I.
Overcoming the Midianites
31:1-54
1.
The commandment of Jehovah to avenge the sons of Israel on the Midianites
vv. 1-2
Num. 31
:1
31:1
Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
Num. 31
:2
31:2
Thoroughly avenge the children of Israel on the
1aMidianites; afterward you will be
bgathered to your people.
2.
The strategy of Moses
vv. 3-6
Num. 31
:3
31:3
And Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm men from among you for the war, that they may come upon Midian to execute Jehovah’s vengeance on Midian.
Num. 31
:4
31:4
A thousand from each tribe, of all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war.
Num. 31
:5
31:5
So out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand for each tribe were committed, twelve thousand armed for war.
Num. 31
:6
31:6
And Moses sent them, a thousand for each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest with them, to the war, with the
avessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
3.
The victory of the Israelites over the Midianites
vv. 7-12
Num. 31
:7
31:7
And they warred against Midian, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses; and they
akilled every male.
Num. 31
:8
31:8
aAnd they killed the kings of Midian in addition to
the others slain among them: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; also
bBalaam the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
Num. 31
:9
31:9
And the children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and all their cattle and all their livestock and all their goods they plundered.
Num. 31
:10
31:10
And all their cities in which they had settled and all their encampments, they burned with fire.
Num. 31
:11
31:11
And they took all the spoil and all the booty, both of man and of beast.
Num. 31
:12
31:12
And they brought the captives and the
abooty and the spoil to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the assembly of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab, which was beside the Jordan at Jericho.
4.
The purging and purification of the captives and the spoil
vv. 13-24
Num. 31
:13
31:13
And Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the assembly went out to meet them outside the camp.
Num. 31
:14
31:14
And Moses became angry with the officers of the company, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from
aservice in the war.
Num. 31
:15
31:15
And Moses said to them, Have you
akept all the women alive?
Num. 31
:16
31:16
It was
athese who caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of
bBalaam, to act unfaithfully against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, so that the
cplague came upon the assembly of Jehovah.
Num. 31
:17
31:17
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by lying with him.
Num. 31
:18
31:18
But all the little ones among the women, who have not known a male by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Num. 31
:19
31:19
And you, encamp outside the camp seven days, everyone who has killed any person and everyone who has touched any slain;
1apurify yourselves on the
2third day and on the
2seventh day, you and your captives.
Num. 31
:20
31:20
And you shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of skin and everything made of goats’
hair and every article of wood.
Num. 31
:21
31:21
And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Jehovah has commanded Moses:
Num. 31
:22
31:22
Only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
Num. 31
:23
31:23
Everything that can go into the fire, you shall pass through the
afire, and it will become clean; but it shall be purified with the
bwater for impurity; and everything that cannot go into the fire you shall pass through the water.
Num. 31
:24
31:24
And you shall
awash your
1clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you may come into the camp.
5.
The distribution of the plunder, both of man and of cattle
vv. 25-47
Num. 31
:25
31:25
Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
Num. 31
:26
31:26
You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’
households of the assembly, take the sum of the booty that was captured, both of man and of beast,
Num. 31
:27
31:27
And ahalve the booty between those skilled in war who went out to battle and the whole assembly.
Num. 31
:28
31:28
And levy a tribute to Jehovah from the men of war who went out to battle:
aone living thing out of five hundred, of the persons and of the cattle and of the donkeys and of the flock;
Num. 31
:29
31:29
Take it from their half and give it to
1Eleazar the priest, for
aJehovah’s heave offering.
Num. 31
:30
31:30
And of the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one seized out of fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, from all the beasts, and give them to the Levites, who keep the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah.
Num. 31
:31
31:31
And Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as Jehovah
1commanded Moses.
Num. 31
:32
31:32
Now the booty that was left from the spoil, which the men of war had taken, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,
Num. 31
:33
31:33
And seventy-two thousand cattle,
Num. 31
:34
31:34
And sixty-one thousand donkeys,
Num. 31
:35
31:35
And thirty-two thousand persons in all, the women who had not known lying with a male.
Num. 31
:36
31:36
And the half which was the portion of those who went out to war was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep.
Num. 31
:37
31:37
And Jehovah’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.
Num. 31
:38
31:38
And the cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which Jehovah’s tribute was seventy-two.
Num. 31
:39
31:39
And the donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which Jehovah’s tribute was sixty-one.
Num. 31
:40
31:40
And the human beings were sixteen thousand, of whom Jehovah’s tribute was thirty-two persons.
Num. 31
:41
31:41
And Moses gave the tribute, Jehovah’s heave offering, to Eleazar the priest, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
Num. 31
:42
31:42
And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses had separated from the men who had gone to war,
Num. 31
:43
31:43
That is, the assembly’s half, was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
Num. 31
:44
31:44
And thirty-six thousand cattle,
Num. 31
:45
31:45
And thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,
Num. 31
:46
31:46
And sixteen thousand persons —
Num. 31
:47
31:47
Now Moses took from the children of Israel’s half, one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
6.
The offering to Jehovah by the officers of the army
vv. 48-54
Num. 31
:48
31:48
And the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses.
Num. 31
:49
31:49
And they said to Moses, Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our charge, and not a man is missing from us;
Num. 31
:50
31:50
And we have presented Jehovah’s offering, what every man has obtained, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and pendants, to make
1expiation for our souls before Jehovah.
Num. 31
:51
31:51
And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of wrought articles.
Num. 31
:52
31:52
And all the gold of the heave offering which they offered up to Jehovah, from the captains of thousands and from the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.
Num. 31
:53
31:53
The men of war had taken booty, each for himself.
Num. 31
:54
31:54
So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a
amemorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah.
