Numbers 31

The Israelites are commanded to wage war against the Midianites, v.1.etc. with an Host of twelve thousand men, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, 4. Who overcome the Midianits, 7. return to their own with the prisoners and booty, 12. are entertained by Moseh with a check for what they had done amiss, 14. and a charge of what they ought to do, 17. a Law about the parting of the bootie, 25. together with the execution of the Law, and the sum of the bootie, 31. and the portion of the LORD, which fell to the share of the Priests and Levites, 41. The chieftains of the Host make an offering to the LORD, 48. which is laid up in the Tabernacle for a memorial, 54.

1. And the LORD spake unto Moseh, saying:

2. Take the vengeance of the children of Israel from the Midianites: [Heb. avenge the vengeance of &c. viz. by reason of the evil, which craftily they caused among the Israelites, when they seduced them to bodily and spiritual whoredom, of which see above, ch.25.1, 2,&c. below verse 15.16.] after that shalt thou be gathered to thy people. [id est, shall die and depart out of this world. See of this manner of speaking, Genesis, 15. on verse 15. and 25. on verse 8. and above, chapter 20.24, 26.]

3. Then Moseh spake unto the people, saying; let men be prepared for battle, [Or, for the Host, and so in the sequel] and let them be against the Midianites, to do the vengeance of the LORD on the Midiates. [viz. that which the LORD had commanded to be executed to be executed upon the Midianites, see above, chap.25.17, 18. whereby God declared that the enmity showed to his people, is taken by him as committed against himself. Compare Zach.2.8. and Acts 9:4.]

4. Of each tribe among all the Tribes of Israel, shall ye send one thousand to battle. [Hebr. a thousand of one Tribe, a thousand of one Tribe. See of this phrase, Lev.24.8. and above, 132.etc.

5. Thus there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of each Tribe: twelve thousand prepared for battle.

6. And Moseh sent them to battle a thousand of each Tribe; them, and Pinehas the son of Eleazar the Priest to battle, [viz. not properly for to fight, or to be the general or chief Commander of the army, but to assist the camp as a good counselor and director, and to exhort the same to courage according to his special zeal, formerly testified, above chap.25.13. comp. Deut,20.2, 3, &c.] with the holy vessels, [which were according to the opinion of some, the Ark of the Covenant, and things appertaining to it; the same having accompanied the Camp on sundry occasions, as may be gathered, by Numb.14.44. Jos.4.11. 1 Sam.4.4. others understand thereby onely the Trumpets mentioned immediately after here in this verse, and were to be used in war] and the Trumpets of resounding in his hand.

7. And they fought against the Midianites; according as the LORD had commanded Moseh: and they put to death all that were male.

8. With all they put to death above their slain, the Kings of the Midianites; [Who were King Sihon his Tenants or Vassals, Jos.13.v.21. before he was destroyed by Moseh, but afterwards took a kind of King-ship upon themselves. See above chapter 25.v.15.] Evil and Rekem, and Zur [Heb. Tsur] and Hur and Reba, five Kings of the Midianites: also they put to death by the sword Bileam, [Heb. Bileam] the son of Beor. [to wit, when he was upon the way to return into his Country of Mesopotamia. See above, ch.24.v.25.]

9. But the children of Israel took the wives of the Midianites and their little children prisoners: also they spoiled (them of) all their beasts and all their cattle, and all their substance.

10. Moreover, all their Cities with their dwelling places; [Others, in or through their dwelling place] and all their strong holds, they burned with fire.

11. And they took all the prey, and all the booty; of men and of beasts.

12. After that, they brought the Captives [Heb. the captivity, to wit, the Midianites women and children, whom they had taken captive. See above v.9. the word Captivity is often taken for captives, or prisoners. So below v.19.26. Item, Exod.12.29. 2 Chron.28.5. Eph.4.8.] and the bootie and the prey, unto Moseh, and to Eleazar the Priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel in the Camp: in the plain fields of Moab, which are at the Jordan of Jericho. [i.e. that which runnneth over gainst, or along by, or not far from Jericho, or half a ferry or passage near that City, compare above chapter 22. Verse 1.]

13. But Moseh and Eleazar the priest, and all the chief of the Congregation went forth to meet them, without the Camp.

14. And Moseh was very wroth against the Commanders of the Host, the Captains of the thousands, and the Captains of the hundreds, which came out of the battle of that war.

15. And Moseh said unto them; Have ye then left all the women alive? [By this question he implieth that they ought not to have done so. See the like manner of asking, strongly denying or implying the contrary of what is demanded, Gen.18.17. with the Annotations.]

16. Behold these were through Bileams counsel, [Heb. word, understand the base device and sub till contrivance whereby the Israelites were made to fall into whoredome and idolatry. See above, chap.24. verse 14.] for to give cause of trespass against the LORD, in the business of Peor: whereby that plague was among the Congregation of the LORD: [see above, chapter 25. verse 9.]

17. Now then, put to death all that is male among the little ones; and put to death every woman which by mans copulation hath known a man. [See Gen.4.on v.5. and 19.on v.8. and compare the next verse. Item Levit.18.22. and 20.13.]

18. But all the little ones of Female kind, [Heb. among the women] which have not known the copulation of man; let them live for your selves.

19. And ye camp your selves without the Leguer seven days: [According to the Ordinance and Law of God given in regard of unclean persons, Leviticus 15:13. and above, chapter 19.11.&c. and observe in Miriam above, Chapter 12.14] every one that did put a man [Heb. a Soul] to death, and every one that shall have touched a slain (body) shall expiate (or un-sin) your selves, [See above, chapter 8.on verse 21.] on the third day, and on the seventh day, ye and captives.

20. Also ye shall expiate every garment [i.e. cleanse them according to the Ceremonial Law, and so fit the same for a good and civil use; Compare Leviticus 8:15. and 14.49. and Chapter 16. verse 16. with the Annotations thereupon] and every furniture of skins, and every work of (Goats hair) and every furniture of wood.

21. And Eleazar the Priest said to the men of War, [Or, Host, i.e. such as bore Arms, and were practiced and employed in the Wars] which were gone to that War; This is the institution of the Law, which the LORD commanded Moseh.

22. Onely the gold, and the silver, the copper, the iron, the tinne and the lead: [viz. which they had taken from the Midianites.]

23. Every thing that endureth the fire [Heb. that is to go into the fire, i.e. that being made to pass the fire, is not damnified, and is not consumed by it, and so in the sequel] ye shall cause to pass through the fire, that it may be cleansed; howbeit, it shall be expiated by the water of the separation: [whereof see above chapter 19.9.] but all that endureth not the fire, ye shall cause to pass through the water.

24. Ye shall likewise wash your garments on the seventh day, that ye may be clean, and after that ye shall come into the Camp.

25. Moreover, the LORD spake unto Moseh, saying:

26. take up the sum of the bootie of the Captives [Heb. Captivity: see above on verse 12.] of men, and of beasts; thou and Eleazar the Priest and the Heads of the fathers of the Congregation.

27. And divide the bootie in two moieties, between those which understood the fight, which went forth to the War, and between the whole Congregation. [Which order David also followed in sharing out the booty between those that fought, and the rest that stayed with the baggage, to guard the same, 1 Sam.30.24.]

28. After that shalt thou heave a Tribute to the LORD, [Or, an appointed part, which was a kind of Tribute to be given unto the LORD, in testimony of thankfulness, and was the appointed part for the Priests, which served the LORD in the Tabernacle] from the men of War, which were gone forth to this War; of five hundred, one Soul, of Men and of Oxen, and of Asses, [the word Soul, in regard of men doth signify here a Man, or, Person, and in regard of the other creatures named, a beast or head of cattle; of each five hundred the men of War were to assign one for the LORD: according as the Israelites, which were not gone forth to War, out of their moiety of fifty, were to give one to the Levites; that is, ten times more, then the men of War were to give the Priests] and of the sheep. [The Hebrew word doth not onely signify sheep, but Goats also; and so in the sequel. See Gen.26.on verse 14. and Levit.1.on verse 2.]

29. Of their Moiety shalt thou take, and give it unto the Priest Eleazar, for an heaving of the LORD. [i.e. for to offer and hallow it unto the LORD, in token of thankfulness, thus below verse 41.and52. The Hebrew word is generally taken here, for an offering or gift. see above, ch.5 on v.9.]

30. But of the moiety of the children of Israel [i.e. that portion which belonged unto the children of Israel, according to the division mentioned above, v.27. see of the same moyerie below, v.42. and 47.] thou shalt take one Captive of fifty [or a share that is kept fast] of the Men, of the Oxen, of the Asses, and of the sheep; of all the beasts: [i.e. of all sorts of beasts, compare, Gen.7.14.] and thou shalt give them to the Levites, which observe the guard of the tabernacle of the LORD. [see Num.3.on v.7.]

31. And Moseh and Eleazar the Priest did, according as the LORD had commanded Moseh.

32. The Bootie now, the surplus of the prey, [i.e. that which clearly remained over after the slain women and mail-children, above, v.17. besides what the Camp had consumed, during the seven days they were to lie without the Camp, above, v.19.] which the men of War, [see above, on v.21.] had preyed, was; six hundred thousand, and five thousand sheep: [see above, on v.28.]

33. And seventy and two thousand Oxen:

34. And one and Sixty thousand Asses:

35. And of humane Souls, of the women that had known no copulation of man, all the Souls were two and thirty thousand.

36. And the Moiety, (to wit) the share of those, which were gone forth to this War, were in number three hundred thousand, and thirty thousand, and seven thousand and five hundred sheep.

37. And the Tribute for the LORD: [Understand the assigned portion, which the men of War were to contribute unto the LORD. See above, verse 28. and the Annotation thereupon] of sheep was six hundred seventy and five.

38. And the Oxen were six and thirty thousand; and their Tribute for the LORD seventy two.

39. And the Asses were thirty thousand and five hundred, and their Tribute for the LORD was sixty one.

40. And the humane Souls were sixteen thousand; and their Tribute or the LORD two and thirty Souls.

41. And Moseh gave unto Eleazar the Priest, the Tribute of the heaving of the LORD: according as the LORD had commanded Moseh.

42. And of the children of Israels moiety [Of which see above, v.30. and below, v.47.] which Moseh had divided off from the men that had fought:

43. (The half share now of the Congregation [Heb. the of the Congregation, i.e. the half share which thousand and thirty thousand, seven thousand and five hundred,

44. And the Oxen were six and thirty thousand.

45. And the Asses, thirty thousand and five hundred:

46. And of humane Souls sixteen thousand.)

47. Of that moiety of the children of Israel, Moseh took one captive [See above on v.30.] out of fifty, of Men and of Beasts, and he gave them to the Levites which observe the guard of the Tabernacle of the LORD, according as the LORD had commanded Moseh.

48. Then (there) stept to Moseh the Commanders which were over the thousands of the Host; the Chieftains of the thousands, and the chieftains of the hundreds:

49. And they said to Moseh; thy servants have taken up the sum of the men of War, which under our hands: [i.e. under our command, see Gen.16.on v.6.] and of us [others, thereof] (there) faileth not one man.

50. Therefore we have brought an offering of the LORD, every one that which he got, [Heb. found] a golden vessel, [or, furniture, or Jewell] a chain [Others, arm or leg, ornament or golden garter] or a bracelet, a finger ring or an ear-ring, or a hanging girdle, [See exod.5.32.] to make expiation for our Souls, [by reason of their sins mentioned above, v.14.15, 16.] before the face of the LORD.

51. Then Moseh and Eleazar the Priest took from them the gold; all well-wrought vessels, [Heb. every vessel, or furniture of work. Understand hereby all manner or golden stuff, vessel, workman-ship, jewels and the like artificially and costly wrought and elaborated.]

52. And all the gold of the heaving, which they offered unto the LORD, was sixteen thousand seven thousand hundred and fifty shekels: [Understand golden shekels, of the value whereof see Gen.24.on v.22. and above, ch.7. on v.14.] from the chieftains of the thousands, and from the chieftains of the hundreds

53. As for the men of war, every one had preyed for himself. [Whereof they imparted nothing to their Commanders, insomuch, that there was abundance of bootie remaining yet, beside that which was given to the Priests, and to the Levites, and to the rest of the Israelites.]

54. So Moseh and Eleazar the Priest, took that gold from the Captains of the thousands and hundreds: and they brought it into thousands and hundreds: for a remembrance for the children of Israel, before the face the LORD. [viz. as well in regard of the mercy of God, whereby they had overcome their enemies, and were reconciled unto God, as to discharge their duty, in being really thankful to God for it, and faithfully adhering to him, to the end that he might always continue among them, with the assistance of his grace and blessing.]