Numbers 31:32

"Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep, and three-score and twelve thousand oxen, and threescore and one thousand asses, and thirty and two thousand persons in all, of the women that had not known man by lying with him. And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep: and Jehovah's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and three-score and fifteen. And the oxen were thirty and six thousand; of which Jehovah's tribute was threescore and twelve. And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which Jehovah's tribute was threescore and one. And the persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Jehovah's tribute was thirty and two persons. And Moses gave the tribute, which was Jehovah's heave-offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as Jehovah commanded Moses."

The enormous quantities of live-stock mentioned here were "in accordance with the habits of the Midianites in the days of Gideon (Judges 6:5) and of their modern representatives today."[26] It is also noticeable that the numbers given here are "round numbers," apparently being calculated in round thousands. Whitelaw also stated that, "The Israelites seem always to have employed this device in enumerations."[27]