# Numbers 31 📖: Vengeance on Midian [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Numbers Overview]] | [[Numbers 30]] | [[Numbers 32]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### Conquest of the Midianites [[#Verse 01.]] The Lord spoke to Moses: [[#Verse 02.]] “Exact vengeance for the Israelites from the Midianites—after that you will be gathered to your people.” [[#Verse 03.]] So Moses spoke to the people: “Arm men from among you for the war, to attack the Midianites and to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. [[#Verse 04.]] You must send to the battle 1,000 men from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel.” [[#Verse 05.]] So 1,000 from every tribe, 12,000 armed for battle in all, were provided out of the thousands of Israel. [[#Verse 06.]] So Moses sent them to the war, 1,000 from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge of the holy articles and the signal trumpets. [[#Verse 07.]] They fought against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male. [[#Verse 08.]] They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—five Midianite kings. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. [[#Verse 09.]] The Israelites took the women of Midian captive along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder. [[#Verse 10.]] They burned all their towns where they lived and all their encampments. [[#Verse 11.]] They took all the plunder and all the spoils, both people and animals. [[#Verse 12.]] They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the rift valley plains of Moab, along the Jordan River across from Jericho. [[#Verse 13.]] Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went out to meet them outside the camp. [[#Verse 14.]] But Moses was furious with the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and commanders over hundreds, who had come from service in the war. [[#Verse 15.]] Moses said to them, “Have you allowed all the women to live? [[#Verse 16.]] Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the Lord in the matter of Peor—which resulted in the plague among the community of the Lord! [[#Verse 17.]] Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has been intimate with a man in bed. [[#Verse 18.]] But all the young women who have not experienced a man’s bed will be yours. [[#Verse 19.]] “Any of you who has killed anyone or touched any of the dead, remain outside the camp for seven days; purify yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day. [[#Verse 20.]] You must purify each garment and everything that is made of skin, everything made of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.” [[#Verse 21.]] Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone into the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law that the Lord commanded Moses: [[#Verse 22.]] ‘Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, [[#Verse 23.]] everything that may stand the fire, you are to pass through the fire, and it will be ceremonially clean, but it must still be purified with the water of purification. Anything that cannot withstand the fire you must pass through the water. [[#Verse 24.]] You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be ceremonially clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.’” ### Division of the Plunder [[#Verse 25.]] Then the Lord spoke to Moses: [[#Verse 26.]] “You and Eleazar the priest, and all the family leaders of the community, take the sum of the plunder that was captured, both people and animals. [[#Verse 27.]] Divide the plunder into two parts, one for those who took part in the war—who went out to battle—and the other for all the community. [[#Verse 28.]] “You must exact a tribute for the Lord from the fighting men who went out to battle: one life out of 500, from the people, the cattle, and from the donkeys and the sheep. [[#Verse 29.]] You are to take it from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest for a raised offering to the Lord. [[#Verse 30.]] From the Israelites’ half share you are to take one portion out of 50 of the people, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep—from every kind of animal—and you are to give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.” [[#Verse 31.]] So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. [[#Verse 32.]] The spoil that remained of the plunder that the fighting men had gathered was 675,000 sheep, [[#Verse 33.]] 72,000 cattle, [[#Verse 34.]] 61,000 donkeys, [[#Verse 35.]] and 32,000 young women who had not experienced a man’s bed. [[#Verse 36.]] The half portion of those who went to war numbered 337,500 sheep; [[#Verse 37.]] the Lord’s tribute from the sheep was 675. [[#Verse 38.]] The cattle numbered 36,000; the Lord’s tribute was 72. [[#Verse 39.]] The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. [[#Verse 40.]] The people were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 people. [[#Verse 41.]] So Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord’s raised offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses. [[#Verse 42.]] From the Israelites’ half share that Moses had separated from the fighting men, [[#Verse 43.]] there were 337,500 sheep from the portion belonging to the community, [[#Verse 44.]] 36,000 cattle, [[#Verse 45.]] 30,500 donkeys, [[#Verse 46.]] and 16,000 people. [[#Verse 47.]] From the Israelites’ share Moses took one of every 50 people and animals and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle, just as the Lord commanded Moses. [[#Verse 48.]] Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders over thousands and the commanders over hundreds, approached Moses [[#Verse 49.]] and said to him, “Your servants have taken a count of the men who were in the battle, who were under our authority, and not one is missing. [[#Verse 50.]] So we have brought as an offering for the Lord what each man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” [[#Verse 51.]] Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all of it in the form of ornaments. [[#Verse 52.]] All the gold of the offering they offered up to the Lord from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds weighed 16,750 shekels. [[#Verse 53.]] Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. [[#Verse 54.]] So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24. ###### Verse 25. ###### Verse 26. ###### Verse 27. ###### Verse 28. ###### Verse 29. ###### Verse 30. ###### Verse 31. ###### Verse 32. ###### Verse 33. ###### Verse 34. ###### Verse 35. ###### Verse 36. ###### Verse 37. ###### Verse 38. ###### Verse 39. ###### Verse 40. ###### Verse 41. ###### Verse 42. ###### Verse 43. ###### Verse 44. ###### Verse 45. ###### Verse 46. ###### Verse 47. ###### Verse 48. ###### Verse 49. ###### Verse 50. ###### Verse 51. ###### Verse 52. ###### Verse 53. ###### Verse 54. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. This war was Moses' final task before his death (31:2). 2. One thousand men from each tribe went to battle, twelve thousand in all (31:4-5). 3. Phinehas went with the holy articles and the trumpets for signaling (31:6). 4. Five kings of Midian were killed, along with Balaam son of Beor (31:8). 5. Numbers 31:16 reveals that Balaam had advised Midian to lead Israel into sin at Peor. 6. Soldiers and captives stayed outside the camp seven days to be purified (31:19). 7. Metal items were purified by fire and water; others by water (31:22-23). 8. The plunder was divided in half between the soldiers and the whole community (31:27). 9. Soldiers gave one out of five hundred to the priests, and the people gave one out of fifty to the Levites (31:28-30). 10. The officers brought 16,750 shekels of gold as an offering to the Lord (31:52). ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the One who wins the victory and cleanses His people. Israel had to be purified after the battle (31:19-24), and Jesus triumphed over the powers and washes His people clean (Colossians 2:15; Titus 3:5). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. God's judgment on Midian came after they led Israel into sin (31:16). What does that teach about God's view of those who lead others astray? 2. Even after a victory, the soldiers had to be cleansed (31:19-24). Why do we need God's cleansing after battles too? 3. Not one Israelite soldier was missing, and the officers brought an offering of thanks (31:49-50). How do you respond when God protects you? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 2: Take vengeance on the Midianites; afterward Moses will be gathered to his people. - 📖 verse 16: The Midianite women followed Balaam's advice to lead Israel into sin at Peor. - 📖 verse 49: Not one soldier under our command is missing. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Numbers 25#Verse 16.|Numbers 25:16-18]] - God commands Israel to treat Midian as enemies. - 🔗 [[Joshua 13#Verse 22.|Joshua 13:22]] - Israel killed Balaam the diviner. - 🔗 [[Revelation 02#Verse 14.|Revelation 2:14]] - Balaam taught Balak to entice Israel. - 🔗 [[Colossians 02#Verse 15.|Colossians 2:15]] - Christ triumphed over the powers. - 🔗 [[Titus 03#Verse 05.|Titus 3:5]] - He saved us through the washing of new birth. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 📂 Internal Notes