Numbers 31

ENGWEBEnglish54 verses

1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2“Avenge the children of Israel for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

3Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh’s vengeance on Midian.

4Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war.”

5So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

6Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

7They fought against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses. They killed every male.

8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.

9The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods, they took as plunder.

10All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.

11They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal.

12They brought the captives, and the prey, and the plunder, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

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

14Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

15Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive?

16Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh.

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

18But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

19“Encamp outside of the camp seven days. Whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives.

20As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves.”

21Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, “This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses:

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

23everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity. All that doesn’t withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.

24You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”

25Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

26“Count the plunder that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation;

27and divide the plunder into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.

28Levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred; of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks.

29Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh’s wave offering.

30Of the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of Yahweh’s tabernacle.”

31Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.

32Now the plunder, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

33and seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

34and sixty-one thousand donkeys,

35and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.

36The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:

37and Yahweh’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.

38The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which Yahweh’s tribute was seventy-two.

39The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which Yahweh’s tribute was sixty-one.

40The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh’s tribute was thirty-two persons.

41Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh’s wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

42Of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men who fought

43(now the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44and thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

45and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

46and sixteen thousand persons),

47even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of Yahweh’s tabernacle; as Yahweh commanded Moses.

48The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses.

49They said to Moses, “Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us.

50We have brought Yahweh’s offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh.”

51Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold, even all worked jewels.

52All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.

53The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.

54Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh.

Commentary

CHAPTER 31Nu 31:1-54. The Midianites Spoiled and Balaam Slain.1, 2. the Lord spake unto Moses, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites—a semi-nomad people, descended from Abraham and Keturah, occupying a tract of country east and southeast of Moab, which lay on the eastern coast of the Dead Sea. They seem to have been the principal instigators of the infamous scheme of seduction, planned to entrap the Israelites into the double crime of idolatry and licentiousness [Nu 25:1-3, 17, 18] by which, it was hoped, the Lord would withdraw from that people the benefit of His protection and favor. Moreover, the Midianites had rendered themselves particularly obnoxious by entering into a hostile league with the Amorites (Jos 13:21). The Moabites were at this time spared in consideration of Lot (De 2:9) and because the measure of their iniquities was not yet full. God spoke of avenging "the children of Israel" [Nu 31:2]; Moses spoke of avenging the Lord [Nu 31:3], as dishonor had been done to God and an injury inflicted on His people. The interests were identical. God and His people have the same cause, the same friends, and the same assailants. This, in fact, was a religious war, undertaken by the express command of God against idolaters, who had seduced the Israelites to practise their abominations.

Chapter 31 This chapter belongs to "the book of the wars of the Lord," in which it is probable it was inserted. It is the history of a holy war, a war with Midian. Here is, I. A divine command for the war (v. 1, 2). II. The undertaking of the war (v. 3-6). III. The glorious success of it (v. 7–12). IV. Their triumphant return from the war. 1. The respect Moses paid to the soldiers (v. 13). 2. The rebuke he gave them for sparing the women (v. 14–18). 3. The directions he gave them for the purifying of themselves and their effects (v. 19–24). 4. The distribution of the spoil they had taken, one half to the soldiers, the other to the congregation, and a tribute to the Lord out of each (v. 25–47). 5. The free-will offering of the officers (v. 48, etc.).Verses 1-6 Here, I. The Lord of hosts gives orders to Moses to make war upon the Midianites, and his commission no doubt justified this war, though it will not serve to justify the like without such commission. The Midianites were the posterity of Abraham by Ketuarah, Gen. 25:2. Some of them settled south of Canaan, among whom Jethro lived, and they retained the worship of the true God; but these were settled east of Canaan, and had fallen into idolatry, neighbours to, and in confederacy with, the Moabites. Their land was not designed to be given to Israel, nor would Israel have meddled with them if they had not made themselves obnoxious to their resentment by sending their bad women among them to draw them to whoredom and idolatry. This was the provocation, this was the quarrel. For this (says God) avenge Israel of the Midianites, v. 2. 1. God would have the Midianites chastised, an inroad made upon that part of their country which lay next to the camp of Israel, and which was probably more concerned in that mischief than the Moabites, who therefore were let alone. God will have us to reckon those our worst enemies that draw us to sin, and to avoid them; and since every man is tempted when he is drawn aside of his own lusts, and these are the Midianites which ensnare us with their wiles, on them we should avenge ourselves, not only make no league with them, but make war upon them by living a life of mortification. God had taken vengeance on his own people for yielding to the Midianites’ temptations; now the Midianites, that gave the temptation, must be reckoned with, for the deceived and the deceiver are his (Job 12:16), both accountable to his tribunal; and, though judgment begin at the house of God, it shall not end there, 1 Pt. 4:17. There is a day coming when vengeance will be taken on those that have introduced errors and corruptions into the church, and the devil that deceived men will be cast into the lake of fire. Israel’s quarrel with Amalek, that fought against them, was not avenged till long after: but their quarrel with Midian, that debauched them, was speedily avenged, for they were looked upon as much more the dangerous and malicious enemies. 2. God would have it done by Moses, in his life-time, that he who had so deeply resented that injury might have the satisfaction of seeing it avenged. "See this execution done upon the enemies of God and Israel, and afterwards thou shalt be gathered to thy people." This was the only piece of service of this kind that Moses must further do, and then he has accomplished, as a hireling, his day, and shall have his quietus—enter into rest: hitherto his usefulness must come, and no further; the wars of Canaan must be carried on by another hand. Note, God sometimes removes useful men when we think they can be ill spared; but this ought to satisfy us, that they are never removed till they have done the work which was appointed them.II. Moses gives orders to the people to prepare for this expedition, v. 3. He would not have the whole body of the camp to stir, but they must arm some of themselves to the war, such as were either most fit or most forward, and avenge the Lord of Midian. God said, Avenge Israel; Moses says, Avenge the Lord; for the interests of God and Israel are united, and the cause of both is one and the same. And if God, in what he does, shows himself jealous for the honour of Israel, surely Israel, in what they do, ought to show themselves jealous for the glory of God. Then only we can justify the avenging of ourselves when it is the vengeance of the Lord that we engage in. Nay, for this reason we are forbidden to avenge ourselves, because God has said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay.III.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴን እንዲህ ብሎ ተናገረው፦ አማርኛ ENGNIV The Lord said to Moses, English BCV እግዚኣብሄር ንሙሴ ኸምዙይ በሎ፦ ትግርኛ GAZBIB Waaqayyo yommus Museetti dubbatee, Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወነበቦ እግዚአብሔር ለሙሴ ወይቤሎ፦ giz GAZGAZ Waaqayyo yommus Museetti dubbatee, Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum እግዚኣብሄር ንሙሴ ኸምዙይ በሎ፦ ትግርኛ AMHNIV እግዚአብሔር (ያህዌ) ሙሴን፤ አማርኛ