Numbers 31:15-25

15 "Why did you let all the women live?" he asked them.

16 "Remember, they were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and caused the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD in the incident that took place at Peor. The LORD's community experienced a plague at that time.

17 So kill all the Midianite boys and every Midianite woman who has gone to bed with a man.

18 But save for yourselves every girl who has never gone to bed with a man.

19 "Everyone who killed a person or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp seven days. You and your prisoners of war must use the ritual water on the third and seventh days in order to take away your sin.

20 Do the same for all the clothes and everything made of leather, goats' hair, or wood."

21 Then the priest Eleazar said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, "This is what the LORD's teachings told Moses to do:

22 Any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead--

23 anything that won't burn--must be put through fire in order to make it clean. Then it must also be put through the ritual water in order to take away its sin. Whatever might burn must [only] be put through the ritual water.

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

25 The LORD said to Moses,

Numbers 31:15-25 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.