilderness

Places

MidianRegion · today Al Bad · Location well established
Places in Numbers 31 on a map

Bible Dictionary

MosesDrawn (or Egypt. mesu, “son;” hence Rameses, royal son). On the invitation of Pharaoh (Gen 45:17–25), Jacob and his sons went down into...
LordThere are various Hebrew and Greek words so rendered.
MidianStrife, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, the father of the Midianites (Gen 25:2; 1 Chr 1:32).

Hebrew and Strong’s

And Moses מֹשֶׁה mōšê מֹשֶׁה Proper name
spake וַיְדַבֵּר waydabbēr דָבַר Verb · piel sequential imperfect, third person masculine singular · with and
unto the people אֶל ʾel Preposition הָעָם hāʿām עַם Noun · masculine singular · with the
saying לֵאמֹר lēʾmōr אָמַר Verb · qal infinitive construct · with preposition
Arm הֵחָלְצוּ hēḥolṣû חָלַץ Verb · niphal imperative, second person masculine plural
some אֲנָשִׁים ʾănāšîm Noun · masculine plural אֱנוֹשׁ ʼĕnôwsh
of yourselves unto the war לַצָּבָא laṣṣābāʾ צָבָא Noun · masculine or feminine singular · with preposition with the
and let them go against the Midianites מֵאִתְּכֶם mēʾittĕkem Preposition · with suffix: second person masculine plural וְיִהְיוּ wĕyihyû Verb · qal imperfect, third person masculine plural · with and עַל ʿal Preposition מִדְיָן midyān מִדְיָן Proper name
and avenge לָתֵת lātēt נָתַן Verb · qal infinitive construct · with preposition נִקְמַת niqmat נְקָמָה Noun · feminine singular construct
the LORD יְהוָה yhwh יְהֹוָה Proper name
of Midian בְּמִדְיָן bĕmidyān מִדְיָן Proper name · with preposition

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex, Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible · CC BY 4.0