A large number associated with war spoils and military strength in the Old Testament
The number 36000 appears several times in the Bible. In connection with the war spoils after the victory over the Midianites, 36000 cattle are mentioned as part of the collected plunder, of which 72 were given as a tribute to the Lord (Num 31:38, 44). In 1 Chron 7:4 it is stated that the tribe of Issachar had 36000 men fit for war, a figure reflecting the size and military capacity of the tribe. The number can be broken down into 36 × 1000, where 1000 often functions as a symbol of completeness and great quantity in biblical language. Although 36000 is not assigned its own symbolic meaning in classical Jewish tradition, the biblical occurrences link it to themes such as God's providence through war spoils and the strength of Israel's tribes. The number 36 has independent significance in Jewish tradition. According to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 97b; Sukkah 45b), there are always 36 righteous people in the world, known as Lamed-Vav Tzadikim (ל"ו צדיקים). However, this tradition is linked to the number 36 itself, and not to 36,000. The levy of 72 cattle from 36,000 (Num 31:38) corresponds to a rate of 1 in 500, which was the prescribed offering to the Lord from the soldiers' share of the war spoils (Num 31:28).*