דברים, פרק ג׳, פסוק ז׳

Following the conquest of the enemy cities, the warriors found themselves in possession of massive amounts of property and livestock. They gathered this wealth as the standard spoils of battle [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Yet, the record of this event captures a subtle shift in how the soldiers felt about their newly acquired riches. While earlier battles featured straightforward accounts of looting, the description of this particular conquest reflects a changing mindset among the troops. At first, the captured wealth was highly prized and eagerly gathered. However, the sheer volume of the treasure was so overwhelming that it altered their perspective. Because of the immense quantities they amassed, the once-coveted spoils eventually lost their appeal, becoming cheap and almost worthless in the eyes of the fighters. This extraordinary abundance is highlighted by a slight expansion in the narrative, which places a new, sweeping emphasis on the entirety of the captured livestock—a detail left out of previous battle accounts. This focus on the vast scale of the animals taken perfectly captures the extreme surplus that ultimately led the warriors to look down upon the very wealth they had fought to secure [בעל הטורים].