Numbers 32 · Verse 17

Numbers 32:17

But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
Numbers 32:17, King James Version

Numbers 32:17 in other translations

BSBBut we will arm ourselves and be ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Meanwhile, our little ones will remain in the fortified cities for protection from the inhabitants of the land.
WEBbut we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
ASVbut we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
YLTand we--we are armed hasting before the sons of Israel till that we have brought them in unto their place; and our infants have dwelt in the cities of defence because of the inhabitants of the land;
DARBYbut we ourselves will go with diligence armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the strong cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
BBEBut we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel till we have taken them to their place: but our little ones will be safe in the walled towns against the people of the land.
WebsterBut we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities, because of the inhabitants of the land.

What does Numbers 32:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 32:6-19

6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they had really meditated…

Read the full comment on Numbers 32:6-19 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 Because of the inhabitants of the land - These were the Ammonites, Moabites, Idumeans, and the remains of the Midianites and Amorites. But could the women and children even keep the defenced cities, when placed in them? This certainly cannot be supposed possible. Many of the men of war must of course stay behind. In the last census, Numbers 26, the tribe of Reuben consisted of 43,730 men; the tribe of Gad, 40,500; the tribe of Manasseh, 52,700; the half of which is 26,350. Add this to the sum of the other two tribes, and the amount is 110,580. Now from Jos 4:13 we learn that of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, only 40,000 armed men passed over Jordan to assist their brethren in the reduction of the land: consequently the number of 70,580 men were left behind for the defense of the women, the children, and the flocks. This was more than sufficient to defend them against a people already panic struck by their late discomfitures and reverses.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 32:16-27

Here is the good effect of plain dealing. Moses, by showing their sin, and the danger of it, brought them to their duty, without murmuring or disputing. All men ought to consider the interests of others as well as their own; the law of love requires us to labour, venture, or suffer for each other as there may be occasion. They propose that their men of war should go ready armed before the children of Israel into the…

Read the full comment on Numbers 32:16-27 →

Numbers 32:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַאֲנַ֜חְנוּva.'a.Nach.nuand weH587
נֵחָלֵ֣ץne.cha.Letzwe will equip ourselvesH2502
חֻשִׁ֗יםchu.ShimhurriedH2363
לִפְנֵי֙lif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
עַ֛ד'aduntilH5704
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherthatH834
אִם\־'im-<if>H518
הֲבִֽיאֹנֻ֖םha.vi.'o.Numwe have brought themH935
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מְקוֹמָ֑םme.ko.Mamplace theirH4725
וְיָשַׁ֤בve.ya.Shavand it will remainH3427
טַפֵּ֙נוּ֙ta.Pe.nulittle one[s] ourH2945
בְּעָרֵ֣יbe.'a.Reiin [the] cities ofH5892
הַמִּבְצָ֔רha.miv.Tzar<the> fortificationH4013
מִפְּנֵ֖יmi.pe.Nei<from> because ofH6440
יֹשְׁבֵ֥יyo.she.Vei[the] inhabitants ofH3427
הָאָֽרֶץ\׃ha.'A.retzthe landH776

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 32:17

  • Joshua 4:12-13

    And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.

  • Deuteronomy 3:18-20

    And I commanded you at that time, saying, The Lord your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war. But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you; Until the Lord have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the Lord your God hath given them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.

  • Numbers 32:29-32

    And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession: But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the Lord hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
29-32; De 3:18-20; Jos 4:12,13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 32:16

    And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:

  • Numbers 32:17

    But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

  • Numbers 32:18

    We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

Read all of Numbers 32

Numbers 32:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y nosotros nos armaremos, é iremos con diligencia delante de los hijos de Israel, hasta que los metamos en su lugar: y nuestros niños quedarán en ciudades fuertes á causa de los moradores del país.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et nous nous équiperons promptement pour marcher devant les fils d’Israël, jusqu’à ce que nous les ayons introduits en leur lieu; et nos petits enfants habiteront dans les villes fortes, à cause des habitants du pays.
German
Elberfelder 1871		wir selbst aber wollen uns eilends rüsten vor den Kindern Israel her, bis wir sie an ihren Ort gebracht haben; und unsere Kinder sollen in den festen Städten bleiben vor den Bewohnern des Landes.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		nos autem ipsi armati et accincti pergemus ad prælium ante filios Israël, donec introducamus eos ad loca sua. Parvuli nostri, et quidquid habere possumus, erunt in urbibus muratis, propter habitatorum insidias.