Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 32:1) Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great
multitude of cattle; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land
of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle, (2) The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to
Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the
congregation, saying, (3) “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, (4) The country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle." (5) Therefore they said, “If we have found grace in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession, and do not bring us over Jordan."
Israel was still camped in the plains of Moab. In the last chapter and post, the Israelites had warred with the Midianites to avenge themselves and their Lord. They had not even yet crossed over into their promised land, but had acquired land and more livestock as a result of their victorious wars thus far. The tribes of Reuben and Gad apparently had herds of cattle that had grown very large, and they liked the place where they were, thinking it was a good place for their cattle. They came to Moses, Eleazar, and the princes of the congregation, naming the places they had conquered, giving glory to God that He had been the conqueror. They reasoned to them that these lands were great places for cattle, and since they had cattle, they asked that they be allowed to have these lands for their possession, and not have them go over the Jordan River to the promised land with the rest of the tribes.
Imagine that! Forty years had been spent wandering the wilderness until the time when they finally reached their promised land flowing with milk and honey, that marvelous gift of God that had been anticipated since Abraham, and they were content to just stay where they were. They did not have the proper respect and honor for Israel as a whole and for the promise of their Lord. They seemed to have a more selfish regard for themselves and for what served their own purposes. Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, in the Scofield Reference Notes, called them "world-borderers, carnal Christians". The apostle Paul spoke in Philippians 2:21 of men seeking their own things and not the things of Jesus Christ. These tribes were more interested in their own worldly interests than in the heavenly Canaan. Is that not a perfect example for us today? How often do we settle for what satisfies us immediately and miss out on the greater plan of God?
(6) And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, “Shall your brethren go to war, and shall you sit here?"
Moses was not at all happy with their request. He asked them if they intended to sit there in peace and quiet in their fruitful land while their brothers went to war to dispossess their enemies of their land before they could settle in it. It probably seemed to Moses that this was a selfish and cowardly request. It showed disrespect for God's promised land and perhaps even a lack of faith in the power of God to displace the Canaanites. It showed dishonor and neglect for their brethren, as well.
(7) "And therefore you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them?"
Moses argued that this act of theirs might discourage the other tribes in that they would have less assistance in fighting to conquer the lands, and in the possibility that they might begin to question whether they too should take what was known rather than trusting in what they saw as unknown, encouraging a lack of faith.
(8) “Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. (9) For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them."
Moses continued to rebuke these two tribes, saying this request of theirs would discourage the rest of the children of Israel just as their previous generation had discouraged the people with their spies' ill report, telling them that there were giants in the land, and that the people were strong, and their cities walled, and that the children of Israel were not able to go up against them and overcome them.
(10) "And the LORD'S anger was kindled the same time, and He swore, saying, (11) 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old
and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac,
and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me.'"
Moses reminded them that the Lord's anger had been roused at the same time as the spies returned with their bad report. At that time the Lord said that none of the men who came out of Egypt from twenty years and upward (except Caleb and Joshua) would see the promised land because they had not trusted and followed Him when He told them to go possess the land.
(12) "'Except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.’"
The Lord had indeed made it a point to make an exception for Caleb and Joshua because they were men who had wholly followed Him, trusting that what He had told them to do, they would definitely be able to do. That reminds me of Romans 4:20-22 that spoke of the great faith of Abraham, that he was "fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform." What a wonderful reminder for us all! No matter how things look, we must trust God! Also in the same passage in Romans that spoke of Abraham's great faith, Romans 4:17 spoke of God as calling "things which be not as though they were." Abraham didn't look at the way things appeared to be, but trusted in what God said they would be, and that's what Caleb and Joshua had done. They didn't look at the "giants" and walled cities and decide they could not overcome them, but trusted God who had said "go up and possess it", and believed that if God told them to do it, He would make it happen.
(13) "And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander
in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done
evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed."
Moses continued speaking about the time the spies had come back with the bad report, saying that the Lord's anger was so aroused by their lack of faith that He made them wander in the wilderness forty years until the generation of people who had not trusted Him were gone (except for Caleb and Joshua).
(14) "And, behold, you have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel."
Moses returned to the subject of the current situation, that he saw the request of the children of Gad and the children of Reuben as distrust of their Lord to bring them fully to their promised land. They, the next generation of men that the Lord promised to bring into the promised land, were just as their fathers were, and would rouse the anger of the Lord even more against Israel.
(15) “For if you turn away from following Him, He will yet again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”
Moses reasoned that if they turned away from following the Lord into the promised land, they would discourage all the children of Israel from going forth into it, and the Lord would again leave them in the wilderness till that current generation of people was destroyed.
(16) And they came near to him, and said, "We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones, (17) But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land."
The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came near to Moses and told him they would build enclosures for their livestock and fortified cities for their families, but the men themselves would be ready and armed to go before the children of Israel to bring them into their promised land. They wanted their families and livestock first protected from the inhabitants of the land, and then they would be happy to go forth with their brethren into the promised land, showing they had no cowardice nor lack of faith which might discourage the rest of the children of Israel.
(18) “We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance. (19) For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and
beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of
the Jordan.”
The tribes of Gad and Reuben vowed to not return to their homes until every one of the children of Israel had received his inheritance. They themselves would not inherit land on the other side of the Jordan River and beyond, because they had accepted that eastern side of the Jordan as their inheritance.
(20) And Moses said to them, “If you do this thing, if you go armed before the LORD to war, (21) And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, (22) And the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you shall return and be guiltless before the LORD and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD."
Moses, apparently being more satisfied with the reasonableness of their request, then said to them if they would do what they said and go armed before the Lord over the Jordan until He drove out the enemies before Him, and the land was subdued before Him and the Israelites, then they could return to what they wished to be considered their homes, and they would be considered blameless before the Lord, and that land would indeed be their possession before the Lord.
(23) "But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out."
However, Moses told them, if they did not do as they said they would do, that would be considered a sin against the Lord, and their sin would surely catch up with them, implying that their sin would eventually bring punishment.
(24) “Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.”
Moses agreed and told them to go ahead and build their cities for their families and enclosures for their livestock, and do what they said they would do.
(25) And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do as my lord commands."
The tribes of Gad and Reuben told Moses they would do as he had agreed to have them do. Showing respect for Moses, they proclaimed they would do according to his command regarding their march before the Lord to battle, and with respect to their provision for their families and livestock.
(26) "Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead; (27) But your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, just as my lord says.”
Indeed, they specified exactly what they intended to do. Their wives and children, and all their livestock, would be there in the cities of Gilead, but the men themselves, all armed for war, would cross over the Jordan to go before the Lord to battle, just as Moses had agreed they do.
(28) So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua
the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children
of Israel.
Moses then proceeded to command Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the chief fathers of the rest of the tribes of Israel concerning what had been decided regarding the tribes of Gad and Reuben.
(29) And Moses said to them, “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession."
He explained to them that it had been decided that if the children of Gad and the children of Reuben crossed over the Jordan River, armed for battle, and the land became subdued for them all, then they were to agree to give them the land of Gilead for their inheritance and possession.
(30) “But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”
However, Moses continued, if they did not go with them across the Jordan armed for battle, then they must accept their inheritance in the land of Canaan, and would not be allowed to keep Gilead for themselves.
(31) And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, “As the LORD has said to your servants, so we will do. (32) We will cross over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side of Jordan may be ours."
The children of Gad and of Reuben answered Moses's statement with their own vow that what Moses had said, being as from the Lord, they would indeed do accordingly. They would cross over the Jordan armed with their brethren so that the possession they desired on the current side of the Jordan would be declared theirs.
(33) And Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe
of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the
Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities
within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country.
Therefore Moses gave to the children of Gad and the children of Reuben the lands with the cities within its borders, that had previously belonged to Sihon and Og, but had been conquered by Israel. He also gave a portion of it to half of the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. No mention was made of half of the tribe of Manasseh wanting to join the tribes of Gad and Reuben in possessing the land of Gilead. Later in this chapter, and even later in Joshua, when the land was divided among the tribes, we learn that the Machirites, named for the firstborn son of Manasseh, had been key in dispossessing the Amorites from the region of Gilead, and were thus given part of it as an inheritance.
(34) And the children of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, and Aroer, (35) And Atroth-Shophan, Jaazer, and Jogbehah, (36) And Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, fenced cities, and folds for sheep.
The children of Gad rebuilt the cities named above that had been demolished in the wars with Sihon and Og. They restored them to fortified cities for their families and built enclosures for their livestock.
(37) And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, and Kirjathaim, (38) And Nebo and Baal Meon (their names being changed), and Shibmah; and gave other names to the cities which they built.
The children of Reuben rebuilt the cities of Heshbon, Elealeh, and Kirjathaim. They also rebuilt the cities of Nebo, Baal Meon, and Shibmah, but gave new names to some of the cities they rebuilt. In the case of Nebo, that was the name of an idol; and Baal Meon literally meant "Baal's habitation". They rebuilt existing cities but some were given different names, although we are not told here what they were called.
(39) And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. (40) And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it.
It appears by this statement that the Reubenites and Gadites had been given the already conquered parts of Gilead that they desired; and that the Machirites, that half tribe of Manasseh, went and dispossessed the Amorites who were still in the remaining parts of Gilead. Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that this was northern Gilead. He also stated that the phrase "went to Gilead and took it" should have more properly read "had gone to Gilead and had taken it". Thus they were given that part of Gilead as a reward for something they had done previously. I'm not sure that has to be the case. After all, up until this time, all the tribes were expected to have their inheritances across the Jordan. It wasn't until the tribes of Reuben and Gad decided they were content with what had already been conquered, that there was any thought to giving lands on the current side of the Jordan. I don't believe that would have been a reward. It seems the better reward would be to be given the best God had to offer which was His promised land on the other side of the Jordan River. I tend to believe the half tribe of Manasseh drove the Amorites out of the rest of Gilead after, or at the same time, that Moses had agreed to give Gad and Reuben their possessions and they were rebuilding. Therefore, Moses then gave that region to the half tribe of Manasseh and they dwelt there.
(41) And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its small towns, and called them Havoth Jair.
Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, wrote that Jair of the tribe of Manasseh, was actually the son of Segub, who was the son of Hezron of the tribe of Judah, but that Hezron had married a daughter of Machir, the son of Manasseh. This is confirmed in 1 Chronicles 2:21. Apparently Jair identified with his mother's tribe and took the smaller towns of that part of Gilead that was given to the Machirites and named them for himself. Havoth Jair literally meant the "villages of Jair".
(42) And Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.
Nobah, evidently a descendant of Manasseh, took the town of Kenath and its surrounding villages, and called it Nobah after his own name.
Once again, I can't help but think about how these tribes settled for less than what God had planned for them. Moses agreed to let them have what they desired, just as God does allow us to get what we want at times, although it is not what is His best plan for us. Events will play out in future chapters that demonstrate how this indeed was not the best choice for their possessions, but for this time, they got what they desired.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Sunday, October 6, 2019
The Israelites' Holy War With Midian
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 31:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) "Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
The events of chapter 31 follow those of chapter 27, after an interruption where the Lord reviewed the law of sacrifices and the law of vows in the previous three chapters. In Numbers 27:13 the Lord had told Moses that once he had been permitted to see the promised land, he would die, and would not be allowed to enter the land of Canaan because he had rebelled against the commandment of the Lord (Numbers 20:12).
Now the Lord told Moses that he was first to make war upon the Midianites to avenge the children of Israel for the injury they had done to them by sending their daughters among them to entice them to adultery and idolatry. After that, he would be gathered to his people, meaning he would die as all his people before him.
(3) And Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD on Midian."
Moses then told the people to arm some of their able-bodied men of war and let them go against the Midianites to avenge the LORD. Note the Lord had said in verse 2 to avenge the children of Israel, but Moses now called it vengeance for the Lord. The Israelites had indeed suffered and lost 24,000 people due to the iniquity they were drawn into by the Midianites, but Moses recognized this had been an affront to their Lord and called the people to avenge His name and honor which had been dishonored by their sins of lewdness and idolatry.
(4) "Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall you send to the war."
Each tribe was to send 1000 men to war.
(5) So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
The people did as Moses had instructed, and delivered out of each tribe 1000 men armed for war, for a total of 12,000 men from the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin. The tribe of Levi, as priests and caretakers of the tabernacle, would not have sent men to war.
(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.
Moses sent the thousand men from each tribe to war. We see that the tribe of Levi did participate; Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, went to war with holy articles from the sanctuary and trumpets to blow, signifying this was the Lord's battle.
(7) And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they killed all the males.
The 12,000 Israelite soldiers warred against the Midianites as the Lord had commanded Moses they do, and they killed all the males. This means all the males who warred against them, or the ones who did not escape; it cannot mean every last Midianite male, as the Midianites would later raise their war heads again.
(8) And they killed the kings of Midian, besides the rest of them who were slain, namely, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian; Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with the sword.
They also killed the kings of Midian, in addition to every other male who was killed. The five kings of Midian who were killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Balaam, who was either still in Midian on his way back to his home, or had returned to Midian, as we were told in Numbers 24:25 he "returned to his place" after his meeting with Balak that had been intended, but failed, to curse Israel.
(9) And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, and their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods.
The Israelites took the women and their children captive, and took as spoil all their cattle, flocks, and goods. Once again it must be understood that not all the women were taken captive, just as not all the men were killed, because the Midianites would come against Israel again; but all who came against them and did not escape were killed and their women and children taken captive.
(10) And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
The Israelites burned all the cities where the people mentioned in the above verses dwelt. They also burned the castles which probably belonged to the kings they had killed.
(11) And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, of men and of beasts.
The Israelites took all the spoil of the goods, and all the prey of men and livestock.
(12) And they brought the captives, the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
The Israelite soldiers brought the captives and their large booty to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation at their camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho.
(13) And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp.
Moses, Eleazar, and all the leaders of the congregation, actually went out of the camp to meet the returning Israelites outside the camp.
(14) And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.
Moses turned out to be very angry with the officers of the Israelite army, those captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come back from the battle with their captives and their rich booty.
(15) And Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive? (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."
Moses was angry they had kept all the women alive. After all, they were the main ones who first caused the Israelites to sin against their Lord, when they, apparently at the counsel of Balaam, went among the Israelites and enticed them into lewdness and eventually idolatry; and because of that, there had been a plague among the congregation of Israel.
(17) “Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately."
Moses instructed the Israelite army to kill every male child and every woman who had known a man intimately. Only the female children were spared. Usually women and children were spared in these situations, as they were usually unable to resist. However in this case, the women were the most guilty of wrongdoing against the Israelites, and the male children would later have become men and warriors against them. Besides, the Lord God, the author, creator, and supporter of life, has every right to dispose of it when He sees proper; and as righteous and just, He cannot do anything but what is right and just. Knowing all that is and what will be, He knows what each life would have done. Also just because someone is taken away from this physical life doesn't always mean the end; God also takes people to save them from the evil to come (Isaiah 57:1), which could very well describe the future existence of these particular children. Taking the children away to be with Him would be a most loving and merciful act.
(18) "But all the women children, who have not known a man intimately, keep alive for yourselves."
The female children were spared and could be taken by the Israelites. They could be maidservants, or they could even become wives of Israelite men if they embraced the Israelite religion.
(19) "And you do abide outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
Even though the Israelite soldiers had acted as the Lord had commanded them, they had become unclean and defiled by touching the dead, and had to go through the prescribed purification process. Anyone who had killed or had come in contact with any slain, were to purify themselves and their captives (the female children) on the third and on the seventh day of the seven days they remained outside the camp.
(20) "And purify all clothing, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood."
They were to purify all their spoils. All clothing, skins, works of goats' hair, such as coverings of tents were made from, and all things made of wood, were to be purified by washing them.
(21) And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: (22) Only the gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, (23) Everything that may abide the fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of purification; all that cannot endure fire you shall put through the water."
Eleazar the priest told the men who had gone to battle about the law of purification of unclean people and things, according to what Moses had said as received from the Lord. Items made of gold, silver, brass, and the like, that could withstand fire, were to be put through the fire and would be cleaned that way. However, they were also to be purified with the water of purification, water mixed with the ashes of the burnt red heifer (Numbers 19:17). All items that could not endure fire were to be washed with water.
(24) “And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.”
After cleansing and purifying everything else, on the seventh day they were to wash their own clothes, and then they were allowed to come into the camp.
(25) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (26) "Take the sum of the prey that was taken, of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation."
The Lord then told Moses to make a count of all the plunder that was taken, both of man and beast. Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs of the congregation were to do this.
(27) "And divide the prey into two parts, between them who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation."
The plunder was to be divided into two equal parts between those who had gone into battle and all those others of the congregation. Because all the Israelites were harmed by the Midianites, they all were to share in the plunder. However, since there were just 12,000 men of war who had gone to battle, they had a far greater share of the plunder, as well they should, since they had been the ones who faced the dangers of war.
(28) "And levy a tribute for the LORD on the men of war who went out to battle, one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep; (29) Take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for a heave offering to the LORD."
There was to be a tribute or tax on the men who had gone to battle to be given to their Lord. One out of every 500 of the people (the female children), and one of every 500 of the cattle, and likewise of the donkeys and the sheep, was to be taken from the soldiers' half of the plunder, and was to be given to Eleazar for a heave offering to the Lord, as a way to thank or give a tithe of sorts to the Lord for their success and victory and for all the plunder they had taken.
(30) “And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, the donkeys, and the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them to the Levites, who keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”
From the congregation's half of the plunder, they were to take one of every fifty of the people, of the cattle, and of every kind of livestock or animals taken, and those were to be given to the Levites who were employed in the service of the tabernacle.
(31) And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses and Eleazar did just as the Lord had commanded to Moses they do.
(32) And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, (33) And seventy-two thousand cattle, (34) And sixty-one thousand donkeys, (35) And thirty-two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man intimately.
These verses seem to reference the total booty, or the live prey of the booty. I'm not sure what is meant by the "rest of the prey", unless perhaps it was what remained after the soldiers' seven days outside the camp, before it was counted. The original word translated as "rest" was "yether" and it means "overhanging (by implication) an excess, remainder". However, it can also mean "abundance, affluence, superiority, excellency", so perhaps the meaning was that the abundance of the total prey numbered 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 young woman or girls who had never known a man intimately.
(36) And the half, the portion of them who went out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, (37) And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five. (38) And the cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was seventy-two. (39) And the donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD’s tribute was sixty-one. (40) And the persons were sixteen thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty-two persons.
The half portion of that total prey that went to the men who went out to war numbered 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgins. The Lord's tribute of these numbered 675 sheep, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 virgins.
(41) And Moses gave the tribute, the LORD'S heave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses gave the tribute of 675 sheep, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 virgins, to Eleazar the priest, for a heave offering, as the Lord had commanded to Moses. People given as an offering to the Lord cannot be understood as being sacrificed, but with this heave offering they were presented, or perhaps even ceremonially raised and lowered, in dedication to God and afterward would have been reserved for the priests' use.
(42) And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men that warred, (43) Now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, (44) And thirty-six thousand cattle, (45) And thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, (46) And sixteen thousand persons.
The children of Israel's half of the prey which Moses had divided out of the total prey, totaled 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgins.
(47) Of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, of man and of beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one of each fifty, of the virgins, and of each species of animal, and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle, just as the Lord had commanded he do. Although the numbers given to the Levites was not recorded here, it can be easily calculated. The children of Israel, being required to give one in fifty, gave ten times more than the soldiers who gave one in 500; therefore their numbers were 6750 sheep, 720 cattle, 610 donkeys, and 320 virgins.
(48) And the officers who were over thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; (49) And they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a count of the men of war who are under our command, and not a man of us is missing."
The officers of the army of Israelites came to Moses and reported to him that after waging war with a whole nation, killing all the males and the kings, burning their cities, taking so many captives and such a large booty, miraculously not a single one of the 12,000 soldiers was killed or missing.
(50) "We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD."
In thanksgiving for success and sparing all their lives, the officers brought a freewill offering over and above the tribute that was levied upon them. It seems to read that they brought to the Lord all the gold jewels and jewelry that the soldiers had taken as plunder. They said it was to make atonement for their souls before the Lord, perhaps for their error in judgment in sparing all the women.
(51) And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, even all the crafted jewels.
Moses and Eleazar received all the gold and fashioned jewelry from them.
(52) And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the LORD, from the captains of thousands, and from the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. (53) (The men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)
The value of all the gold the officers had offered to the Lord was 16,750 shekels. The opinion on what a shekel of gold was worth in those times varies, but with one conversion chart I used at Convert-me.com it calculated it was equal to 0.4 ounce. 16,750 shekels would equal 6700 ounces of gold. At the current US value of over $1500 an ounce, that would make it worth well over $10,000,000. With this large amount, I have to believe the meaning of the parenthetical 53rd verse was that the amount was so large because every man of war had taken some gold for himself which he now offered to the Lord. However, there are some who believe that the meaning was that some men held back the gold they took for themselves and it was not part of the offering. That would seem to imply the meaning of the parenthetical remark was that the amount was so small because the men held back, and that just doesn't seem to be the logical meaning to me. Whether they gave all their gold or they gave of their gold, it was still quite a large freewill offering they gave to their Lord over and above the tribute they were required to give Him.
(54) And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from 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.
Moses and Eleazar took the gold from the officers and brought it into the tabernacle, probably laying it up in some chamber there, in remembrance of the victory the Israelites had obtained because of their Lord's goodness and protection, that they would remember this victory and trust Him in all future endeavors. That's the way I took the meaning to be, but some Biblical scholars suggest it was laid up in the tabernacle to remind the Lord that they had given it to Him. I really don't like that suggestion and wouldn't think it would be acceptable to the Lord if it was a bribe for purely selfish reasons. However, Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, put it a little more softly: "...that he (God), being well pleased with this thankful acknowledgment of favours bestowed, might continue and repeat his mercies to them."
I rather think the moral of this story, or rather historical incident, is that the people obeyed the Lord in avenging the children of Israel, thus avenging the Lord because their lewdness and idolatry had greatly dishonored Him. Being imperfect as all men are, they erred in their judgment in keeping all the women alive, but did as Moses instructed they do when this was brought to their attention. Their success in war was remarkable that so small an army could overcome such multitudes, and still more miraculous that not one soldier was killed or missing. Again quoting Matthew Henry, this time in his Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, the army then "...presented the gold they found among the spoils, as an offering to the Lord. Thus they confessed, that instead of claiming a reward for their service, they needed forgiveness of much that had been amiss, and desired to be thankful for the preservation of their lives, which might justly have been taken away."
(Numbers 31:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) "Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
The events of chapter 31 follow those of chapter 27, after an interruption where the Lord reviewed the law of sacrifices and the law of vows in the previous three chapters. In Numbers 27:13 the Lord had told Moses that once he had been permitted to see the promised land, he would die, and would not be allowed to enter the land of Canaan because he had rebelled against the commandment of the Lord (Numbers 20:12).
Now the Lord told Moses that he was first to make war upon the Midianites to avenge the children of Israel for the injury they had done to them by sending their daughters among them to entice them to adultery and idolatry. After that, he would be gathered to his people, meaning he would die as all his people before him.
(3) And Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD on Midian."
Moses then told the people to arm some of their able-bodied men of war and let them go against the Midianites to avenge the LORD. Note the Lord had said in verse 2 to avenge the children of Israel, but Moses now called it vengeance for the Lord. The Israelites had indeed suffered and lost 24,000 people due to the iniquity they were drawn into by the Midianites, but Moses recognized this had been an affront to their Lord and called the people to avenge His name and honor which had been dishonored by their sins of lewdness and idolatry.
(4) "Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall you send to the war."
Each tribe was to send 1000 men to war.
(5) So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
The people did as Moses had instructed, and delivered out of each tribe 1000 men armed for war, for a total of 12,000 men from the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin. The tribe of Levi, as priests and caretakers of the tabernacle, would not have sent men to war.
(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.
Moses sent the thousand men from each tribe to war. We see that the tribe of Levi did participate; Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, went to war with holy articles from the sanctuary and trumpets to blow, signifying this was the Lord's battle.
(7) And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they killed all the males.
The 12,000 Israelite soldiers warred against the Midianites as the Lord had commanded Moses they do, and they killed all the males. This means all the males who warred against them, or the ones who did not escape; it cannot mean every last Midianite male, as the Midianites would later raise their war heads again.
(8) And they killed the kings of Midian, besides the rest of them who were slain, namely, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian; Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with the sword.
They also killed the kings of Midian, in addition to every other male who was killed. The five kings of Midian who were killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Balaam, who was either still in Midian on his way back to his home, or had returned to Midian, as we were told in Numbers 24:25 he "returned to his place" after his meeting with Balak that had been intended, but failed, to curse Israel.
(9) And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, and their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods.
The Israelites took the women and their children captive, and took as spoil all their cattle, flocks, and goods. Once again it must be understood that not all the women were taken captive, just as not all the men were killed, because the Midianites would come against Israel again; but all who came against them and did not escape were killed and their women and children taken captive.
(10) And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
The Israelites burned all the cities where the people mentioned in the above verses dwelt. They also burned the castles which probably belonged to the kings they had killed.
(11) And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, of men and of beasts.
The Israelites took all the spoil of the goods, and all the prey of men and livestock.
(12) And they brought the captives, the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
The Israelite soldiers brought the captives and their large booty to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation at their camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho.
(13) And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp.
Moses, Eleazar, and all the leaders of the congregation, actually went out of the camp to meet the returning Israelites outside the camp.
(14) And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.
Moses turned out to be very angry with the officers of the Israelite army, those captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come back from the battle with their captives and their rich booty.
(15) And Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive? (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."
Moses was angry they had kept all the women alive. After all, they were the main ones who first caused the Israelites to sin against their Lord, when they, apparently at the counsel of Balaam, went among the Israelites and enticed them into lewdness and eventually idolatry; and because of that, there had been a plague among the congregation of Israel.
(17) “Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately."
Moses instructed the Israelite army to kill every male child and every woman who had known a man intimately. Only the female children were spared. Usually women and children were spared in these situations, as they were usually unable to resist. However in this case, the women were the most guilty of wrongdoing against the Israelites, and the male children would later have become men and warriors against them. Besides, the Lord God, the author, creator, and supporter of life, has every right to dispose of it when He sees proper; and as righteous and just, He cannot do anything but what is right and just. Knowing all that is and what will be, He knows what each life would have done. Also just because someone is taken away from this physical life doesn't always mean the end; God also takes people to save them from the evil to come (Isaiah 57:1), which could very well describe the future existence of these particular children. Taking the children away to be with Him would be a most loving and merciful act.
(18) "But all the women children, who have not known a man intimately, keep alive for yourselves."
The female children were spared and could be taken by the Israelites. They could be maidservants, or they could even become wives of Israelite men if they embraced the Israelite religion.
(19) "And you do abide outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
Even though the Israelite soldiers had acted as the Lord had commanded them, they had become unclean and defiled by touching the dead, and had to go through the prescribed purification process. Anyone who had killed or had come in contact with any slain, were to purify themselves and their captives (the female children) on the third and on the seventh day of the seven days they remained outside the camp.
(20) "And purify all clothing, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood."
They were to purify all their spoils. All clothing, skins, works of goats' hair, such as coverings of tents were made from, and all things made of wood, were to be purified by washing them.
(21) And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: (22) Only the gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, (23) Everything that may abide the fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of purification; all that cannot endure fire you shall put through the water."
Eleazar the priest told the men who had gone to battle about the law of purification of unclean people and things, according to what Moses had said as received from the Lord. Items made of gold, silver, brass, and the like, that could withstand fire, were to be put through the fire and would be cleaned that way. However, they were also to be purified with the water of purification, water mixed with the ashes of the burnt red heifer (Numbers 19:17). All items that could not endure fire were to be washed with water.
(24) “And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.”
After cleansing and purifying everything else, on the seventh day they were to wash their own clothes, and then they were allowed to come into the camp.
(25) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (26) "Take the sum of the prey that was taken, of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation."
The Lord then told Moses to make a count of all the plunder that was taken, both of man and beast. Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs of the congregation were to do this.
(27) "And divide the prey into two parts, between them who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation."
The plunder was to be divided into two equal parts between those who had gone into battle and all those others of the congregation. Because all the Israelites were harmed by the Midianites, they all were to share in the plunder. However, since there were just 12,000 men of war who had gone to battle, they had a far greater share of the plunder, as well they should, since they had been the ones who faced the dangers of war.
(28) "And levy a tribute for the LORD on the men of war who went out to battle, one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep; (29) Take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for a heave offering to the LORD."
There was to be a tribute or tax on the men who had gone to battle to be given to their Lord. One out of every 500 of the people (the female children), and one of every 500 of the cattle, and likewise of the donkeys and the sheep, was to be taken from the soldiers' half of the plunder, and was to be given to Eleazar for a heave offering to the Lord, as a way to thank or give a tithe of sorts to the Lord for their success and victory and for all the plunder they had taken.
(30) “And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, the donkeys, and the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them to the Levites, who keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”
From the congregation's half of the plunder, they were to take one of every fifty of the people, of the cattle, and of every kind of livestock or animals taken, and those were to be given to the Levites who were employed in the service of the tabernacle.
(31) And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses and Eleazar did just as the Lord had commanded to Moses they do.
(32) And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, (33) And seventy-two thousand cattle, (34) And sixty-one thousand donkeys, (35) And thirty-two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man intimately.
These verses seem to reference the total booty, or the live prey of the booty. I'm not sure what is meant by the "rest of the prey", unless perhaps it was what remained after the soldiers' seven days outside the camp, before it was counted. The original word translated as "rest" was "yether" and it means "overhanging (by implication) an excess, remainder". However, it can also mean "abundance, affluence, superiority, excellency", so perhaps the meaning was that the abundance of the total prey numbered 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 young woman or girls who had never known a man intimately.
(36) And the half, the portion of them who went out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, (37) And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five. (38) And the cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was seventy-two. (39) And the donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD’s tribute was sixty-one. (40) And the persons were sixteen thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty-two persons.
The half portion of that total prey that went to the men who went out to war numbered 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgins. The Lord's tribute of these numbered 675 sheep, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 virgins.
(41) And Moses gave the tribute, the LORD'S heave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses gave the tribute of 675 sheep, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 virgins, to Eleazar the priest, for a heave offering, as the Lord had commanded to Moses. People given as an offering to the Lord cannot be understood as being sacrificed, but with this heave offering they were presented, or perhaps even ceremonially raised and lowered, in dedication to God and afterward would have been reserved for the priests' use.
(42) And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men that warred, (43) Now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, (44) And thirty-six thousand cattle, (45) And thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, (46) And sixteen thousand persons.
The children of Israel's half of the prey which Moses had divided out of the total prey, totaled 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgins.
(47) Of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, of man and of beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one of each fifty, of the virgins, and of each species of animal, and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle, just as the Lord had commanded he do. Although the numbers given to the Levites was not recorded here, it can be easily calculated. The children of Israel, being required to give one in fifty, gave ten times more than the soldiers who gave one in 500; therefore their numbers were 6750 sheep, 720 cattle, 610 donkeys, and 320 virgins.
(48) And the officers who were over thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; (49) And they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a count of the men of war who are under our command, and not a man of us is missing."
The officers of the army of Israelites came to Moses and reported to him that after waging war with a whole nation, killing all the males and the kings, burning their cities, taking so many captives and such a large booty, miraculously not a single one of the 12,000 soldiers was killed or missing.
(50) "We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD."
In thanksgiving for success and sparing all their lives, the officers brought a freewill offering over and above the tribute that was levied upon them. It seems to read that they brought to the Lord all the gold jewels and jewelry that the soldiers had taken as plunder. They said it was to make atonement for their souls before the Lord, perhaps for their error in judgment in sparing all the women.
(51) And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, even all the crafted jewels.
Moses and Eleazar received all the gold and fashioned jewelry from them.
(52) And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the LORD, from the captains of thousands, and from the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. (53) (The men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)
The value of all the gold the officers had offered to the Lord was 16,750 shekels. The opinion on what a shekel of gold was worth in those times varies, but with one conversion chart I used at Convert-me.com it calculated it was equal to 0.4 ounce. 16,750 shekels would equal 6700 ounces of gold. At the current US value of over $1500 an ounce, that would make it worth well over $10,000,000. With this large amount, I have to believe the meaning of the parenthetical 53rd verse was that the amount was so large because every man of war had taken some gold for himself which he now offered to the Lord. However, there are some who believe that the meaning was that some men held back the gold they took for themselves and it was not part of the offering. That would seem to imply the meaning of the parenthetical remark was that the amount was so small because the men held back, and that just doesn't seem to be the logical meaning to me. Whether they gave all their gold or they gave of their gold, it was still quite a large freewill offering they gave to their Lord over and above the tribute they were required to give Him.
(54) And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from 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.
Moses and Eleazar took the gold from the officers and brought it into the tabernacle, probably laying it up in some chamber there, in remembrance of the victory the Israelites had obtained because of their Lord's goodness and protection, that they would remember this victory and trust Him in all future endeavors. That's the way I took the meaning to be, but some Biblical scholars suggest it was laid up in the tabernacle to remind the Lord that they had given it to Him. I really don't like that suggestion and wouldn't think it would be acceptable to the Lord if it was a bribe for purely selfish reasons. However, Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, put it a little more softly: "...that he (God), being well pleased with this thankful acknowledgment of favours bestowed, might continue and repeat his mercies to them."
I rather think the moral of this story, or rather historical incident, is that the people obeyed the Lord in avenging the children of Israel, thus avenging the Lord because their lewdness and idolatry had greatly dishonored Him. Being imperfect as all men are, they erred in their judgment in keeping all the women alive, but did as Moses instructed they do when this was brought to their attention. Their success in war was remarkable that so small an army could overcome such multitudes, and still more miraculous that not one soldier was killed or missing. Again quoting Matthew Henry, this time in his Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, the army then "...presented the gold they found among the spoils, as an offering to the Lord. Thus they confessed, that instead of claiming a reward for their service, they needed forgiveness of much that had been amiss, and desired to be thankful for the preservation of their lives, which might justly have been taken away."
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