Chapter 31
Numbers
1 note in this chapter
Verse 1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Verse 2“Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” Verse 3So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian. Verse 4You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” Verse 5So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. Verse 6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. Verse 7They warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every male. Verse 8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. Verse 9And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. Verse 10All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, Verse 11and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. Verse 12Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
Verse 13Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. Verse 14And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. Verse 15Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? Verse 16Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD. Verse 17Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.✦ Verse 18But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. Verse 19Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. Verse 20You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”
17–18Massacre: Numbers 31:17-18
Critical Commentary
The argument gathers the passages in which Israel is told to wipe out whole populations. In Numbers 31:17-18 Moses orders every male child and every woman who has been with a man to be killed, while the young girls are kept alive for the Israelites, and the count of these in Numbers 31:35 comes to 32,000. Deuteronomy 20:16 says that in the cities given as an inheritance nothing that breathes is to be left alive.
Joshua 6:21 reports that at Jericho every man, woman, child, ox, sheep and donkey was devoted to destruction, and Joshua 10:28 says that at Makkedah Joshua left no one remaining. The argument is that a book which commands and reports this has no standing to accuse others of cruelty.
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.
Numbers 31:17-18
But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,
Deuteronomy 20:16
Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
Joshua 6:21
Source: see Credits and references (no. 25, p. 24).
Verse 21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded Moses: Verse 22only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, Verse 23everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. Verse 24You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”
Verse 25The LORD said to Moses, Verse 26“Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation, Verse 27and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. Verse 28And levy for the LORD a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks. Verse 29Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the LORD. Verse 30And from the people of Israel’s half you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites who keep guard over the tabernacle of the LORD.” Verse 31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Verse 32Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep, Verse 3372,000 cattle, Verse 3461,000 donkeys, Verse 35and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him. Verse 36And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep, Verse 37and the LORD’s tribute of sheep was 675. Verse 38The cattle were 36,000, of which the LORD’s tribute was 72. Verse 39The donkeys were 30,500, of which the LORD’s tribute was 61. Verse 40The persons were 16,000, of which the LORD’s tribute was 32 persons. Verse 41And Moses gave the tribute, which was the contribution for the LORD, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Verse 42From the people of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army— Verse 43now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, Verse 4436,000 cattle, Verse 45and 30,500 donkeys, Verse 46and 16,000 persons— Verse 47from the people of Israel’s half Moses took one of every 50, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Verse 48Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses Verse 49and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. Verse 50And we have brought the LORD’s offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.” Verse 51And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles. Verse 52And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the LORD, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels. Verse 53(The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself.) Verse 54And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the LORD.
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