Numbers 31:17-27

17 So kill all the boys and all the women who have had intercourse with a man.

18 Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves.

19 And all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days.

20 Purify all your clothing, too, and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.”

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, “The LORD has given Moses this legal requirement:

22 Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead—

23 that is, all metals that do not burn—must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone.

24 On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp.”

25 And the LORD said to Moses,

26 “You and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders of each tribe are to make a list of all the plunder taken in the battle, including the people and animals.

27 Then divide the plunder into two parts, and give half to the men who fought the battle and half to the rest of the people.

Numbers 31:17-27 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.