Numbers 31:25-35

25 The LORD said to Moses,

26 "You, the priest Eleazar, and the heads of the families of the community need to count all the loot, including the people and animals you captured.

27 Divide the loot between the soldiers who served in the war and the rest of the community.

28 Collect a tax for the LORD. From the soldiers who served in the war collect one out of every 500 things. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

29 Collect all these things from the soldiers' half of the loot, and give them to the priest Eleazar as a contribution to the LORD.

30 From the Israelites' half of the loot, collect one out of every 50 things. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and every other kind of animal. Give them to the Levites who are in charge of the work done at the LORD's tent."

31 Moses and the priest Eleazar did as the LORD commanded Moses.

32 This is the loot that was left from everything that the troops took: 675,000 sheep and goats,

33 72,000 cattle,

34 61,000 donkeys, and

35 32,000 women who had never gone to bed with a man.

Numbers 31:25-35 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.