Numbers 31

King James Version

Full text for Numbers Chapter 31

1¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.

3And 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.

4Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.

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 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

7¶ And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

8And 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.

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 wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.

11And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, [both] of men and of beasts.

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 the plains of Moab, which [are] by Jordan [near] Jericho.

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, Have ye saved all the women alive?

16Behold, 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.

17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

18But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

19And 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.

20And purify all [your] raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood.

21And 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 the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23Every 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.

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 prey that was taken, [both] of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:

27And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation:

28And 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:

29Take [it] of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, [for] an heave offering of the LORD.

30And 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.

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,

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 the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

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.

41And Moses gave the tribute, [which was] the LORD'S heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

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,

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 unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

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] under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

50We 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.

51And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, [even] all wrought jewels.

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 shekels.

53([For] the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)

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 memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

The LORD commanded Moses to avenge Israel upon the Midianites, leading to a war where 12,000 Israelites, accompanied by Phinehas, slew all Midianite males, including their kings and Balaam, and took extensive spoil. Moses, angered that the women who caused Israel to sin at Peor were spared, ordered the killing of all male children and non-virgin women. Following purification rites, the vast spoil was meticulously divided between the warriors and the congregation, with specific tributes allocated to the priests and Levites.

Medium Summary

At the LORD's command, Moses dispatched 12,000 chosen men, a thousand from each tribe, led by Phinehas, to wage war against the Midianites. The Israelite army thoroughly defeated Midian, slaying all males, including their five kings and Balaam, and capturing their women, children, and vast quantities of livestock and goods, while burning their cities. Upon their return, Moses was incensed that the women, who had led Israel into sin at Peor, were spared, and commanded the execution of all male children and non-virgin women. Following this, specific purification rites were ordained for the warriors and the spoil. The immense spoil was then meticulously divided into two equal portions, one for the warriors and one for the rest of the congregation. From each portion, a tribute was levied: a smaller portion for the priests from the warriors' share, and a larger portion for the Levites from the congregation's share, as an offering to the LORD. Finally, the military officers presented a voluntary offering of gold jewels, acknowledging that not a single man was lost in battle, for atonement before the LORD.

Long Summary

The chapter begins with the LORD instructing Moses to execute vengeance upon the Midianites, a task Moses was to complete before his own death. Moses consequently assembled a fighting force of twelve thousand men, one thousand from each tribe of Israel, and sent them to battle, accompanied by Phinehas the priest, bearing holy instruments and trumpets. The Israelite army engaged the Midianites as commanded, achieving a decisive victory by slaying all Midianite males, including their five kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—and notably, Balaam, the son of Beor, who was also put to the sword. The Israelites took captive all Midianite women and their little ones, seizing all their cattle, flocks, and goods as spoil, and subsequently burned all their cities and strongholds. Upon the army's return to the camp in the plains of Moab, Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the princes went out to meet them. Moses became greatly angered upon discovering that the officers had spared the women, reminding them that these very women, through Balaam's counsel, had led Israel into the trespass at Peor, resulting in a plague. Therefore, Moses commanded the immediate killing of every male child and every woman who had known a man, preserving only the virgin female children for themselves. Eleazar the priest then outlined the purification laws for the warriors and the captured spoil, specifying that items able to withstand fire should pass through fire and then be purified with water of separation, while other items should only be cleansed with water. All warriors were also required to purify themselves and their garments for seven days. Subsequently, the LORD instructed Moses and Eleazar to take a detailed count of all the captured prey, both human and beast, and to divide it into two equal halves: one for the warriors who fought and one for the entire congregation. From the warriors' half, a specific tribute of one soul in five hundred, from both persons and livestock, was to be given to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering to the LORD. From the congregation's half, a tribute of one portion in fifty was to be given to the Levites, who were responsible for the charge of the tabernacle. The chapter meticulously details the vast quantities of spoil—sheep, beeves, asses, and virgin women—and the exact amounts of the tributes distributed. Finally, the military officers, recognizing that not a single man was lost in the battle, voluntarily presented an offering of gold jewels to Moses and Eleazar, which was brought into the tabernacle as an atonement and a memorial before the LORD.

Core Concepts

  • Divine VengeanceThe LORD commands Israel to execute vengeance upon Midian for their role in leading Israel astray at Peor, highlighting a principle of divine justice against those who cause Israel to sin.
  • Holy War and ExterminationThe war against Midian is depicted as a holy war, where the command includes the slaying of all Midianite males, including their kings and Balaam, and later, the male children and non-virgin women, reflecting a severe judgment.
  • Purification RitualsSpecific instructions are given for the purification of warriors and captured spoil after battle, emphasizing the need for ritual cleansing from defilement associated with death and war before re-entering the camp.
  • Division of Spoil and TributesA detailed system for dividing war spoils is established, allocating half to the warriors and half to the congregation, with specific portions levied as tributes for the priests and Levites, illustrating the economic and religious distribution of resources.
  • Balaam's DemiseBalaam, who previously sought to curse Israel and later advised Midian to entice them to sin, is finally slain by the sword during the Midianite war, marking the end of his influence.
  • Atonement OfferingThe military officers, upon realizing that no Israelite soldier was lost in battle, voluntarily present an offering of gold jewels to the LORD for atonement, signifying gratitude and seeking divine favor.