Numbers 31:12-22

12 and they brought to Moses, and to Eleazar, the priest, and to all the multitude of the sons of Israel. Soothly they bare other useable things to their tents, standing in the field places of Moab, beside (the) Jordan, against Jericho. (and they brought it all to Moses, and to Eleazar, the priest, and to all the multitude of the Israelites. Yea, they carried all the useable things back to the tents, pitched there on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.)

13 [And] Moses and Eleazar, the priest, and all the princes of the synagogue, went out into the coming of them, without the tents. (And Moses and Eleazar, the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went out to meet them, away from the tents.)

14 And Moses was wroth to the princes of the host, to the tribunes, and the centurions [(to the) leaders of thousands, and governors of hundreds], that came from the battle; (And Moses was angry with the leaders of the army, yea, with the tribunes, that is, the leaders of a thousand men, and the centurions, that is, the leaders of a hundred men, who came back from the battle;)

15 and he said to them, Why kept ye (all) [the] women (alive)?

16 whether it be not these that deceived the sons of Israel, at the suggestion of Balaam, and made you to do trespass against the Lord, upon the sin of Peor, wherefore also the people was slain? (was it not they who deceived the Israelites, at Balaam's suggestion, and made you to trespass against the Lord with your sin at Peor, after which so many of the people then perished with the plague?)

17 And therefore slay ye all the men, whatever is of male kind, and the little children (And so kill ye all the men, yea, whoever is a male, and all the little children); and strangle ye the women that have known men fleshly;

18 soothly keep ye to you the young damsels, and all women virgins, (but you can keep for yourselves the young girls, and all the women who still be virgins,)

19 and dwell ye without the tents seven days. He that slayeth a man, or toucheth a slain man, shall be cleansed in the third [day], and the seventh day; (and then stay ye away from the tents for seven days. He who killeth a man, or toucheth a dead man, must cleanse both himself, and his captives, on the third day, and on the seventh day;)

20 and of all the prey, whether it is cloth, or vessel, and anything made ready to things pertaining to use, of the skins and hairs of goats, and wood, it shall be cleansed. (and all the spoils, whether it is a cloak, or a vessel, or anything made out of skin, or of goat hair, or of wood, must also be made clean, or purified.)

21 And Eleazar, the priest, spake thus to the men of the host that fought, This is the commandment of the law, which the Lord commanded to Moses,

22 The gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and tin, and lead,

Numbers 31:12-22 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.