Numbers 31:1-20

Vengeance on the Midianites

1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the LORD’s vengeance on them.
4 Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.”
5 So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel.
6 Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
7 They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man.
8 Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder.
10 They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps.
11 They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals,
12 and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.
14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.
15 “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them.
16 “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the LORD’s people.
17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,
18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.
19 “Anyone who has killed someone or touched someone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives.
20 Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.”

Numbers 31:1-20 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.

Cross References 32

  • 1. S Genesis 25:2
  • 2. S Numbers 20:26; Numbers 27:13
  • 3. Judges 11:36; 1 Samuel 24:12; 2 Samuel 4:8; 2 Samuel 22:48; Psalms 94:1; Psalms 149:7; Isaiah 34:8; Jeremiah 11:20; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel 25:17
  • 4. ver 6,21
  • 5. S ver 5
  • 6. S Exodus 6:25
  • 7. Numbers 14:44
  • 8. S Numbers 10:2; Numbers 10:9
  • 9. Numbers 25:16
  • 10. Deuteronomy 20:13; Judges 21:11; 1 Kings 11:15,16
  • 11. Joshua 13:21
  • 12. S Numbers 25:15
  • 13. S Numbers 22:5; S Numbers 24:14
  • 14. Joshua 13:22
  • 15. ver 15
  • 16. S Genesis 34:29
  • 17. Joshua 6:24; Joshua 8:28; Joshua 11:11; Judges 18:27
  • 18. Genesis 25:16; 1 Chronicles 6:54; Psalms 69:25; Ezekiel 25:4
  • 19. ver 26; Deuteronomy 20:14; 2 Chronicles 28:8
  • 20. ver 32,53; Genesis 49:27; Exodus 15:9
  • 21. S Numbers 27:2
  • 22. Numbers 22:1
  • 23. ver 48; Exodus 18:21; Deuteronomy 1:15; 2 Samuel 18:1
  • 24. S Numbers 22:5; S Numbers 24:14; S 2 Peter 2:15; Revelation 2:14
  • 25. S Numbers 23:28; Numbers 25:1-9
  • 26. S Numbers 14:37
  • 27. Deuteronomy 7:2; Deuteronomy 20:16-18; Judges 21:11
  • 28. Numbers 19:16
  • 29. S Leviticus 21:1
  • 30. Numbers 19:12
  • 31. Numbers 19:19
  • 32. S Leviticus 11:32
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