Chapter Text
Vengeance on the Midianites
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.
7And 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.
13And 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.
25And 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.
48And 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.
Summary
The tribes of Reuben and Gad, possessing great herds, request the fertile lands east of the Jordan rather than crossing into Canaan. Moses initially rebukes them, comparing their request to the faithless spies' discouragement of the nation. They promise to lead the army across the Jordan and fight until all tribes receive their inheritance. Moses agrees, and half the tribe of Manasseh also settles east of the Jordan.
Meaning
Reuben and Gad's request raises the perennial tension between material prosperity and spiritual calling. Choosing land based on its pastures rather than God's promise carries the subtle danger of prioritizing earthly comfort over covenant faithfulness.
Their commitment to fight alongside their brothers before settling down redeems the request. The principle is established that receiving one's inheritance early does not release one from obligation to the community. Individual blessing must serve the common good.
Background
The Transjordan region, including Gilead and Bashan, was renowned for its rich pastureland. These tribes' separation from the main body of Israel would later prove problematic, as they were the first to fall to Assyrian conquest. The arrangement anticipated the tension between tribal autonomy and national unity.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-6God commands war against Midian
- vv. 7-12Israel defeats Midian and takes spoil
- vv. 13-18Moses rebukes the officers over survivors
- vv. 19-24Purification laws for warriors and plunder
- vv. 25-47Division of spoil among soldiers, congregation, and Levites
- vv. 48-54Officers' thanksgiving offering of gold
Key Verses
“Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.”— 31:2
God's direct command to Moses links this campaign to divine justice for the Midianite seduction at Peor (Numbers 25). It also serves as a solemn notice that Moses's earthly ministry is drawing to a close.
“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.”— 31:16
This verse reveals that Balaam, unable to curse Israel directly, counseled Midian to use seduction and idolatry as weapons—a detail not fully disclosed until this chapter. It explains the severity of the judgment.
“And 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.”— 31:49
The miraculous preservation of every Israelite soldier testifies to God's sovereign protection. This extraordinary fact prompts the officers' voluntary gold offering of thanksgiving.
“Every 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.”— 31:23
Eleazar's ordinance on purifying plunder by fire or water establishes an enduring principle: what is brought into the covenant community must be cleansed, foreshadowing themes of sanctification throughout Scripture.
People & Places
People
- Moses — Leader of Israel who commands the campaign against Midian as God directs, and oversees the distribution of spoil.
- Phinehas — Son of Eleazar the priest, sent to lead the army with the holy instruments and trumpets.
- Eleazar — The high priest who instructs the warriors on purification laws and receives the LORD's tribute from the spoil.
- Balaam — Son of Beor, the diviner who counseled Midian to seduce Israel into sin at Peor; slain in this battle.
- Evi — One of the five kings of Midian killed in the war.
- Rekem — One of the five kings of Midian killed in the war.
- Zur — One of the five kings of Midian killed in the war, likely the father of Cozbi (Numbers 25:15).
- Hur — One of the five kings of Midian killed in the war.
- Reba — One of the five kings of Midian killed in the war.
Places
- Midian — Territory east of the Jordan and south of Moab, homeland of the Midianite people who seduced Israel into idolatry.
- Plains of Moab — The Israelite encampment east of the Jordan near Jericho, where the spoil and captives were brought.
- Peor — The site associated with Israel's idolatrous worship of Baal-peor, referenced as the cause of God's judgment on Midian.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
The death of Balaam (v. 8) fulfills the trajectory set in Numbers 22–24, where he sought to curse Israel for profit. His inability to curse God's people and his subsequent death by Israelite swords illustrate the biblical principle that those who conspire against God's covenant people ultimately fall under judgment themselves. Balaam's counsel to corrupt Israel through seduction (v. 16) is later referenced as a type of false teaching in the New Testament (2 Peter 2:15; Jude 1:11; Revelation 2:14).
Devotional
Numbers 31 confronts us with the gravity of sin and the reality of divine justice. The Midianite campaign was not arbitrary aggression but a response to deliberate spiritual sabotage—the seduction of God's people into idolatry and immorality.
The miraculous preservation of every soldier (v. 49) reminds us that obedience to God carries His protection. The officers' spontaneous gold offering models a heart of gratitude—when we recognize God's hand in our lives, the natural response is generous worship.
The purification laws (vv. 19–24) teach a timeless principle: even after victory, we must examine what we carry with us. Not everything gained in life's battles belongs in our inner sanctuary. Let us be diligent to cleanse what we bring into our homes, hearts, and communities.
Literary Style
This chapter is military-legal narrative, combining battle account with detailed legislative instruction on purification and spoil distribution. The meticulous enumeration of livestock and persons reflects ancient Near Eastern war-report conventions. Dialogue between Moses, Eleazar, and the officers punctuates the narrative, while the precise mathematical division of plunder underscores themes of order, equity, and consecration.