Numbers 31:13-23

13 And Moses and Eleazar, the priest, and all the princes of the congregation went forth to meet them outside the camp.

14 And Moses was angry with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds who returned from the battle.

15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

16 Behold, these caused the sons of Israel through the counsel of Balaam to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor for which there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones and kill every woman that has known a man by lying with him.

18 But all the female children that have not known a man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.

19 And ye must abide outside the camp seven days; and whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any dead body ye shall remove the sin from them on the third and on the seventh day, both of yourselves and of your captives.

20 Likewise remove all sin from all your clothing and all that is made of skins and all work of goats’ hair and every vessel made of wood.

21 And Eleazar, the priest, said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;

22 certainly the gold and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23 every thing that may endure the fire, ye shall cause to pass through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless, ye shall remove the sin with the water of separation; and all that does not endure the fire ye shall cause to go through the water.

Numbers 31:13-23 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.