Numbers 31:14-24

14 And Moses was angrie with the officers of the hoste with ye captaynes ouer thousandes and ouer hundredes which came from warre and batayle

15 and sayde vnto them: Haue ye saued the wemen alyue?

16 beholde these caused the childern of Israel thorow Balam to commytt trespace agest ye Lorde by ye reason of Peor and their folowed a plage amoge ye congregacion of the Lorde.

17 Nowe therfore slee all the men childern and the wemen that haue lyen with men fleshlye:

18 But all the wemen children that haue not lyen with men kepe alyue for youre selues.

19 And lodge without the hoste .vij. dayes all that haue killed any persone and all that haue twiched any dead body and purifye both youre selues and youre presoners the .iij. daye and the .vij.

20 And sprinkle all youre raymentes and all that is made of skynnes and all worke of gootes heer ad all thynges made of wodd.

21 And Eleazer the preast sayed vnto all ye me of warre which went out to batayle: this is the ordinaunce of the lawe which the Lorde commaunded Moses:

22 Gold syluer brasse yeron tyn and leed

23 and all that maye abyde ye fyre ye shall make it goo thorow the fyre ad then it is cleane. Neuerthelater it shalbe sprinkled with sprinklinge water. And all yt soffereth not the fyre ye shall make goo thorow the water.

24 And wash youre clothes the seuenth daye and then ye are cleane. And afterwarde come in to the hoste.

Numbers 31:14-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 31

This chapter contains an order to make war upon Midian, which was accordingly done, Nu 31:1-12, but Moses was wroth, because they saved the women alive, who, through the counsel of Balaam, had been the cause of sin, and of the plague for it in Israel, and therefore orders them, and the male children, to be slain, Nu 31:13-18, and then directs to the purification of the soldiers, their captives and spoil, Nu 31:19-24, and by the command of God an account is taken of the prey, and a division of it made between the soldiers and the congregation, and out of each part a tribute is levied for the Lord, Nu 31:25-31 and the sum of the whole booty is given, Nu 31:32-35 and of the part which belonged to the soldiers, and of the tribute given to the Lord, Nu 31:36-41 and of the part which belonged to the children of Israel, Nu 31:42-47 and besides the above tribute to the Lord, the officers made a voluntary oblation out of their spoil, both by way of gratitude for sparing their lives, and to make atonement for their souls, Nu 31:48-54.