1And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 2Execute the vengeance of the sons of Israel against the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people. 3And Moses spoke to the people, saying, Some men of you be armed for the army, and they shall be against Midian, to give the vengeance of Jehovah on Midian; 4you shall send to the army a thousand for a tribe as to all the tribes of Israel. 5And a thousand for a tribe were given out of the thousands of Israel, twelve thousand armed of the army. 6And Moses sent them to the army, a thousand for a tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the army. Also he sent the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound in his hand. 7And they warred against Midian, as Jehovah had commanded Moses, and killed every male. 8And they killed the kings of Midian, besides the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9And the sons of Israel took the women of Midian captive, and their infants, and all their livestock, and all their cattle. And they plundered all their wealth. 10And they burned all their cities with fire, their homes, and all their towers. 11And they took all the plunder, and all the prey, among man and among animal. 12And they brought it to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel; the captives, and the prey, and the plunder, to the camp, to the plains of Moab which are by Jordan, near Jericho. 13And Moses and Eleazar the priest, and all the rulers of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp. 14And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds who came from the service of the war. 15And Moses said to them, Have you saved all the women alive? 16Behold, these through the word of Balaam became to the sons of Israel a deliverance of treachery against Jehovah in the matter of Peor; and the plague was on the company of Jehovah. 17And now kill every male among the infants; yea, you shall kill every woman having known a man by lying with a male. 18And you shall keep alive for yourselves all the female children who have not known a man by lying with a male. 19And encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever has killed any person, and whoever touched a pierced one, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives. 20And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood, you shall purify them. 21And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to battle, This is the statute of the law which Jehovah has commanded Moses: 22only the gold, the silver, the copper, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23everything that passes through the fire, you shall make it go through the fire; and it shall be clean. Only it shall be purified with the water for impurity. And every thing that cannot go through the fire, you shall make go through the water. 24And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterwards you shall come into the camp. 25And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 26Lift the heads of the prey of the captives, among man and among beast, you and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers of the congregation. 27And you shall divide the prey between those handling the war, who went out to the army, and all the congregation. 28And you shall levy a tribute to Jehovah from the men of war who went out to the battle: one body out of five hundred, of men, and of the herd, and of the asses, and of the flock, 29you shall take from their half, and you shall give to Eleazar the priest as the heave offering of Jehovah. 30And from the sons of Israel’s half, you shall take one portion out of fifty, of man, and of the herd, and of the asses, and of the flock, of all the livestock, and you shall give them to the Levites keeping the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah. 31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 32And the prey, the rest of the plunder which the people of the army plundered, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, 33and seventy-two thousand oxen, 34sixty-one thousand of the asses; 35and of human beings, of the women who had not known a man by lying with a male, the persons were thirty-two thousand. 36And the half, the portion of those who went out to the war, the number of the flock was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred. 37And the tribute to Jehovah of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five, 38and the oxen, thirty-six thousand; and their tribute to Jehovah, seventy-two; 39and the asses thirty thousand five hundred; and their tribute to Jehovah, sixty-one; 40and the human beings sixteen thousand; and their tribute to Jehovah, thirty-two persons. 41And Moses gave the tribute, the heave offering of Jehovah, to Eleazar the priest, as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 42And of the sons of Israel’s half, which Moses divided from the men who warred: 43even the congregation’s half was three hundred and thirty seven thousand, five hundred of the flock; 44and of the oxen, thirty-six thousand; 45and thirty thousand five hundred asses; 46and sixteen thousand human beings. 47Moses took from the sons of Israel’s half the one portion from the fifty of man and of animal. And he gave them to the Levites keeping the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah, as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 48And the officers who were over the thousands of the army, heads of the thousands and heads of the hundreds, drew near to Moses. 49And they said to Moses, Your servants have lifted the heads of the men of war who were with us, and not a man of us is missing. 50And we bring near Jehovah’s offering, each what he has found, vessels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and jewels, to atone for ourselves before Jehovah. 51And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all crafted things. 52And all the gold of the heave offering which they lifted up to Jehovah was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels, from the heads of thousands and from the heads of hundreds, 53men of the army had each man taken plunder for himself. 54And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the heads of the thousands and of the hundreds. And they brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, a memorial for the sons of Israel before Jehovah.
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge 1 Num 31:1 The Midianites are spoiled, and Balaam slain.
Num 31:13 Moses is wroth with the officers, for saving the women alive.
Num 31:19 How the soldiers, with their captives and spoil, are to be purified.
Num 31:25 The proportion in which the prey is to be divided.
Num 31:48 The voluntary oblation unto the treasury of the Lord.
Num 31:1 2 Avenge.
Num 31:3 Num 25:17 Num 25:18 Deut 32:35 Judg 16:24 Judg 16:28 -
Judg 16:30 Ps 94:1 -
Ps 94:3 Isa 1:24 Nah 1:2 Luke 21:22 Rom 12:19 Rom 13:4 1Thess 4:6 Heb 10:30 Rev 6:10 Rev 18:20 Rev 19:2the Midianites.
Num 25:6 Num 25:14 -
Num 25:18 Gen 25:1 -
Gen 25:4 Exod 2:16gathered.
Num 27:13 Gen 15:15 Gen 25:8 Gen 25:17 Judg 2:10 Acts 13:36 3 Arm some.
Exod 17:9 -
Exod 17:13avenge the Lord. It was God's quarrel, not their own, that they were now to take up. These people were idolaters, and had seduced the Israelites to practise the same abominations. Idolatry is an offence against God; and the civil power has no authority to meddle with what belongs to Him, without especial directions, certified, as in this case, in the most unequivocal manner. Private revenge, ambition, or avarice were to have no place in this business: Jehovah is to be avenged; and through Him, the children of Israel, (ver. 2,
Num 31:2) because they were nearly ruined by their idolatries. If Jehovah, instead of punishing sinners by earthquakes, pestilence, or famine,is pleased expressly to command any person or people to avenge his cause, this commission justifies, nay sanctifies, war, massacre, or devastation. Though none at present shew such a commission, yet the Israelites could; and it is therefore absurd to censure Moses, Joshua, and Israel, for the dreadful slaughter made by them. God himself passed sentence of condemnation, and employed them merely as ministers of his vengeance; and unless it could be proved that the criminals did not deserve their doom, or that God had no right to punish his rebellious creatures, such objectors only shew their enmity to God by becoming the unsolicited advocates of his enemies.
Num 25:11 Num 25:13 Exod 17:16 Lev 26:25 Judg 5:2 Judg 5:23 2Kgs 9:7 2Kgs 10:30 Jer 46:10 Jer 50:28 4 Of every tribe a thousand. Heb. A thousand of a tribe, athousand of a tribe. a thousand.
Lev 26:8 Judg 7:2 1Sam 14:6 5 Num 31:5 6 a thousand. Twelve thousand in all--a small number in proportion to all Israel, or to the forces which they had to encounter. As they were under the conduct of captains of thousands and hundreds, they probably had no general; for Phinehas seems to have accompanied them simply to take charge of "the holy instruments;" probably the ark and silver trumpets.
Phinehas.
Num 25:7 -
Num 25:13the holy instruments.
Num 14:44 Num 33:20 -
Num 33:22 Exod 25:9 Josh 6:4 -
Josh 6:6 Josh 6:13 -
Josh 6:15 1Sam 4:4 1Sam 4:5 1Sam 4:17 1Sam 14:18 1Sam 23:9 2Sam 11:11to blow.
Num 10:8 Num 10:9 2Chr 13:12 -
2Chr 13:15 7 all.
Deut 20:13 Deut 20:14 Judg 21:11 1Sam 27:9 1Kgs 11:15 1Kgs 11:16the males.
Judg 6:1 Judg 6:2 Judg 6:33 8 the kings.
Num 22:4 Josh 13:21 Josh 13:22Zur.
Num 25:15 Num 25:18Balaam.
Num 22:10 Num 24:25 Josh 13:22 Ps 9:16 Ps 10:2 1Tim 6:9 1Tim 6:10 2Pet 2:15 Jude 1:11 Rev 2:14 Rev 19:20 9 Num 31:15 Num 31:16 Deut 20:14 2Chr 28:5 2Chr 28:8 -
2Chr 28:10 10 Josh 6:24 1Sam 30:1 1Kgs 9:16 Isa 1:7 Rev 18:8 11 Deut 20:14 Josh 8:2 12 the plains of Moab.
Num 22:1 13 went forth.
Gen 14:17 1Sam 15:12 1Sam 30:21without the camp.
Num 31:12 Num 31:22 -
Num 31:24 Num 5:2 Num 19:11 14 wroth.
Num 12:3 Exod 32:19 Exod 32:22 Lev 10:16 1Sam 15:13 1Sam 15:14 1Kgs 20:42 2Kgs 13:19 Eph 4:26battle. Heb. host of war.
15 Deut 2:34 Deut 20:13 Deut 20:16 -
Deut 20:18 Josh 6:21 Josh 8:25 Josh 10:40 Josh 11:14 1Sam 15:3 Ps 137:8 Ps 137:9 Jer 48:10 Ezek 9:6 16 these caused.
Num 24:14 Num 25:1 -
Num 25:3 Pro 23:27 Eccl 7:26 2Pet 2:15 Rev 2:14in the matter.
Num 25:18 Deut 4:3 Josh 22:17and there.
Num 25:9 17 kill every male. The sword of war should spare women and children, as incapable of resisting; but the sword of justice knows no distinction, except that of guilty or not guilty, or more or less guilty. This was the execution of a righteous sentence upon a guilty nation, in which the women were the greatest criminals; and it may safely be said, that their lives were forfeited by their personal transgressions. With respect to the execution of the male infants, who cannot be supposed to have been guilty, God, the author and supporter of life, who has a right to dispose of it when and how he thinks proper, commanded it; and "shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
Judg 21:11 Judg 21:12him. Heb. a male.
18 keep alive for yourselves. It has been groundlessly asserted, that Moses here authorised the Israelites to make concubines of the whole number of female children; and an insidious objection against his writings has been grounded upon this monstrous supposition. But the whole tenor of the law, and especially a statute recorded in
Deut 21:10 -
Deut 21:14, proves most decisively to the contrary. They were merely permitted to possess them as female slaves, educating them in their families, and employing them as domestics; for the laws concerning fornication, concubinage, and marriage, were in full force, and prohibited an Israelite even from marrying a captive, without delays and previous formalities; and if he afterwards divorced her, he was to set here at liberty, "because he had humbled her."
Lev 25:44 Deut 20:14 Deut 21:10 -
Deut 21:14 2Chr 28:8 -
2Chr 28:10 Isa 14:2 19 abide. Though the Israelites had acted by the commission of God, yet they had contracted pollution by touching the dead; and the spoil having been used by idolaters, must also be purified in the prescribed manner.
Num 5:2 Num 19:11 -
Num 19:22 1Chr 22:8 20 raiment.
Num 19:14 -
Num 19:16 Num 19:22 Gen 35:2 Exod 19:10that is made. Heb. instrument, or, vessel.
21 Num 30:16 22 Num 31:22 23 abide.
Isa 43:2 Zech 13:9 Mal 2:2 Mal 2:3 Matt 3:11 1Cor 3:13 1Pet 1:7 1Pet 4:12 Rev 3:18it shall be purified.
Num 8:7 Num 19:9 Num 19:17ye shall make.
Lev 11:32 Lev 15:17 Eph 5:26 Titus 3:5 Titus 3:6 1Pet 3:21 24 Num 19:19 Lev 11:25 Lev 14:9 Lev 15:13 25 Num 31:25 26 that was taken. Heb. of the captivity.
Num 31:26 27 two parts.
Josh 22:8 1Sam 30:4 1Sam 30:24 1Sam 30:25 Ps 68:12 28 levy.
Gen 14:20 Josh 6:19 Josh 6:24 2Sam 8:11 2Sam 8:12 1Chr 18:11 1Chr 26:26 1Chr 26:27 Pro 3:9 Pro 3:10 Isa 18:7 Isa 23:18 Isa 60:9 Matt 22:21one soul.
Num 31:30 Num 31:47 Num 18:26 29 an heave.
Num 18:26 Exod 29:27 Deut 12:12 Deut 12:19 30 one portion.
Num 31:42 -
Num 31:47flocks, or, goats. and give.
Num 31:28 Num 18:24 -
Num 18:28 1Cor 9:13 1Cor 9:14keep the.
Num 3:7 Num 3:8 Num 3:25 Num 3:31 Num 3:36 -
Num 3:39 Num 18:1 -
Num 18:5 Num 18:23 1Chr 9:27 -
1Chr 9:29 1Chr 23:32 1Chr 26:20 -
1Chr 26:27 Acts 20:28 1Cor 4:2 Col 4:17 Heb 13:17 31 Num 31:31 32 the booty. It appears from the enumeration here, that the Israelites, in this war with the Midianites, took 32,000 female prisoners, 61,000 asses, 72,000 beeves, and 675,000 sheep and small cattle; besides the immense number of males who fell in battle, and the women and children who were slain by the divine command. (ver. 17.
Num 31:17) This booty was divided into equal parts, by which partition a far larger share was justly given to the warriors employed on the expedition, who were only 12,000, than to those, who being equally willing to go, were ordered to stay in the camp. Each party was to give a certain proportion to Jehovah, as their sovereign, in grateful acknowledgement that to him they owed their success. The soldiers to give to the Lord one out of every five hundred persons, beeves, asses, and sheep, (ver. 28,
Num 31:28) and the people, who by staying at home risked nothing, and had no fatigue, were to give one out of fifty of each of the above to the Levites, who were far more numerous than the priests. (ver. 30.
Num 31:30) The booty, its division among the soldiers and people, and the proportion given by each to the Lord and to the Levites, will be seen at one view by the following table:--
Sheep . . . . 675,000 To soldiers . . . 337,500 To God. . . . . . 675 To people . . . . 337,500 To Levites. . . . 6,750
Beeves. . . . 72,000 To soldiers . . . 36,000 To God. . . . . . 72 To people . . . . 36,000 To Levites. . . . 720
Asses . . . . 61,000 To soldiers . . . 30,500 To God. . . . . . 61 To people . . . . 30,500 To Levites. . . . 610
Persons . . . 32,000 To soldiers . . . 16,000 To God. . . . . . 32 To people . . . . 16,000 To Levites. . . . 320
It does not appear that a single ox, sheep, or ass, was required by Moses as his portion; or that there was any given to him by the people; and though he had a family as well as others, yet no provision was made for them above the common lot of Levites!
Num 31:32 33 Num 31:33 34 Num 31:34 35 Num 31:35 36 Num 31:36 37 Num 31:37 38 Num 31:38 39 Num 31:39 40 Num 31:40 41 Eleazar.
Num 31:29 -
Num 31:31 Num 18:8 Num 18:19 Matt 10:10 1Cor 9:10 -
1Cor 9:14 Gal 6:6 1Tim 5:17 Heb 7:4 -
Heb 7:6 Heb 7:9 -
Heb 7:12 42 Num 31:42 43 Num 31:43 44 Num 31:44 45 Num 31:45 46 Num 31:46 47 the Levites.
Num 18:21 -
Num 18:24 Deut 12:17 -
Deut 12:19 Luke 10:1 -
Luke 10:8 1Thess 5:12 1Thess 5:13kept the charge.
Num 31:30 Ps 134:1 Isa 56:10 Isa 56:11 48 Num 31:48 49 charge. Heb. hand. lacketh.
1Sam 30:18 1Sam 30:19 Ps 72:14 John 18:9 50 therefore brought. The officers of the army having mustered their men, found they had not lost a man in the contest with Midian! Penetrated with gratitude for this most remarkable interposition of Providence in their favour, they now offer to Jehovah the golden jewels which they had found among the spoil, to the amount of 16,750 shekels, equal to Ł37,869 16s. 5d. of our money.
an oblation.
Ps 107:15 Ps 107:21 Ps 107:22 Ps 116:12 Ps 116:17gotten. Heb. found. an atonement.
Exod 30:12 Exod 30:15 Exod 30:16 Lev 17:11 51 Num 7:2 -
Num 7:6 52 offering. Heb. heave-offering.
Num 31:52 53 Deut 20:14 54 a memorial.
Num 16:40 Exod 30:16 Josh 4:7 Ps 18:49 Ps 103:1 Ps 103:2 Ps 115:1 Ps 145:7 Zech 6:14 Luke 22:19 Acts 10:4
