Discovery BoxNumbers 31:49-54 
Context31:49 and said to him, 1 “Your servants have taken a count 2 of the men who were in the battle, who were under our authority, 3 and not one is missing. 31:50 So we have brought as an offering for the Lord what each man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves 4 before the Lord.” 5 31:51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all of it in the form of ornaments. 31:52 All the gold of the offering they offered up to the Lord from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds weighed 16,750 shekels. 6 31:53 Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. 31:54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders 7 of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial 8 for the Israelites before the Lord.
1 tn Heb “to Moses”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 tn Heb “lifted up the head.”
3 tn Heb “in our hand.”
4 tn Heb “our souls.”
5 sn The expression here may include the idea of finding protection from divine wrath, which is so common to Leviticus, but it may also be a thank offering for the fact that their lives had been spared.
6 sn Or about 420 imperial pounds.
7 tn The Hebrew text does not repeat the word “commanders” here, but it is implied.
8 tn The purpose of the offering was to remind the
