Numbers 31:41

Summary

Moses hands over to Eleazar the priest the tax taken from the special contribution belonging to Yehovah, doing so exactly as Yehovah had instructed him. The verse closes the account of the war spoils by formalizing the priestly share.

Key words

• va-yitten ("and he gave", H5414G) — narrative vav + qal verb marking this as the next event in the sequence of actions Moses performs.
• mekhes ("tax/levy of", H4371) — masculine singular noun in construct state, meaning it must be joined to what follows; it names the portion taken as a due.
• terumat ("contribution of", H8641) — feminine singular noun, also construct, forming a chain with mekhes: "the tax of the contribution of Yehovah," a double construct stacking two technical terms for a designated offering.
• tzivvah ("he had commanded", H6680) — piel perfect verb, denoting a completed, intensive act of command; used with ka'asher ("as", H0834D) to form the comparative clause that closes the verse.
• kohen ("priest", H3548) — masculine singular noun with the definite article ha- (H9009), identifying Eleazar by his office rather than only by name.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built around a single main verb, va-yitten ("and he gave"), followed by two direct objects marked by 'et (H0853): first the compound construct phrase mekhes terumat Yehovah ("the tax of the contribution of Yehovah"), then the recipient le-El'azar ha-kohen ("to Eleazar the priest"). The double construct chain (mekhes + terumat + Yehovah) stacks three nouns into one dense technical expression, naming a specific levy drawn from a portion already designated as belonging to Yehovah. The verse ends with a subordinate clause introduced by ka'asher ("as") plus the piel perfect tzivvah ("he had commanded"), which frames the entire transaction as compliance with an earlier divine instruction rather than an independent decision by Moses.

Differences between versions

The LXX splits the single Hebrew action into two directions: it renders tzivvah order about giving τὸ τέλος ("the tax") Κυρίῳ ("to the Lord") and separately τὸ ἀφαίρεμα τοῦ θεοῦ ("the offering of God") to Eleazar, whereas the Hebrew construct chain presents one combined object (the tax/contribution) given entirely to Eleazar. The LXX also uses two different terms, Κύριος and θεός, where the Hebrew uses Yehovah (H3068G) only once in that phrase. The Vulgate's numerum primitiarum Domini ("the count of the first-fruits of the Lord") keeps the object unified and given to Eleazar, closer to the Hebrew structure than the LXX's divided phrasing.