Numbers 31:14-44

14 Moses was angry with the army officers, the commanders over a thousand men, and those over a hundred men, who returned from war.

15 He asked them, "Why did you let the women live?

16 They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and turned the Israelites from the Lord at Peor. Then a terrible sickness struck the Lord's people.

17 Kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations.

18 But save for yourselves the girls who have not had sexual relations with a man.

19 "All you men who killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days you and your captives must make yourselves clean.

20 You must clean all your clothes and anything made of leather, goat hair, or wood."

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, "These are the teachings that the Lord gave to Moses:

22 Put any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead --

23 anything that will not burn -- into the fire, and then it will be clean. But also purify those things with the cleansing water. Then they will be clean. If something cannot stand the fire, wash it with the water.

24 On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may come into the camp."

25 The Lord said to Moses,

26 "You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the family groups should take a count of the goods, the men, and the animals that were taken.

27 Then divide those possessions between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the people.

28 From the soldiers who went to war, take a tax for the Lord of one item out of every five hundred. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.

29 Take it from the soldiers' half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord's share.

30 And from the people's half, take one item out of every fifty. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals. Give that to the Levites, who take care of the Lord's Holy Tent."

31 So Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses.

32 There remained from what the soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep, 3372,000 cattle, 3461,000 donkeys,

33

34

35 and 32,000 women who had not had sexual relations with a man.

36 The soldiers who went to war got 337,000 sheep,

37 and they gave 675 of them to the Lord.

38 They got 36,000 cattle, and they gave 72 of them to the Lord.

39 They got 30,500 donkeys, and they gave 61 of them to the Lord.

40 They got 16,000 people, and they gave 32 of them to the Lord.

41 Moses gave the Lord's share to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded him.

42 Moses separated the people's half from the soldiers' half.

43 The people got 337,500 sheep, 4436,000 cattle, 4530,500 donkeys,

44

Numbers 31:14-44 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.