Numbers 31:37

Paleo Hebrew Niqqud

RBT Hebrew Interlinear:

ויהי וַיְהִי

and he is being

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wāw

Definition

sequential 'and'

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

Vav Conversive/Consecutive: The category “vav conversive / vav consecutive” is not an ancient grammatical datum; it is a modern explanatory construct, developed by early Hebraists to force Biblical Hebrew into a Latin/chronological tense model that it simply does not share.

The notion arose in early modern grammar (17th–19th c.) when scholars assumed:
- verbs must encode tense,
- narratives must advance by past → present → future,
- therefore Hebrew forms that “don’t behave” must be converted.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

היה

hâyâh

Definition

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

Root

a primitive root (compare H1933 (הוא));

Exhaustive

a primitive root (compare הוא); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary); beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H1961

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

הָיָה

verb • Root היה • Strongs / High • Page 397

To be, to exist, to live, to become. A substantive verb used to unite a subject and predicate. It can also mean to happen, to arise, or to belong to. Used in a wide variety of grammatical constructions.

הָיָה

verb • Root היה • Strongs / High • Page 591

To be, to become, to exist. The common Hebrew verb for 'to be', considered the root of the divine name.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

הַיָּה

noun feminine • Page 185

Keri הַוָּה suffering, calamity. Job 6: 2; 30: 13.

הָיָה

verb • Page 184

1. To be (Ex. 20:3, Num. 10:31, etc.); 2. to become (Ex. 4:4, Hos. 3:3, etc.); 3. to happen (Is. 19:15).

conjunctive, Verb Qal sequential imperfect third person masculine singular

LXX: ἔσται ἐγένετο ἦν ἐγενήθη ἔσονται

LXX Usage Statistics

H1961:

ἔσται 827× (22.9%)

ἐγένετο 634× (16.8%)

ἦν 280× (7.9%)

ἐγενήθη 215× (5.8%)

ἔσονται 160× (4.5%)

ἦσαν 134× (3.8%)

ἐγένοντο 83× (2.3%)

'' 74× (1.9%)

--- 73× (2.2%)

εἶναι 67× (1.7%)

המכס הָמֶּכֶס

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ה

Definition

the

Root

Demonstrative primitive

Exhaustive

definite article, the, used for all numbers and genders; originally a pronoun demonstrative, this. interrogative particle in direct and indirect questions; in disjunctive questions: whether--or.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

מכס

mekeç

Definition

an assessment (as based upon a census)

Root

probably from an unused root meaning to enumerate;

Exhaustive

probably from an unused root meaning to enumerate; an assessment (as based upon a census); tribute.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H4371

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

מֶכֶס

m. noun • Root כסס • Strongs / High • Page 848

a determinate number, a firm settlement, hence census, tax, tribute. Also a Numidian city name.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

מֶכֶס

noun masculine • Root כסס • Page 374

A tribute, census, vectigal. Num. 31:28, 37—41.

Particle definite article, Noun common both singular absolute

LXX: τέλοσ

LXX Usage Statistics

H4371:

τέλοσ 6× (100.0%)

ליהוה לַיהוָה

to He is

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ל

lə

Definition

to, for

Root

A primitive particle; a prefix

Exhaustive

(lamed) — to / toward / for

Core value: orientation, directionality, belonging
ל is often mistranslated as purpose (“in order to”), but that smuggles in future-time. In reality, ל marks:
- movement toward,
- dedication unto,
- reference with respect to.
Aonically, ל is vectorial, not teleological.
not “for the sake of a future outcome”
but “oriented toward a locus or pole.”
This is why possession (“belongs to”) and motion (“toward”) use the same preposition: both indicate relational alignment, not time.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

יהוה

Yᵉhôvâh

Definition

Jehovah, Jewish national name of God

Root

from H1961 (היה); (the) self-Existent or Eternal;

Exhaustive

from היה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יה, יהוה.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3068

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

יְהֹוָה

noun masculine • Root יהה • Strongs / High • Page 590

A pre-Mosaic old Semitic name of the supreme God, which was specially revealed for the older אֵל at the establishment of the Mosaic religion, as an abstract of all divine greatness and holiness.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

יְהֹוָה

proper name • Page 275

The proper name of the deity among the ancient Hebrews. Interpreted as 'the eternal, unchangeable, true' or 'he who is as he shall be.' The text discusses various ancient pronunciations (IAΩ, IABE, IETΩ) and its derivation from the future of הָיָה.

Preposition, Noun proper name

LXX: κύριοσ κυρίου κυρίῳ κύριον κύριε

LXX Usage Statistics

H3068:

κύριοσ 2605× (41.8%)

κυρίου 1742× (27.8%)

κυρίῳ 598× (8.8%)

κύριον 473× (7.1%)

κύριε 336× (5.4%)

--- 129× (2.1%)

'' 95× (1.3%)

θεὸσ 76× (1.0%)

θεοῦ 69× (0.9%)

θεῷ 28× (0.4%)

מן מִן־

from out of

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

מן

min

Definition

properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses

Root

or מני; or מני; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for H4482 (מן);

Exhaustive

or מני; or מני; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for מן; properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses; above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, [idiom] neither, [idiom] nor, (out) of, over, since, [idiom] then, through, [idiom] whether, with.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H4480

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

מִן

m. / preposition • Root מנן • Strongs / High • Page 865

A part, portion. Also used as a preposition: from, of, out of.

מִן

preposition • Strongs / High • Page 866

A preposition with the primary meaning 'from'. It denotes separation, removal from an object, motion from a thing in space and time, origin, or a part taken from a whole. Its meanings include 'from', 'out of', 'away from', and it is used to indicate source material, descent, and in comparisons ('than').

מִן

preposition • Strongs / High • Page 867

A preposition primarily meaning 'from' or 'out of'. Its various uses include indicating: source or origin (from, by); cause or means (through, by); separation, removal, or avoidance (away from, without); and forming the comparative degree with adjectives and verbs, equivalent to 'than' (e.g., better than, wiser than). It can also denote preference (more than, instead of).

מִן

preposition • Root מן • Strongs / High • Page 868

A preposition primarily signifying separation, 'from' or 'out of'. Its uses include: denoting removal from a place, origin, or cause; in comparisons, meaning 'than'; in a partitive sense, meaning 'some of', 'one of', or 'a part of'; and in a temporal sense, meaning 'from' or 'since' a particular time. It also appears in negative formulas like 'of nothing' or 'not any one'.

מִן

preposition • Strongs / High • Page 869

A primary preposition with a wide range of meanings including: from, out of, away from (separation); since, after (temporal); because of, on account of (causal); used in a negative sense 'that not', especially with verbs of hindering or preventing.

מִן

preposition • Strongs / High • Page 870

A preposition primarily meaning 'from,' denoting source, separation, or position. It can express concepts such as 'from the opposite side,' 'from below,' 'from above,' 'out of,' 'away from,' and 'from under.'

מִן

aram. prep. (aramaic) • Strongs / High • Page 870

Aramaic preposition, same as the Hebrew מִן. 1. from, denoting the source whence a thing comes or the cause by which. 2. expressing intensity or increase, meaning 'above' or 'more than'. 3. used in a partitive sense.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

מִן

prefix • Root מנן , • Page 383

1. from (denoting a part). Hence: from the womb (Judg. 16:17); on this side of (1 Sam. 20:21). Often partitive: 'some of' (Lev. 5:9). 2. of, out of (Ps. 45:14). 3. at, in, on, by, in specifications of time and place. 4. on account of, concerning, de (Lev. 6:11 [6:18]).

מִן

unknown • Root מן • Page 350

Out of, from. See the full form מִן.

מִן

preposition • Page 384

A preposition with multiple uses on this page including: 5. towards, to (Gen. 13:11, Judg. 7:1); 6. against (Dan. 11:3, Deut. 33:7); 7. before, in presence of (Nah. 1:5, Num. 32:22); 8. more than (comparative) (Judg. 2:19, Jer. 5:3); 9. by, through (expressing cause) (Job 7:14, Cant. 3:10, Ecc. 12:11); 10. without (Job 11:15, 21:9); 11. before an infinitive expressing 'because', 'since', or 'so that... not' (Deut. 7:8, 2 Chr. 31:10, Gen. 27:1, Ex. 14:5); 12. before a future as a conjunction 'that not', 'lest' (Deut. 33:11); 13. [cut off] from being (Jer. 2:25, 48:2).

מִן

m. plur. מִנִּים • Page 383

a string. Ps. 150:4. Perhaps also Ps. 45:9 מִנִּי as an uncommon plural form.

מַן

chald. pron. • Page 383

1. who? what? Ezra 5:3, 9. Dan. 3:15. 2. מַן־דִּי whosoever, quicunque. Dan. 3:6, 11. 4:14. [4:17.]

Preposition

LXX: ἀπὸ ἐκ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ''

LXX Usage Statistics

H4480a:

ἀπὸ 252× (23.4%)

ἐκ 244× (22.7%)

ἀπ' 136× (12.6%)

ἐμοῦ 65× (5.0%)

'' 43× (3.4%)

αὐτῆσ 42× (3.3%)

--- 32× (3.0%)

ἀφ' 17× (1.6%)

παρὰ 16× (1.5%)

παρ' 14× (1.3%)

הצאן הָצּאן

the Flock

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ה

Definition

the

Root

Demonstrative primitive

Exhaustive

definite article, the, used for all numbers and genders; originally a pronoun demonstrative, this. interrogative particle in direct and indirect questions; in disjunctive questions: whether--or.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

צאן

tsôʼn

Definition

a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats); also figuratively (of men)

Root

or צאון; (Psalm 144:13), from an unused root meaning to migrate;

Exhaustive

or צאון; (Psalm 144:13), from an unused root meaning to migrate; a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats); also figuratively (of men); (small) cattle, flock ([phrase] -s), lamb ([phrase] -s), sheep(-cote, -fold, -shearer, -herds).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H6629

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

צֹאן

noun feminine • Root יצק • Strongs / High • Page 1210

f. coll. properly a heap, a herd, a mass; hence 1. a troop of men; commonly 2. small cattle, sheep and goats (without a plural form).

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

צֹאן

noun feminine • Page 560

a collective noun denoting small cattle, i.e. sheep and goats. Gen. 27:9. Lev. 1:10. 22:21.

Particle definite article, Noun common both singular absolute

LXX: πρόβατα προβάτων πρόβατά ὡσ ποίμνια

LXX Usage Statistics

H6629:

πρόβατα 113× (37.7%)

προβάτων 75× (24.6%)

πρόβατά 20× (6.4%)

ὡσ 18× (6.8%)

ποίμνια 8× (2.8%)

ποιμνίων 8× (2.6%)

κτήνη 6× (1.9%)

προβάτοισ 5× (1.3%)

--- 5× (1.9%)

ποίμνιον 4× (1.3%)

שש שֵׁשׁ

six

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

שש

shêsh

Definition

six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the hand); as ord. sixth

Root

masculine ששה; a primitive number; compare H7797 (שוש)

Exhaustive

masculine ששה; a primitive number; compare שוש; six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the hand); as ord. sixth; six(-teen, -teenth), sixth.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H8337

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

שֵׁשׁ

numeral • Strongs / High • Page 1041

Six (Comparative example for interchange with Ayin, corresponding to 'sex' in context)

שֵׁשׁ

numeral • Root שש • Strongs / High • Page 1488

(Numeral) Six. Includes feminine form (שִׁשָׁה), construct form (שֵׁשֶׁת), and denotes sixty (שִׁשִּׁים).

שֵׁשׁ

numeral • Strongs / High • Page 1489

six (numeral).

שֵׁשׁ

noun masculine • Root שוש • Strongs / High • Page 1489

1. white marble, for pillars. 2. fine white linen, Egyptian byssus or cotton, used for priestly garments.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

שֵׁשׁ

m. 1. • Root שוש • Page 702

1. white marble. Est. 1: 6. Cant. 5: 15. elsewhere שַׁיִשׁ. 2. byssus, fine white Egyptian cotton, also cloth made of it. Gen. 41: 42. Ex. 26: 1. 27: 9, 18. 28: 39. Prov. 31: 22. The later name is בּוּץ q. v. Under each of them linen is sometimes included.

שֵׁשׁ

f. and שִׁשָּׁה / const. שֵׁשֶׁת / m. • Root שדש • Page 702

six, a contraction of שֶׁדֶשׁ (like לֶדֶת by contraction מִלֶּדֶת, to bring forth.) Plur. שִׁשִׁים com. gen. sixty.

Adjective cardinal number both singular construct

LXX: ἓξ ἑξακόσιοι δέκα ἑξακόσια ''

LXX Usage Statistics

H8337:

ἓξ 45× (21.8%)

ἑξακόσιοι 36× (16.3%)

δέκα 10× (4.2%)

ἑξακόσια 8× (3.9%)

'' 7× (2.9%)

τριάκοντα 7× (2.8%)

ἑκκαίδεκα 7× (3.2%)

πεντήκοντα 7× (2.7%)

εἴκοσι 6× (2.6%)

ἑξήκοντα 6× (2.3%)

מאות מֵאוֹת

hundred

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

מאה

mêʼâh

Definition

a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction

Root

or מאיה; properly, a primitive numeral

Exhaustive

or מאיה; properly, a primitive numeral; a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction; hundred((-fold), -th), [phrase] sixscore.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3967

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

מֵאָה

f. noun • Root מאה • Strongs / High • Page 798

A multitude, a heap; then a hundred, either as a large round sum or a definite number. Its dual form מָאתַיִם means two hundred, and its plural מֵאוֹת means hundreds.

מֵאָה

numeral noun / f. • Strongs / High • Page 799

A hundred; a hundred-fold; the hundredth. Also used to denote extent or greatness, as in מִגְדַּל הַמֵּאָה (tower of extent, giant-tower).

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

מֵאָה

f. const. מְאַת / dec. xi. b. • Page 351

a hundred. Includes various forms like dual מָאתַיִם and plur. מֵאוֹות. (Gen. 17:17, 25:7; Prov. 17:10; Ecc. 8:12). Also prob. interest, usury (Neh. 5:11). Also proper name of a tower in Jerusalem (Neh. 3:1, 12:39).

Adjective cardinal number feminine plural absolute

LXX: ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι πεντήκοντα τριάκοντα διακόσιοι

LXX Usage Statistics

H3967:

ἑκατὸν 146× (18.2%)

εἴκοσι 46× (5.0%)

πεντήκοντα 44× (4.5%)

τριάκοντα 39× (4.3%)

διακόσιοι 38× (4.8%)

ἑξακόσιοι 33× (4.1%)

πέντε 25× (2.1%)

ἑπτακόσιοι 23× (2.8%)

δύο 22× (1.9%)

τριακόσιοι 21× (2.7%)

חמש חָמֵשׁ

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

חמש

châmêsh

Definition

five

Root

masculine חמשה; a primitive numeral;

Exhaustive

masculine חמשה; a primitive numeral; five; fif(-teen), fifth, five ([idiom] apiece).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H2568

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

חָמֵשׁ

numeral / cardinal / feminine • Root חמש • Strongs / High • Page 501

Five (feminine cardinal number).

חָמֵשׁ

unknown • Strongs / High • Page 1363

Word derived from an old noun-ending (-שׁ), from חָמָם.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

חִמֵּשׁ

pi. denom. • Root חמש • Page 236

to cause to pay one fifth part as a tithe or tax. Gen. 41:34.

חָמֵשׁ

f. and m. • Page 236

five. Plur. חֲמִשִּׁים fifty.

Adjective cardinal number both singular absolute

LXX: πέντε εἴκοσι πεντακόσιοι '' πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ

LXX Usage Statistics

H2568:

πέντε 209× (47.9%)

εἴκοσι 34× (7.5%)

πεντακόσιοι 25× (6.0%)

'' 12× (2.7%)

πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ 11× (2.2%)

πεντακοσίουσ 10× (2.6%)

δέκα 9× (2.1%)

πεντεκαίδεκα 8× (2.0%)

πεντακόσια 7× (1.7%)

τριάκοντα 7× (1.5%)

ושבעים וְשִׁבְעִים׃

and seventy

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wə

Definition

and

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

The conjunctive ו is not merely a fixed coordinator with a stable semantic value (“and/but/or/then”). Its core function is linkage, not meaning. It binds units into a single discourse field—phrases, clauses, or whole scenes—while leaving the logical relation to be inferred from aspect, word order, genre, and context.

So the variability in translation (“and / but / or / even / then”) is not polyvalence in the particle; it is underspecification by design. The language expects the reader/hearer to perceive the relation rather than have it encoded.

Crucially, conjunctive ו does not imply temporal sequence. It implies continuity of attention. Think of it as:
- “this belongs with what precedes,”
- “remain within the same frame,”
“do not reset the discourse.”
This is why Hebrew can chain dozens of clauses with ו without subordination or explicit logic markers. The text advances by accumulation, not by branching syntactic trees. Meaning arises from the interaction:
- Aspect (qatal / yiqtol / participle),
- Position (fronted elements, resumptive nouns),
- Genre (law, narrative, oracle),
- Context (who speaks, to whom).
The ו simply keeps the circuit closed so these cues can operate together. Remove tense assumptions, and the system becomes coherent.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

שבעים

shibʻîym

Definition

seventy

Root

multiple of H7651 (שבע);

Exhaustive

multiple of שבע; seventy; seventy, threescore and ten ([phrase] -teen).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H7657

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

שִׁבְעִים

numeral • Strongs / High • Page 1375

Seventy (used as a round number, or to express manifoldness).

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

שִׁבְעִים

plur. • Root שבע • Page 652

seventy, often used as a round number. Gen. 50:3, Gen. 4:24.

Conjunction, Adjective cardinal number masculine plural absolute

LXX: ἑβδομήκοντα δύο πέντε ἑκατὸν τέσσαρεσ

LXX Usage Statistics

H7657:

ἑβδομήκοντα 84× (68.0%)

δύο 7× (4.8%)

πέντε 6× (3.6%)

ἑκατὸν 5× (4.3%)

τέσσαρεσ 4× (3.2%)

τρεῖσ 3× (2.1%)

ἐννακόσιοι 2× (1.7%)

τριακόσιοι 2× (1.7%)

ἑπτά 2× (1.3%)

RBT Translation:

No verse found

RBT Paraphrase:
No verse found

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And the tribute to Jehovah will be from the sheep, six hundred five and seventy.

LITV Translation:
And the tribute to Jehovah of the sheep was six hundred and seventy five,

Brenton Septuagint Translation:
And the tribute to the Lord from the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.