mal.qo.ach denotes what is taken in conflict, including people and animals taken as booty.

The term most often denotes what has been taken in a military setting: Numbers 31:11, Numbers 31:12, Numbers 31:27, and Numbers 31:32 place it among spoil, captives, people, and animals to be brought in, divided, or counted. In Isaiah 49:24 and Isaiah 49:25, it is what might be taken from a mighty or ruthless person and delivered.

1. Booty taken after battle · dominant

   In Numbers 31:11 the absolute singular noun occurs with spoil and includes people and animals; Numbers 31:12 says such taken material was brought to Moses, Eleazar, and the congregation. In Numbers 31:27 and Numbers 31:32, the same form is material divided between combatants and the congregation and then counted among the army's plunder.

   Numbers 31:11Numbers 31:12Numbers 31:27Numbers 31:32
2. What is taken from a powerful captor · common

   In Isaiah 49:24 and Isaiah 49:25, the absolute singular noun occurs in questions and assurances about taking what belongs to a mighty or ruthless person and delivering it. The APB renders the clauses with “the prey,” while the surrounding lines also speak of captives and deliverance.

   Isaiah 49:24Isaiah 49:25
3. Taken persons and animals under a counted total · rare

   In Numbers 31:26, the construct singular form occurs in the instruction to take a head-count among people and animals. The APB renders the phrase “the prey of the captivity,” indicating a specified body of taken persons and animals for the count.

   Numbers 31:26

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term with “prey” in the Numbers and Isaiah verses. In Numbers 31:26 it renders the larger phrase “the prey of the captivity”; This variation does not by itself establish a different lexical meaning.