Numbers 31:13-20

Purification from war

13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs of the community went to meet them outside the camp.

14 Moses became angry with the commanders of the army, the officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds, who came back from the battle.

15 Moses said to them, "Have you let all the women live?

16 These very women, on Balaam's advice, made the Israelites break faith with the LORD in the affair at Peor, so there was a plague among the LORD's community.

17 Now kill every male child and every female who has known a man intimately by sleeping with him.

18 But all the young girls who have not known a man intimately by sleeping with him, spare for yourselves.

19 You will remain outside the camp for seven days. Everyone among you or your captives who has killed a person or touched a corpse must purify themselves on the third and seventh days.

20 You must also purify every garment, and everything made of leather, goats' hair, or wood."

Numbers 31:13-20 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.