Numbers 31:13-38

13 Moses and the priest Eleazar went to meet them outside the camp. So did all of the leaders of the community.

14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army who had returned from the battle. Some of them were the commanders of thousands of men. Others were the commanders of hundreds.

15 "Have you let all of the women remain alive?" Moses asked them.

16 "The women followed Balaam's advice. They caused the people of Israel to turn away from the Lord. The people worshiped the god Baal that was worshiped at Peor. So a plague struck them.

17 Kill all of the boys. And kill every woman who has made love to a man.

18 But save for yourselves every woman who has never made love to a man.

19 "All of you who have killed anyone must stay outside the camp for seven days. And all of you who have touched anyone who was killed must do the same thing. On the third and seventh days you must make yourselves pure. You must also make your prisoners pure.

20 Make all of your clothes pure and clean. Everything that is made out of leather, goat hair or wood must be made pure."

21 Then the priest Eleazar spoke to the soldiers who had gone into battle. He said, "Here is what the law the LORD gave Moses requires.

22 All of your gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead

23 must be put through fire. So must everything else that doesn't burn up. Then those things will be 'clean.' But they must also be made pure with the special water. In fact, everything that won't burn up must be put through that water.

24 On the seventh day wash your clothes. And you will be 'clean.' Then you can come into the camp."

The People Divide Up What They Had Taken

25 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,

26 "Here is what you and the priest Eleazar and the family heads of the community must do. You must count all of the people and animals you took.

27 Divide up some of what you took with the soldiers who fought in the battle. Divide up the rest with the others in the community.

28 "Set apart a gift for me. Take something from the soldiers who fought in the battle. Set apart one out of every 500 people, cattle, donkeys, sheep and goats.

29 Take my gift from the soldiers' half. Give it to the priest Eleazar. It is my share.

30 "Also take something from the half that belongs to the people of Israel. Choose one out of every 50 people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats or other animals. Give them to the Levites. They are accountable for taking care of my holy tent."

31 So Moses and the priest Eleazar did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

32 What the soldiers took included 675,000 sheep.

33 There were also 72,000 cattle

34 and 61,000 donkeys.

35 And there were 32,000 women who had never made love to a man.

36 Here is the half that belonged to those who had fought in the battle. There were 337,500 sheep.

37 From among them, the LORD's gift was 675.

38 There were 36,000 cattle. From among them, the LORD's gift was 72.

Numbers 31:13-38 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.