1The Midianites are spoiled, and Balaam slain. 13Moses is wroth with the officers for saving the women alive, and ordereth the soldiers with their captives and spoil to be purified. 21Eleazar sheweth the law of purification. 25The proportion whereby the prey is to be divided. 48The voluntary oblation of the officers unto the treasury of the Lord.
1AND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2aAvenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou bbe gathered unto thy people.
a ch. 25.1-3,17,18. Ro. 13.4. De. 32.35. Ge. 25.1,2. Ju. 6.1. b De. 1.37; 3.26,27; 31.2; 34.4,5. ch. 27.13. Ge. 15.15; 25.8. Phi. 1.21. He. 12.22-24. Lu. 2.29. ch. 20.24.
3And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and cavenge the LORD of Midian.
c Je. 50.28,34. ch. 25.11,13.
41Of every tribe da thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
1Heb. a thousand of a tribe, a thousand of a tribe.
d Ju. 7.2. 1Sa. 14.6. Le. 26.8.
5So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand earmed for war.
e ch. 32.27. Jos. 4.13.
6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and fPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and gthe trumpets to blow in his hand.
f ch. 25.7-15; 10.8,9; 14.44. De. 20.2-4. 1Sa. 4.17. 2Ch. 13.12-15. g ch. 10.6,9. Le. 23.24.
7And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and hthey slew all the males.
h De. 20.13. Ju. 21.11; 6.1-3. 1Sa. 27.9. 1Ki. 11.15,16.
8And they slew ithe 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: jBalaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
i Jos. 13.21,22. ch. 22.4; 25.15,17. j ch. 24.25. Jos. 13.22. 1Ti. 6.9,10. Ps. 9.16.
9And the children of Israel took all the kwomen of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.
k v.15-17. 2Ch. 28.5,8. De. 20.14.
10And they lburnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
l Jos. 6.24; 11.11. 1Sa. 30.1. 1Ki. 9.16. Is. 1.7. 2Ki. 25.9. Je. 51.58. Re. 18.8.
11And they took all mthe spoil, and all the *prey, both of men and of beasts.
*prey-plunder.
m v.26,32.
12And 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 nthe plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.
*prey-plunder.
n ch. 22.1.
13¶And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, owent forth to meet them *without the camp.
*without-outside.
o Ge. 14.17. 2Ch. 28.12. v.19.
14And pMoses was *wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the 2battle.
*wroth-angry.
2Heb. host of war.
p ch. 12.3. Ex. 32.19. Le. 10.16. Ep. 4.26.
15And Moses said unto them, qHave ye saved all the women alive?
q De. 20.16-18. 1Sa. 15.3.
16Behold, rthese caused the children of Israel, through the scounsel of Balaam, to commit *trespass against the LORD in the matter of tPeor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
*trespass-sin, transgression.
r ch. 25.1-3,9,17. 2Pe. 2.15. Re. 2.14. Pr. 23.27; 5.3-5. Ec. 7.26. s ch. 24.14. t ch. 23.28.
17Now therefore ukill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with 3him.
3Heb. a male.
u Ju. 21.11,12. He. 13.4. Le. 20.10.
18But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19And vdo 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.
*without-outside.
v ch. 5.2; 19.11-20. Ge. 17.13,14.
20And wpurify all your *raiment, and all 4that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair , and all things made of wood.
*raiment-clothing.
4Heb. instruments or vessels of skins.
w Ge. 35.2. Ex. 19.10. ch. 19.9,12-14,16,20,22. Re. 21.8. Lu. 12.3,5.
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;
22Only xthe gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
x Le. 6.28. Mat. 8.11,12. 1Co. 3.13. 1Ti. 4.4. Is. 43.1,2. Mal. 3.2,3.
23Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall ybe purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.
y ch. 19.9,19; 8.7.
24And zye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.
z Le. 11.25; 14.9; 15.13. ch. 19.19.
25¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
26Take the sum 5of the *prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:
5Heb. of the captivity.
*prey-spoil, plunder.
27And divide the *prey into atwo parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation:
*prey-spoil, plunder.
a Jos. 22.8. 1Sa. 30.24,25.
28And levy a btribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: cone soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the *beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:
*beeves-cattle, oxen, bulls, cows.
b 2Sa. 8.11,12. 1Ch. 26.27. Is. 18.7. Pr. 3.9,10. Mat. 22.21. Ro. 13.7. c v.30-41,47. ch. 18.26.
29Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for dan heave offering of the LORD.
d ch. 18.19-32; 15.19-21. Le. 7.14. Ex. 29.27. De. 12.11,19. Ro. 11.36. 1Co. 10.31. 1Pe. 4.11. Ep. 3.21. Lu. 2.14.
30And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take eone portion of fifty, of the persons, of the *beeves, of the asses, and of the 6flocks, of all *manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which fkeep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.
*beeves-cattle, oxen, bulls, cows.
6Or, goats.
*manner-kind, sort.
e v.42-47. f ch. 8.15,22,26; 18.1-6,23; 3; 4. Jn. 17.12; 10.28,29. Ac. 20.18. 1Co. 12.28. Ep. 4.11-13. Col. 4.17. 2Ti. 4.1,2. He. 13.7,17. ch. 1.53.
31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
32And 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,
*prey-spoil, plunder.
33And threescore and twelve thousand *beeves,
*beeves-cattle, oxen, bulls, cows.
34And threescore and one thousand asses,
35And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.
36And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep:
37And gthe LORD's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.
g v.28.
38And the *beeves were thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD's tribute was threescore and twelve.
*beeves-cattle, oxen.
39And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD's tribute was threescore and one.
40And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the LORD's tribute was thirty and two persons.
41And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD's heave offering, hunto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
h v.29. ch. 18.8,19,20. Is. 53.12. Mat. 10.10. 1Co. 9.10-14. Ga. 6.6. 1Ti. 5.17.
42And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,
43(Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,
44And thirty and six thousand *beeves,
*beeves-cattle, oxen.
45And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,
46And sixteen thousand persons;)
47Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them iunto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
i ch. 18.21-24. De. 12.17-19. 1Th. 5.12,13. Lu. 10.1-8. 1Co. 9.7-14. Ga. 6.6. 1Ti. 5.17. v.30.
48¶And the jofficers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:
j v.14.
49And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our 7charge, and there klacketh not one man of us.
7Heb. hand.
k Ps. 72.14; 116.15. Jn. 18.9; 17.12.
50We have therefore lbrought an *oblation for the LORD, what every man hath 8*gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and *tablets, to make man atonement for our souls before the LORD.
*oblation-offering, sacrifice.
8Heb. found.
*gotten-got, obtained.
*tablets-necklaces, ornaments.
l Ps. 116.16-18; 50.14; 66.13,14; 107.1,8,15,22; 136; 145. m Ex. 30.12,15,16.
51And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.
52And all the gold of the 9offering 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.
9Heb. heave offering, v.50.
53(For nthe men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)
n De. 20.14.
54And 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 omemorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.
o Ex. 28.12,29; 39.7; 30.16. Le. 2.2; 9.16; 23.24; 24.7. ch. 10.10. Zec. 6.14. Ac. 10.4. Ps. 115.1; 18.29-40.