Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Numbers 31

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross
Introduction

1  The Midianites are spoiled, and Balaam slain.
13  Moses is wroth with the officers, for saving the women alive.
19  How the soldiers, with their captives and spoil, are to be purified.
25  The proportion in which the prey is to be divided.
48  The voluntary oblation unto the treasury of the Lord.
Verse 2

Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
Avenge
3, 25:17,18, Deuteronomy 32:35, Judges 16:24,28-30, Psalms 94:1-3, Isaiah 1:24, Nahum 1:2, Luke 21:22, Romans 12:19, 13:4, 1 Thessalonians 4:6, Hebrews 10:30, Revelation 6:10, Revelation 18:20, 19:2
the Midianites
25:6,14-18, Genesis 25:1-4, Exodus 2:16
gathered
27:13, Genesis 15:15, 25:8,17, Judges 2:10, Acts 13:36
Verse 3

And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.
Arm some
Exodus 17:9-13
avenge the Lord
It was God's quarrel, not their own, that they were now to take up. These people were idolaters, and had seduced the Israelites to practise the same abominations. Idolatry is an offence against God; and the civil power has no authority to meddle with what belongs to Him, without especial directions, certified, as in this case, in the most unequivocal manner. Private revenge, ambition, or avarice were to have no place in this business: Jehovah is to be avenged; and through Him, the children of Israel, (ver. 2,) because they were nearly ruined by their idolatries. If Jehovah, instead of punishing sinners by earthquakes, pestilence, or famine,is pleased expressly to command any person or people to avenge his cause, this commission justifies, nay sanctifies, war, massacre, or devastation. Though none at present shew such a commission, yet the Israelites could; and it is therefore absurd to censure Moses, Joshua, and Israel, for the dreadful slaughter made by them. God himself passed sentence of condemnation, and employed them merely as ministers of his vengeance; and unless it could be proved that the criminals did not deserve their doom, or that God had no right to punish his rebellious creatures, such objectors only shew their enmity to God by becoming the unsolicited advocates of his enemies.
25:11,13, Exodus 17:16, Leviticus 26:25, Judges 5:2,23, 2 Kings 9:7, 10:30, Jeremiah 46:10, Jeremiah 50:28
Verse 4

Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
Of every tribe a thousand
Heb. A thousand of a tribe, a thousand of a tribe. a thousand.
Leviticus 26:8, Judges 7:2, 1 Samuel 14:6
Verse 6

And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
a thousand
Twelve thousand in all--a small number in proportion to all Israel, or to the forces which they had to encounter. As they were under the conduct of captains of thousands and hundreds, they probably had no general; for Phinehas seems to have accompanied them simply to take charge of "the holy instruments;" probably the ark and silver trumpets.
Phinehas
25:7-13
the holy instruments
14:44, 33:20-22, Exodus 25:9, Joshua 6:4-6,13-15, 1 Samuel 4:4,5,17, 14:18, 1 Samuel 23:9, 2 Samuel 11:11
to blow
10:8,9, 2 Chronicles 13:12-15
Verse 7

And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
all
Deuteronomy 20:13,14, Judges 21:11, 1 Samuel 27:9, 1 Kings 11:15,16
the males
Judges 6:1,2,33
Verse 8

And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
the kings
22:4, Joshua 13:21,22
Zur
25:15,18
Balaam
22:10, 24:25, Joshua 13:22, Psalms 9:16, 10:2, 1 Timothy 6:9,10, 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, Revelation 2:14, 19:20
Verse 9

And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.
15,16, Deuteronomy 20:14, 2 Chronicles 28:5,8-10
Verse 10

And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
Joshua 6:24, 1 Samuel 30:1, 1 Kings 9:16, Isaiah 1:7, Revelation 18:8
Verse 11

And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.
Deuteronomy 20:14, Joshua 8:2
Verse 12

And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.
the plains of Moab
22:1
Verse 13

And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.
went forth
Genesis 14:17, 1 Samuel 15:12, 30:21
without the camp
12,22-24, 5:2, 19:11
Verse 14

And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
wroth
12:3, Exodus 32:19,22, Leviticus 10:16, 1 Samuel 15:13,14, 1 Kings 20:42, 2 Kings 13:19, Ephesians 4:26
battle
Heb. host of war.
Verse 15

And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
Deuteronomy 2:34, 20:13,16-18, Joshua 6:21, 8:25, 10:40, 11:14, 1 Samuel 15:3, Psalms 137:8,9, Jeremiah 48:10, Ezekiel 9:6
Verse 16

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
these caused
24:14, 25:1-3, Proverbs 23:27, Ecclesiastes 7:26, 2 Peter 2:15, Revelation 2:14
in the matter
25:18, Deuteronomy 4:3, Joshua 22:17
and there
25:9
Verse 17

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
kill every male
The sword of war should spare women and children, as incapable of resisting; but the sword of justice knows no distinction, except that of guilty or not guilty, or more or less guilty. This was the execution of a righteous sentence upon a guilty nation, in which the women were the greatest criminals; and it may safely be said, that their lives were forfeited by their personal transgressions. With respect to the execution of the male infants, who cannot be supposed to have been guilty, God, the author and supporter of life, who has a right to dispose of it when and how he thinks proper, commanded it; and "shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
Judges 21:11,12
him
Heb. a male.
Verse 18

But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
keep alive for yourselves
It has been groundlessly asserted, that Moses here authorised the Israelites to make concubines of the whole number of female children; and an insidious objection against his writings has been grounded upon this monstrous supposition. But the whole tenor of the law, and especially a statute recorded in De 21:10-14, proves most decisively to the contrary. They were merely permitted to possess them as female slaves, educating them in their families, and employing them as domestics; for the laws concerning fornication, concubinage, and marriage, were in full force, and prohibited an Israelite even from marrying a captive, without delays and previous formalities; and if he afterwards divorced her, he was to set here at liberty, "because he had humbled her."
Leviticus 25:44, Deuteronomy 20:14, 21:10-14, 2 Chronicles 28:8-10, Isaiah 14:2
Verse 19

And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.
abide
Though the Israelites had acted by the commission of God, yet they had contracted pollution by touching the dead; and the spoil having been used by idolaters, must also be purified in the prescribed manner.
5:2, 19:11-22, 1 Chronicles 22:8
Verse 20

And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood.
raiment
19:14-16,22, Genesis 35:2, Exodus 19:10
that is made
Heb. instrument, or, vessel.
Verse 21

And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;
30:16
Verse 23

Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.
abide
Isaiah 43:2, Zechariah 13:9, Malachi 2:2,3, Matthew 3:11, 1 Corinthians 3:13, 1 Peter 1:7, 4:12, Revelation 3:18
it shall be purified
8:7, 19:9,17
ye shall make
Leviticus 11:32, 15:17, Ephesians 5:26, Titus 3:5,6, 1 Peter 3:21
Verse 24

And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.
19:19, Leviticus 11:25, 14:9, 15:13
Verse 26

Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:
that was taken
Heb. of the captivity.
Verse 27

And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation:
two parts
Joshua 22:8, 1 Samuel 30:4,24,25, Psalms 68:12
Verse 28

And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:
levy
Genesis 14:20, Joshua 6:19,24, 2 Samuel 8:11,12, 1 Chronicles 18:11, 26:26,27, Proverbs 3:9,10, Isaiah 18:7, 23:18, 60:9, Matthew 22:21
one soul
30,47, 18:26
Verse 29

Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the LORD.
an heave
18:26, Exodus 29:27, Deuteronomy 12:12,19
Verse 30

And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.
one portion
flocks, or, goats
and give.
28, 18:24-28, 1 Corinthians 9:13,14
keep the
3:7,8,25,31,36-39, 18:1-5,23, 1 Chronicles 9:27-29, 23:32, 26:20-27, Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 4:2, Colossians 4:17, Hebrews 13:17
Verse 32

And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,
the booty
It appears from the enumeration here, that the Israelites, in this war with the Midianites, took 32,000 female prisoners, 61,000 asses, 72,000 beeves, and 675,000 sheep and small cattle; besides the immense number of males who fell in battle, and the women and children who were slain by the divine command. (ver. 17.) This booty was divided into equal parts, by which partition a far larger share was justly given to the warriors employed on the expedition, who were only 12,000, than to those, who being equally willing to go, were ordered to stay in the camp. Each party was to give a certain proportion to Jehovah, as their sovereign, in grateful acknowledgement that to him they owed their success. The soldiers to give to the Lord one out of every five hundred persons, beeves, asses, and sheep, (ver. 28,) and the people, who by staying at home risked nothing, and had no fatigue, were to give one out of fifty of each of the above to the Levites, who were far more numerous than the priests. (ver. 30.) The booty, its division among the soldiers and people, and the proportion given by each to the Lord and to the Levites, will be seen at one view by the following table:--
Verse 41

And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD'S heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Eleazar
29-31, 18:8,19, Matthew 10:10, 1 Corinthians 9:10-14, Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 5:17, Hebrews 7:4-6,9-12
Verse 47

Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
the Levites
18:21-24, Deuteronomy 12:17-19, Luke 10:1-8, 1 Thessalonians 5:12,13
kept the charge
30, Psalms 134:1, Isaiah 56:10,11
Verse 49

And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.
charge
Heb. hand. lacketh.
1 Samuel 30:18,19, Psalms 72:14, John 18:9
Verse 50

We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.
therefore brought
The officers of the army having mustered their men, found they had not lost a man in the contest with Midian! Penetrated with gratitude for this most remarkable interposition of Providence in their favour, they now offer to Jehovah the golden jewels which they had found among the spoil, to the amount of 16,750 shekels, equal to £37,869 16s. 5d. of our money.
an oblation
Psalms 107:15,21,22, 116:12,17
gotten
Heb. found. an atonement.
Exodus 30:12,15,16, Leviticus 17:11
Verse 51

And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.
7:2-6
Verse 52

And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.
offering
Heb. heave-offering.
Verse 53

(For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)
Deuteronomy 20:14
Verse 54

And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.
a memorial
16:40, Exodus 30:16, Joshua 4:7, Psalms 18:49, 103:1,2, 115:1, 145:7, Zechariah 6:14, Luke 22:19, Acts 10:4

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