Therefore kill all that are of the male sex, even of the children: and put to death the women, that have carnally known men.

And now slay every male among the little ones, and slay every woman that hath known man by lying with him,

'And now, slay ye every male among the infants, yea, every woman known of man by the lying of a male ye have slain;

So now put every male child to death, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man.

Therefore, put to death all of them: whatever is of the male sex, even among the little ones, and cut the throats of those women who have known men by sexual relations.

Nunc ergo occidite omnes mares in parvulis, et omnem mulierem qum cognoverit virum concubitu masculi, occidite.

Kill every male among the little ones - For this action I account simply on the principle that God, who is the author and supporter of life, has a right to dispose of it when and how he thinks proper; and the Judge of all the earth can do nothing but what is right. Of the women killed on this occasion it may be safely said, their lives were forfeited by their personal transgressions; and yet even in this case there can be little doubt that God showed mercy to their souls. The little ones were safely lodged; they were taken to heaven and saved from the evil to come.

Now therefore kill every male among the (g) little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
(g) That is, all the boy children.

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones,.... Which they had taken and brought captives, Numbers 31:9.
and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him; who might be such, at least many of them, who had lain with Israelitish men; and as the adulterers had been put to death, so now the adulteresses; or they were ordered to, be slain, even all of them, lest they should entice the children of Israel to uncleanness, and so to idolatry again: now these were known to be such, either by conjecture at their age, or rather, through the examination of matrons, unless it can be thought, as it is by some, that it was by divine revelation.

The little ones - Which they were forbidden to do to other people, Deuteronomy 20:14, except the Canaanites, to whom this people had equaled themselves by their horrid crimes, and therefore it is not strange, nor unjust, that God, the supreme Lord of all mens lives, who as he gives them, so may take them away when he pleaseth, did equal them in the punishment. Every woman - Partly for punishment, because the guilt was general, and though some of them only did prostitute themselves to the Israelites, yet the rest made themselves accessary by their consent or approbation; and partly, for prevention of the like mischief from such an adulterous generation.