Numbers 31:13

Summary

Numbers 31:13 reports that Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went out from the camp to meet the returning group. The verse specifies the location of this meeting as outside the camp.

Key words

• va-yetze'u ("and they went out", H3318G) — qal verb, narrative form, plural, though the compound subject (Moses + Eleazar + all the leaders) is introduced only afterward; Hebrew narrative syntax frequently places the verb before a multi-part subject.
• nesi'ei ("leaders of", H5387A) — masculine plural construct noun, grammatically bound to ha'edah ("the congregation", H5712) that follows; this construct chain identifies them specifically as the leaders belonging to the congregation, not leaders in general.
• liqrata-m ("to meet them", H7122G + H9038) — qal infinitive with the preposition li and the third-person plural suffix -m ("them"), expressing purpose: the going-out has this meeting as its goal.
• mi-chutz ("from outside", H2351) — construct noun preceded by the preposition min ("from"), forming part of the idiomatic phrase for "outside of."
• la-machaneh ("of the camp", H4264) — feminine singular noun with the preposition-article combination la, completing the phrase "outside of the camp" as the spatial marker for where the meeting occurs.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence opens with the verb va-yetze'u ("and they went out") before naming the three-part subject: Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation. This verb-first structure is typical of Biblical Hebrew narrative syntax, where the verb's plural form anticipates a subject that is only spelled out afterward. The purpose of the action is expressed through the infinitive construct liqrata-m ("to meet them"), which carries a pronominal suffix identifying the returning group as those being met. The spatial phrase mi-chutz la-machaneh ("outside of the camp") uses a preposition-plus-construct-noun combination to mark the location as external to the camp, distinguishing it from the internal camp space.

Differences between versions

The Septuagint (LXXSWETE) lists the same three-part subject (Moses, Eleazar the priest, all the leaders) but does not include an explicit verb corresponding to va-yetze'u ("they went out"); the Greek text moves directly to εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῖς ("to a meeting for them"), relying on the preceding narrative context rather than repeating a verb of motion. The Vulgate (VULCLEM), by contrast, includes Egressi sunt ("having gone out"), matching the Hebrew's explicit verb of motion. The Spanish SBLIBRE and RV1909, as well as the English BSB, likewise render an explicit verb ("salieron," "went"), aligning with the Hebrew and Vulgate rather than the more elliptical Greek construction.