1._And the Lord spake unto Moses. _Amongst the other prerogatives which God conferred upon His Church, this one is celebrated, that He armed the godly “to execute vengeance upon the heathen, — to execute upon them the judgment that is written,” (Psalms 149:7) and although the Spirit declares that th... [ Continue Reading ]
3._And Moses spake unto the people. _There is no doubt but that Moses delivered the commands which he had received from God; although, therefore, it is stated (205) that only ten thousand went forth to the war, yet the facts themselves demonstrate that the number, as well as the mode of warfare, was... [ Continue Reading ]
7._And they warred against the Midianites. _It was a signal example of obedience, that 12,000 men did not refuse to engage in a war which was full of danger, when it was reasonable for them to object that it was not right for them to be exposed to butchery, as it were, whilst the people sat idly in... [ Continue Reading ]
11._And they took all the spoil. _It was a sign both of their disinterestedness and modesty, that they brought the booty, which they had taken in the ardor of battle, to Moses and Eleazar; nor was it a mere empty and pompous ceremony, as many boastingly parade the wealth which they desire to keep to... [ Continue Reading ]
14_And Moses was wroth with the officers. _A successful issue usually obtains pardon for any errors in performance, nay, in a manner covers them, so that they are not taken into account; but, although the army brought with it many causes of congratulation, still Moses does not forbear from severely... [ Continue Reading ]
19._And do ye abide without the camp seven days. _We have elsewhere seen, (209) that, if any one had touched a dead body, he was accounted unclean. Moses, by now extending the ceremony of expiation to lawful homicide, intimates how carefully we ought to abstain from shedding human blood. It was requ... [ Continue Reading ]
25._And the Lord spake unto Moses. _A most equitable distribution of the booty is here described, in which the law of proportion was so well observed that, whilst the soldiers were not defrauded of the reward of their labor, at the same time some advantage accrued to the rest of the people in whose... [ Continue Reading ]
28._And levy a tribute unto the Lord. _God now requires a tribute, or holy oblation, out of the spoil from both parties, but in unequal portions, the people paying ten times more than the soldiers. There was a twofold reason and object for this tribute; for it was not fair that the Levites alone sho... [ Continue Reading ]
37._And the Lord’s tribute of the sheep. _The greatness of the victory is shewn by the result, since such an abundance of cattle could only have been collected from a wide and populous country. It is probable that it was not very fertile, and consequently only live stock, and not corn and wine, are... [ Continue Reading ]
48._And the officers which were over the thousands. _We have here an example of signal gratitude, that the leaders of the army, when they saw that none of their men were lost, consecrated their spoils of gold and silver to the Lord. By the offering of the first-fruits, they had already sufficiently... [ Continue Reading ]
51._And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold. _It was fitting that this should be added, lest any should suppose that Eleazar made a profit by the liberality of others. Moses, therefore, relates, that whatever gold was offered, was faithfully laid up as an ornament for the sanctuary. When it i... [ Continue Reading ]