Numbers 31:33-43

33 And seventy two thousand beeves,

34 And sixty one thousand asses,

35 And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.

36 And the half [which was] the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep:

37 And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy five.

38 And the beeves [were] thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] seventy two.

39 And the asses [were] thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] sixty one.

40 And the persons [were] sixteen thousand, of which the LORD'S tribute [was] thirty and two persons.

41 And Moses gave the tribute, [which was] the LORD'S heave-offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

42 And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,

43 (Now the half [that pertained to] the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand [and] seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

Numbers 31:33-43 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.