Numbers 31:49

Num 31:49 And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which [are] under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

Ver. 49. And there lacketh not one man of us.] A wonderful work of God; a whole nation cut off with no loss at all. "This was the Lord’s own doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." {Psa 118:23} Surely, if the Grecians so thankfully acknowledged to their Jupiter that overthrow they gave to the Persians, by Themistocles, and called him Eλευθεριος, their deliverer, how much more might these Israelites celebrate the unparalleled goodness of their gracious God in this so unbloody a victory!

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hebrew, under our hands.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(49) There lacketh not one man of us.—It is obvious from the smallness of the number of the Israelitish warriors, as well as from the reference to those chiefs only of the Midianites who were the vassals of Sihon, and from the strength of the Midianitish nation in the time of Gideon (Judges 6-8), that the attack was made only upon that particular portion of the nation which had been concerned in the seduction of the Israelites to the worship of Baal Peor. The Midianites were probably attacked in an unprepared and defenceless state. After due allowance, however, has been made for all these circumstances, the fact that not a single Israelitish warrior perished can be satisfactorily explained only on the supposition that God vouchsafed to grant to His people miraculous aid and protection.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

49. The officers report the safe return of every single Israelite soldier. No element of success must be absent from the ideal picture of a sacred victory.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

There is no mention of any resistance on the part of the Midianites. The Israelites saw in this and in the preservation of all those engaged, proofs that the Lord had been with them in the work, and hence, the free-will oblation of Num 31:50.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Wanting. Septuagint, "all were unanimous," (Origen,) and "all answered to their names." Thus God was pleased to shew, that his Providence had directed the battle. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

THE FREEWILL THANK OFFERING TO JEHOVAH, Num_31:48-54.

49. There lacketh not one man — The supernatural element in this campaign is seen in this astonishing report of the officers of the army, that not a man of the twelve thousand who went forth to this war failed to answer to the roll call on their last review before entering the camp. It is remarkable that in all the record of Joshua’s conquest of Western Palestine there is no dead list, save in the case of the defeat before Ai, which was in consequence of unpunished sin in the camp. Joshua 7, notes.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

There lacketh not one man of us. The officers naturally regarded this as a very wonderful circumstance; and so indeed it was, whether Midian made any resistance or not. It was, however, in strict keeping with the promises of that temporal dispensation. It would have been no satisfaction to the Israelite who fell upon the threshold of the promised land to know that victory remained with his comrades. His was not the courage of modern soldiers, who fling away their lives in blind confidence that some advantage will accrue thereby to the army at large; rather, he fought under the conviction that to each, as well as to all, life and victory were pledged upon condition of obedience and courage. In this ease no one was found unfaithful, and therefore no one was allowed to fall.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

ולא נפקד means THERE IS NOT LACKING. Its translation in the Targum is לא שגא which, too, in the Aramaic language means “lacking”, just as the words (Genesis 31:39) אנכי אחטנה “I will make good the shortage”, are translated in the Targum by דהות שגיא ממנינא that which was lacking of the number (cf. Rashi on that verse), and so, too, is (I Samuel 20:18) “For thy seat יִפָּקֵד”, i.e., the place where you sat will lack the man who usually sat there. And similar is (I Samuel 20:15) “וַיִפָּקֵד the place of David” — his place lacked, and no man sat there.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

THY SERVANTS HAVE TAKEN THE SUM OF THE MEN OF WAR THAT ARE UNDER OUR CHARGE, AND THERE LACKETH NOT ONE MAN OF US. [The meaning of this is]: “G-d has wrought a great salvation through us, for not one of all those men of war that were under our charge died, or was wounded by the sword so that he would be missing from the host; and therefore we want to bring the Eternal’s offering [to Him] Who saved us, to give before Him the atonement for our souls because He redeemed [us] from death, and in war from the power of the sword.” And our Rabbis have interpreted [the verse as follows]: “And there lacketh not one man — [going off] to commit a sin.” That is to say, they were continually under our charge, and not a single one of our brothers who were in the host went off to another place to commit a sin.” And Moses said to them: “If so, what is this offering for?” They replied, “To make atonement for our souls — sinful “thoughts of the heart.”

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.