1Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, 2‘I want you to avenge the wrongs that the Midianites have committed against the children of Israel. And after that, you will be added to your people.’ 3So, Moses spoke to the people and said, ‘Arm yourselves, then stand before Jehovah in battle lines and [prepare yourselves] to bring Jehovah’s vengeance upon Midian… 4select a thousand from each of the tribes of the children of Israel to go to war.’ 5So they counted off the thousand from each tribe of Israel – twelve thousand – and armed them for war. 6Then Moses sent them off, along with Phineas (the son of EliEzer the Priest and the grandson of Aaron), carrying the holy instruments and the signal trumpets. 7Then they arranged themselves in battle lines against Midian just as Jehovah had commanded Moses, and they destroyed them. 8Thereafter, they killed the five kings of Midian (Evi, Rocon, Sur, Ur, and Roboc)… and they even killed BalaAm (the son of Beor) along with the rest, with a sword. 9Then they took the women of Midian as captives, along with their food, cattle, and all their possessions, and they destroyed their army. 10Next, they burned all their cities, villages, and homes with fire… 11they plundered everything, including the people and their animals, 12and carried off all the captives, spoils, and plunder for Moses, EliEzer the Priest, and the children of Israel, to their camp at ArabOth in Moab, which is near the Jordan River and Jericho. 13Then Moses, EliEzer (the Priest), and all the leaders of the gathering went to the camp to meet them. 14Well, Moses was furious with the captains of the army (the leaders of thousands and of hundreds) who had returned from the battle, 15and he asked them, ‘Why have you kept these women alive? 16They were the ones [who listened to] BalaAm and misled the children of Israel by inciting their revolt and by teaching them to despise the word of Jehovah at Phogor; and that’s why Jehovah sent a plague on the gathering! 17‘Now, kill all the men, destroy all their food, and kill all the women who you know aren’t virgins. 18You may spare any women who you suspect are virgins. 19Then all who have killed or touched dead bodies must stay out of our camp for seven days, and thereafter, you and those who you have captured must be purified on the third day and on the seventh day. 20Then you must purify all your clothes, all you leather utensils, all your goatskin items, and all your wooden bowls.’ 21Then EliEzer (the Priest) told the men from the army who had just returned from battle, ‘This is what the Law that Jehovah gave to Moses says: 22The items of gold, silver, brass, iron, lead, and tin 23must be passed through fire to be cleansed. And whatever can’t be passed through a fire must be sprinkled with the purifying water to be made clean. 24And on the seventh day, you must be cleansed and wash your clothes. Only then may you enter our camp.’ 25Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, 26‘I want you and EliEzer the Priest to take an inventory of the captured people and animals, 27then divide them among the soldiers who went out to battle, and with the rest of gathering. 28And as a tribute to Jehovah from the warriors that went out to battle, take one out of every five hundred of the people, oxen, sheep, and burros, and 29give them to EliEzer the Priest as the first fruits of Jehovah. 30Then from among those things that are given to the children of Israel, you should take one out of fifty of the people, oxen, sheep, and burros, and give them to the Levites who teach at the Tent of Jehovah.’ 31So, Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) did as Jehovah commanded Moses. 32And the plunder that the soldiers took included six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, 33seventy-two thousand oxen, 34and sixty-one thousand burros. 35There were also thirty-two thousand women who were virgins. 36Half of all this was given to the soldiers who went to war. And of the three hundred-thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, they gave 37six hundred and seventy-five sheep as a tribute to Jehovah. 38And of their thirty-six thousand oxen, they gave seventy-two as a tribute to Jehovah; 39of their thirty thousand five hundred burros, they gave sixty-one as a tribute to Jehovah; 40and of the sixteen thousand people, they gave thirty-two of them as a tribute to Jehovah. 41Then Moses presented all the tributes as a wave offering to Jehovah God, [and it was given] to EliEzer the Priest (just as Jehovah had commanded Moses) 42from the half that belonged to the children of Israel who Moses had separated as the men of war. 43So, three hundred-thirty-seven thousand, five hundred sheep were given to the gathering as their half, 44plus thirty-six thousand oxen, 45thirty thousand, five hundred burros, 46and sixteen thousand people. 47And from their half, Moses took a fiftieth of the people and cattle, and gave them to the Levites who teach at the Tent of Jehovah, as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 48Then all those who had been appointed as officers over the army (the captains of thousands and of hundreds) approached Moses and said, 49‘Your servants have counted the men of war among us, and none have been lost. 50And those of us who found things that were made of gold, such as armlets, chains, rings, bracelets, and hair clasps, have brought them as our gift to Jehovah, to pay for our sins.’ 51So, Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) took all the gold items from them, 52and [they found that] the gold the captains of thousands and of hundreds offered to Jehovah was worth sixteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty silver coins. 53But the soldiers kept their plunder for themselves. 54Then Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) took all the gold items that the captains of thousands and hundreds contributed, and placed them in the Tent of Proofs, as a reminder to the children of Israel, there in front of Jehovah.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE MIDIANITES SPOILED AND BALAAM SLAIN. (Num. 31:1-54)
the Lord spake unto Moses, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites--a semi-nomad people, descended from Abraham and Keturah, occupying a tract of country east and southeast of Moab, which lay on the eastern coast of the Dead Sea. They seem to have been the principal instigators of the infamous scheme of seduction, planned to entrap the Israelites into the double crime of idolatry and licentiousness [
Num 25:1-
Num 25:3,
Num 25:17-
Num 25:18] by which, it was hoped, the Lord would withdraw from that people the benefit of His protection and favor. Moreover, the Midianites had rendered themselves particularly obnoxious by entering into a hostile league with the Amorites (
Josh 13:21). The Moabites were at this time spared in consideration of Lot (
Deut 2:9) and because the measure of their iniquities was not yet full. God spoke of avenging "the children of Israel" [
Num 31:2]; Moses spoke of avenging the Lord [
Num 31:3], as dishonor had been done to God and an injury inflicted on His people. The interests were identical. God and His people have the same cause, the same friends, and the same assailants. This, in fact, was a religious war, undertaken by the express command of God against idolaters, who had seduced the Israelites to practise their abominations.
3 Arm some of yourselves--This order was issued but a short time before the death of Moses. The announcement to him of that approaching event [
Num 31:2] seems to have accelerated, rather than retarded, his warlike preparations.
5 there were delivered--that is, drafted, chosen, an equal amount from each tribe, to prevent the outbreak of mutual jealousy or strife. Considering the numerical force of the enemy, this was a small quota to furnish. But the design was to exercise their faith and animate them to the approaching invasion of Canaan.
6 Moses sent . . . Eleazar the priest, to the war--Although it is not expressly mentioned, it is highly probable that Joshua was the general who conducted this war. The presence of the priest, who was always with the army (
Deut 20:2), was necessary to preside over the Levites, who accompanied the expedition, and to inflame the courage of the combatants by his sacred services and counsels.
holy instruments--As neither the ark nor the Urim and Thummim were carried to the battlefield till a later period in the history of Israel, the "holy instruments" must mean the "trumpets" (
Num 10:9). And this view is agreeable to the text, by simply changing "and" into "even," as the Hebrew particle is frequently rendered.
7 they slew all the males--This was in accordance with a divine order in all such cases (
Deut 20:13). But the destruction appears to have been only partial--limited to those who were in the neighborhood of the Hebrew camp and who had been accomplices in the villainous plot of Baal-peor (
Num 25:1-
Num 25:3), while a large portion of the Midianites were absent on their pastoral wanderings or had saved themselves by flight. (Compare
Judg 6:1).
8 the kings of Midian--so called, because each was possessed of absolute power within his own city or district; called also dukes or princes of Sihon (
Josh 13:21), having been probably subject to that Amorite ruler, as it is not uncommon in the East to find a number of governors or pachas tributary to one great king.
Zur--father of Cozbi (
Num 25:15).
Balaam also . . . they slew with the sword--This unprincipled man, on his dismissal from Balak, set out for his home in Mesopotamia (
Num 24:25). But, either diverging from his way to tamper with the Midianites, he remained among them without proceeding farther, to incite them against Israel and to watch the effects of his wicked counsel; or, learning in his own country that the Israelites had fallen into the snare which he had laid and which he doubted not would lead to their ruin, he had, under the impulse of insatiable greed, returned to demand his reward from the Midianites. He was an object of merited vengeance. In the immense slaughter of the Midianitish people--in the capture of their women, children, and property and in the destruction of all their places of refuge--the severity of a righteous God fell heavily on that base and corrupt race. But, more than all others, Balaam deserved and got the just reward of his deeds. His conduct had been atrociously sinful, considering the knowledge he possessed, and the revelations he had received, of the will of God. For any one in his circumstances to attempt defeating the prophecies he had himself been the organ of uttering, and plotting to deprive the chosen people of the divine favor and protection, was an act of desperate wickedness, which no language can adequately characterize.
13 Moses, and Eleazar the priest, . . . went forth to meet them without the camp--partly as a token of respect and congratulation on their victory, partly to see how they had executed the Lord's commands, and partly to prevent the defilement of the camp by the entrance of warriors stained with blood.
14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host--The displeasure of the great leader, though it appears the ebullition of a fierce and sanguinary temper, arose in reality from a pious and enlightened regard to the best interests of Israel. No order had been given for the slaughter of the women, and in ancient war they were commonly reserved for slaves. By their antecedent conduct, however, the Midianitish women had forfeited all claims to mild or merciful treatment; and the sacred character, the avowed object of the war (
Num 31:2-
Num 31:3), made their slaughter necessary without any special order. But why "kill every male among the little ones"? It was designed to be a war of extermination, such as God Himself had ordered against the people of Canaan, whom the Midianites equalled in the enormity of their wickedness.
19 abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person . . . purify both yourselves and your captives--Though the Israelites had taken the field in obedience to the command of God, they had become defiled by contact with the dead. A process of purification was to be undergone, as the law required (
Lev 15:13;
Num 19:9-
Num 19:12), and this purifying ceremony was extended to dress, houses, tents, to everything on which a dead body had lain, which had been touched by the blood-stained hands of the Israelitish warriors, or which had been the property of idolaters. This became a standing ordinance in all time coming (
Lev 6:28;
Lev 11:33;
Lev 15:12).
25 Take the sum of the prey that was taken--that is, of the captives and cattle, which, having been first lumped together according to ancient usage (
Exod 15:9;
Judg 5:30), were divided into two equal parts: the one to the people at large, who had sustained a common injury from the Midianites and who were all liable to serve: and the other portion to the combatants, who, having encountered the labors and perils of war, justly received the largest share. From both parts, however, a certain deduction was taken for the sanctuary, as a thank offering to God for preservation and for victory. The soldiers had greatly the advantage in the distribution; for a five-hundredth part only of their half went to the priest, while a fiftieth part of the congregation's half was given to the Levites.
32 the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught--Some of the captives having been killed (
Num 31:17) and part of the cattle taken for the support of the army, the total amount of the booty remaining was in the following proportions:
Prey Total Amount Half to Soldiers Deducted to God Half to Congregation Deducted to Levites
Sheep 675,000 337,500 675 337,500 6,750
Beeves 72,000 36,000 72 36,000 720
Asses 61,000 30,500 61 30,500 610
Persons 32,000 16,000 32 16,000 320
48 officers . . . said . . . there lacketh not one man of us--A victory so signal, and the glory of which was untarnished by the loss of a single Israelitish soldier, was an astonishing miracle. So clearly betokening the direct interposition of Heaven, it might well awaken the liveliest feelings of grateful acknowledgment to God (
Ps 44:2-
Ps 44:3). The oblation they brought for the Lord "was partly an atonement" or reparation for their error (
Num 31:14-
Num 31:16), for it could not possess any expiatory virtue, and partly a tribute of gratitude for the stupendous service rendered them. It consisted of the "spoil," which, being the acquisition of individual valor, was not divided like the "prey," or livestock, each soldier retaining it in lieu of pay; it was offered by the "captains" alone, whose pious feelings were evinced by the dedication of the spoil which fell to their share. There were jewels to the amount of 16,750 shekels, equal to Ł87,869 16s. 5d. sterling.
