Numbers 31:23-33

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.

24 Ye shall also wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterwards ye shall come into the camp.

25 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou and Eleazar, the priest, and the heads of the fathers of the congregation,

27 and divide the prey into two parts between those that took the part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.

28 And offer a tribute unto the LORD from the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons and of the oxen and of the asses and of the sheep.

29 Take it from their half and give Eleazar, the priest, the offering of the LORD.

30 And of the half belonging to the sons of Israel, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of animals and give them unto the Levites, who keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.

31 And Moses and Eleazar, the priest, did as the LORD commanded Moses.

32 And the prey, that is the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep

33 and seventy-two thousand oxen

Numbers 31:23-33 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.