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,
21Avengea the children of Israel of the Midianites: 2afterwardb shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
1 Hebr. Avenge the vengeance of the children of Israel of the Midianites, namely, about the evil which they craftily caused among the Israelites when they enticed them to bodily and spiritual adultery, mentioned in Num. 25:1, 2, etc. and below verses 15, 16.
a Num. 25:17.
2 That is, thou shalt die and depart out of this world. See of this manner of speaking, Gen. 15 on verse 15; Gen. 25 on verse 8; Num. 20:24, 26.
b Num. 27:13.
3And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves 3unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge 4the LORD of Midian.
3 Or, unto the host, and so in the sequel.
4 Namely, that which the LORD had commanded to be executed upon the Midianites, see Num. 25:17, 18, whereby God declared that the enmity shown to His people is taken by Him as committed against Himself. Compare Zech. 2:8; Acts 9:4.
45Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
5 Hebr. a thousand of a tribe, a thousand of a tribe. See of this phrase, Lev. 24:8 and Num. 13:2, etc.
5So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and 6Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the 7holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
6 Namely, not really to fight or to be the chief commander of the army, but to assist the army as a good counselor and director, and to exhort unto courage according to his special zeal, being testified in Num. 25:13. Compare Deut. 20:2, 3, etc.
7 Which were, according to the opinion of some, the ark of the covenant with things appertaining to it; forasmuch as it was sometimes taken along in the army; as may be gathered by Num. 14:44; Joshua 4:11; 1 Sam. 4:4. Others understand thereby only the trumpets mentioned here immediately after in this verse, and were to be used in war.
7And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
8And they slew the 8kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi,c and Rekem, and 9Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: 10Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
8 Who were king Sihon’s tenants or vassals before he was destroyed by Moses, Joshua 13:21, but afterwards took a kind of kingship upon themselves. See Num. 25:15.
c Joshua 13:21, 22.
9 Hebr. Tsur.
10 Hebr. Bilam, namely, when he was upon the way to return to his country Mesopotamia. See Num. 24:25.
9And 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.
10And they burnt all their cities 11wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
11 Other, in or through their dwelling places.
11Andd they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.
d Deut. 20:14.
12And they brought the 12captives, and the prey,e 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 13Jordan near Jericho.
12 Hebr. the captivity, namely, the women and the small children of the Midianites, whom they had taken captive. See verse 9. The word captivity is often taken for captives, or prisoners. Also verses 19, 26. Likewise Exod. 12:29; 2 Chron. 28:5; Eph. 4:8.
e booty, spoil*
13 That is, that which runs over against, or along by, or not far from Jericho, and has a ferry or transfer near that city. Compare Num. 22:1.
13¶And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.
14And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
15And Moses said unto them, 14Have ye saved all the women alive?
14 By this question he implies that they ought not to have done so. See the same manner of asking, strongly denying or implying the contrary of what was demanded, Gen. 18:17 with the annotation.
16Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the 15counsel off Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a 16plague among the congregation of the LORD.
15 Hebr. word. Understand the base devise and subtle contrivance whereby the Israelites were made to fall into adultery and idolatry. See Num. 24:14.
f Num. 25:1, 2, 18; 2 Peter 2:15; Rev. 2:14.
16 See of this plague Num. 25:9.
17Nowg therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that 17hath known man 18by lying with him.
g Judges 21:11.
17 See Gen. 4 on verse 1; Gen. 19 on verse 8.
18 Compare the next verse. Likewise Lev. 18:22; 20:13.
18But all the 19women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19 Hebr. among the women.
19And do ye abide without the camp 20seven days: whosoever hath killed any 21person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, 22purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.
20 According to the ordinance and law given in regard of unclean persons, Lev. 15:13; Num. 19:11, etc., and observed in Miriam, Num. 12:14.
21 Hebr. a soul.
22 See Num. 8 on verse 21.
20And 23purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood.
23 That is, cleanse according to the ceremonial law, and made suitable for a good and honest use. Compare Lev. 8:15; 14:49; 16:16 with the annotations thereupon.
21¶And Eleazar the priest said unto the 24men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;
24 Or, host, that is, such as carried arms and were practiced and employed in the wars.
22Only 25the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
25 Namely, which they had taken from the Midianites.
23Every thing 26that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified withh27the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.
26 Hebr. that is to go into the fire, that is, that, being made to pass the fire, it is not damaged and comes forth not being consumed. So in the sequel.
h Num. 19:9.
27 See of this water, Num. 19:9.
24And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.
25¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
26Take the sum of the preyi28that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:
i booty, spoil*
28 Hebr. captivity. See on verse 12.
27And dividej the prey 29into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation:
j 1 Sam. 30:24.
29 Which order David also followed in sharing out the booty between those who fought and the others who stayed with the stuff to guard the same, 1 Sam. 30:24.
28And levy 30a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one 31soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the 32sheep:
30 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, who served the LORD in the tabernacle.
31 The word soul, in regard of people, signifies here a man, or person; and in regard of the other creatures named, a beast or head of cattle. From each five hundred the men of war were to assign one for the LORD; according as the Israelites who were not gone forth to war, out of their half of fifty, were to give one to the Levites, that is, ten times more than the men of war were to give to the priests.
32 The Hebrew word not only signifies sheep, but also goats, and so in the sequel. See Gen. 26 on verse 14; Lev. 1 on verse 2.
29Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, 33for an heave offering of the LORD.
33 That is, to offer and to hallow this unto the LORD unto a sign of thankfulness. Also verses 41, 52. The Hebrew word is generally taken here for an offering or gift. See Num. 5 on verse 9.
30And 34of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take 35one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of 36all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, 37which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.
34 That is, that portion which belonged unto the children of Israel, according to the division mentioned in verse 27. See of the same half verses 42, 47.
35 Or, a share that is kept firm, of the persons or of the beasts.
36 That is, out of all sorts of beasts. Compare Gen. 7:14.
37 See Num. 3 on verse 7.
31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
32And the booty, being 38the rest of the prey which the 39men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand 40sheep,
38 Understand that which remained what was pure over and above the slain women and male children, verse 17, besides what the army had consumed during the seven days they were to remain outside the camp, verse 19.
39 Or, host. Compare the annotation on verse 21.
40 See on verse 28.
33And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,
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 41the LORD’S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.
41 Understand the assigned portion which the men of war were to contribute unto the LORD. See verse 28 and thereupon the annotation.
38And the beeves were thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD's tribute was threescore and twelve.
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.
41Andk Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD's heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
k Num. 18:8, 19.
42And of the children of Israel’s 42half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,
42 See of this half, verses 30 and 47.
43(Now the 43half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,
43 Or, the half part of the congregation, that is, the half share which fell to the congregation.
44And thirty and six thousand beeves,
45And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,
46And sixteen thousand persons;)
47Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took 44one 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.
44 See on verse 30.
48¶And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:
49And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are 45under our charge, and there lacketh not one man 46of us.
45 That is, under our authority. See Gen. 16 on verse 6.
46 Other, thereof.
50We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath 47gotten, of 48jewels of gold, 49chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and 50tablets,l51to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.
47 Hebr. found.
48 Or, implement, or jewel.
49 Other, arm or leg ornament, or golden garter.
50 See Exod. 35:22.
l necklace ornament
51 By reason of their sins, mentioned in verses 14, 15, 16.
51And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even 52all wrought jewels.
52 Hebr. every vessel or implement of work. Understand hereby all manner of golden stuff, vessel, workmanship, jewels and the like artfully and costly wrought and elaborated.
52And 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 53shekels.
53 Understand golden shekels, of the value see Gen. 24 on verse 22 and Num. 7 on verse 14.
53(For the men of war 54had takenm spoil, every man for himself.)
54 Whereof they imparted nothing to their commanders, insomuch that there was abundance of booty remaining yet, besides what was given to the priests and to the Levites, and to the rest of the Israelites.
m Deut. 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, 55for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.
55 Namely, as well in regard of the mercy of God whereby they had overcome their enemies and were reconciled unto God, as to discharge their bounden duty in being thankful to God for it and faithfully adhering to Him, to the end that He would always continue among them with the assistance of His grace and blessing.