Numeri 31:3

3 Da redete Mose mit dem Volk und sprach: Rüstet unter euch Leute zum Heer wider die Midianiter, daß sie den HERRN rächen an den Midianitern,

Numeri 31:3 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 31:3

And Moses spake unto the people, saying
In obedience to the divine command; this must be supposed to be spoken to the heads or princes of the tribes:

arm some of yourselves unto the war:
not the whole body of the militia, 600,000 men and upwards, only some of them, and these choice and select men; and, according to the Jewish writers, good men, who, detesting the sins of lewdness and idolatry, would more strictly and severely avenge themselves on the Midianites for drawing their brethren into those sins, whereby they fell; and so Jarchi calls them righteous men:

[and] let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of
Midian:
what the Lord calls the vengeance of the Israelites, Moses calls the vengeance of the Lord, because they were the Lord's people, and his cause and theirs the same: and because the sins they were drawn into by the Midianites were not only against themselves, and to their prejudice, but against the Lord and to the dishonour of his name.

Numeri 31:3 In-Context

1 Und der HERR redete mit Mose und sprach:

2 Räche die Kinder Israel an den Midianitern, daß du darnach dich sammelst zu deinem Volk.

3 Da redete Mose mit dem Volk und sprach: Rüstet unter euch Leute zum Heer wider die Midianiter, daß sie den HERRN rächen an den Midianitern,

4 aus jeglichem Stamm tausend, daß ihr aus allen Stämmen Israels in das Heer schickt.

5 Und sie nahmen aus den Tausenden Israels je tausend eines Stammes, zwölftausend gerüstet zum Heer.