וימסרו, even under protest, something that could be due to Moses’ death having been linked to the conclusion of this campaign (verse 2). Israelites, in order to prolong Moses’ life might refuse to join this expedition. (compare Sifri 157)

את השבי, human beings;

ואת המלקוח, livestock;

ואת השלל, inert portable objects.

אל מחוץ למחנה, so that the returning soldiers would not immediately enter the camp, seeing they had become contaminated through contact with dead Midianites.

אך במי נדה, a reference to the waters containing the ash of the red heifer that would be used to cleanse them from their ritual impurity. It would also be used to purify other items, such as remnants of forbidden foods absorbed by the walls of the captured pots and pans.

עבדיך נשאו את ראש.....לא נפקד ממנו איש, by pestilence. [Even when no casualties are suffered in battle, it would be normal for someone among 12.000 men to experience some fatal disease such as a pestilence. This is why we will present our offering to G’d consisting of items of captured gold jewelry, which we vowed as such before making the count, hoping thereby to protect ourselves against any plague This is why G’d commanded to use these items as something to be used in connection with the Temple service. We have already heard about contributions of such coins serving the purpose of fending off pestilence or plague in Exodus 30,12 where Moses had been commanded to accept silver coins as a form of expiation and to utilise them in the construction of the Tabernacle. The same was to be done with these contributions called קרבן, a gift to assure oneself of becoming closer to G’d. I have heard this interpretation from my father Rabbi Meir, and it is the principal meaning of our verse.