^31:17Now therefore kill every boy,¹⁹ and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man.²⁰^31:18But all the young women²¹ who have not had sexual intercourse with a man²² will be yours.²³

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Footnotes

19 Heb “every male among the little ones.” The command in holy war to kill women and children seems in modern times a terrible thing to do (and it was), and something they ought not to have done. But this criticism fails to understand the situation in the ancient world. The entire life of the ancient world was tribal warfare. God’s judgment is poured out on whole groups of people who act with moral abandonment and in sinful pursuits. See E. J. Young, My Servants, the Prophets, 24; and J. W. Wenham, The Enigma of Evil.
20 Heb “every woman who has known [a] man by lying with a man.”
21 Or “girls.” The Hebrew indicates they would be female children, making the selection easy.
22 Heb “who have not known [a] man by lying with a man.”
23 Many contemporary scholars see this story as fictitious, composed by the Jews during the captivity. According to this interpretation, the spoils of war here indicate the wealth of the Jews in captivity, which was to be given to the Levites and priests for the restoration of the sanctuary in Jerusalem. The conclusion drawn from this interpretation is that returning Jews had the same problem as the earlier ones: to gain a foothold in the land. Against this interpretation of the account is a lack of hard evidence, a lack which makes this interpretation appear contrived and subjective. If this was the intent of a later writer, he surely could have stated this more clearly than by making up such a story.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

So now, kill every male among the dependents and kill every woman who has gone to bed with a man, but keep alive for yourselves all the young females who have not gone to bed with a man.

NLTNew Living Translation

So kill all the boys and all the women who have had intercourse with a man. Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now kill every male among the little children, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man. But all the females who have not had sexual intercourse with a man, keep alive for yourselves.

KJV 1900King James Version

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

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