Numbers 31

Numbers 31 is set during the period when Israel was encamped on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan. After the incident at Peor in Numbers 25, God commanded Israel to strike the Midianites (Numbers 25:16-18), and that command is carried out in this chapter. The campaign is presented as the last task entrusted to Moses before his death.

Outline

• Verses 1-6 The LORD commands Moses to take vengeance on Midian and tells him that afterward he will be gathered to his people. One thousand men from each tribe, twelve thousand in all, go out to battle, and Phinehas accompanies them with the holy instruments and the trumpets.
• Verses 7-12 The army kills the men of Midian, including the five kings Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, as well as Balaam the son of Beor. The soldiers take the women and children, the livestock, and the goods, and return to the camp on the plains of Moab.
• Verses 13-18 Moses is angry that the women have been spared. Declaring that these women, following the counsel of Balaam, had caused the incident at Peor, he orders that the male children and every woman who has known a man be put to death.
• Verses 19-24 The soldiers must remain outside the camp for seven days and purify themselves, their captives, and their belongings. Whatever can withstand fire is to be purified by fire, and whatever cannot is to be purified with water.
• Verses 25-47 The spoils are divided in half between the soldiers and the congregation. One five-hundredth of the soldiers' share is given to Eleazar as a heave offering (an offering lifted up and presented so that it belongs to the priest), and one fiftieth of the congregation's share is given to the Levites. The totals are 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 persons.
• Verses 48-54 Reporting that not a single soldier has been lost, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds present 16,750 shekels of gold ornaments as an offering to make atonement. The gold is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation as a memorial for Israel.

Key Verses

• Numbers 31:2 "Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people": This announces that the war is the last undertaking of Moses' life.
• Numbers 31:16 "through the counsel of Balaam": This is the only verse in the Old Testament that explicitly identifies Balaam as the one behind the incident at Peor.
• Numbers 31:49 "there lacketh not one man of us": This explains why the offering was presented.

People and Places

• Moses: Orders the war and directs the division of the spoils.
• Eleazar: The son of Aaron and the high priest, who delivers the purification regulations and receives the offerings.
• Phinehas: The son of Eleazar. Having taken the lead during the incident at Peor, he accompanies this campaign.
• Balaam: The son of Beor, the diviner summoned to curse Israel in Numbers 22. He is killed by the sword in this chapter.
• The five kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. Zur appears in Numbers 25:15 as the father of Cozbi.
• Midian: Portrayed as the people who led Israel into the idolatry at Peor.
• The plains of Moab: Israel's encampment by the Jordan River opposite Jericho.

Points for Reflection

• The command to kill women and children is a difficult passage for modern readers. Conservative interpreters regard it as a one-time judgment of God on those who led Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality, and they explain that it is not a norm for conduct today. Other interpreters view the text as written within the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare practices and read it alongside the New Testament teaching to love one's enemies (Matthew 5:44).
• Opinions also differ regarding the report that no one was lost and the large figures given. Some take the numbers literally, while others interpret the Hebrew word rendered "thousand" as a military unit.
• The purification regulations are connected to the "water of separation" in Numbers 19.
• In the New Testament, Revelation 2 (verse 14) refers to "the doctrine of Balaam" as a symbol of idolatry and sexual immorality.
• The principle of dividing the spoils between those who fought and those who stayed behind may be compared with David's rule of distribution in 1 Samuel 30.