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The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

Numbers 31:1-54

NUMBERS—NOTE ON Numbers 31:1 The Midianites were nomadic people who lived in the deserts on the outside edges of Canaan. They were associated with the Ishmaelites, Amalekites, and Moabites. It is the Moabite Midianites who are discussed here. Urged on by Balaam (v. Numbers 31:16), they had seduced the Israelites into worshiping Baal at Peor (ch. Numbers 25:1). Since persuading Israelites to worship other gods is a capital offense (see Deuteronomy 13:1), the Lord instructs the people to go to war against these Midianites. This will be the last campaign headed by Moses (Numbers 31:1), but the Israelites will fight many similar battles against the enemies of God after they enter Canaan.

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See also Numbers 31:1-54 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    CHAPTER XXXI _The command of the Lord to make war on the Midianites_, 1, 2. _One thousand men are chosen out of each of the twelve tribes_, _and sent with Phinehas against the Midianites_, 3-6. _T...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    7. THE WAR AGAINST THE MIDIANITES CHAPTER 31 _ 1. The command to fight Midian (Numbers 31:1)_ 2. The war (Numbers 31:7) 3. The cleansing (Numbers 31:13) 4. The spoil taken ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    THE EXTERMINATION OF THE MIDIANITES. This story of a war of extermination, waged to avenge the wiles practised on Israel by Midian (as described in Numbers 25:6) is marked by various fanciful elements...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    SPAKE. See note on Numbers 1:1....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _The utter destruction of every Midianite_, with the exception of the virgins who are to be kept as spoil....

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING— After Moses had repeated to the people the laws in the foregoing Chapter s, God determined, before he took this great lawgiver to himself, to use his ministratio...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    IV. THE LAST EVENTS IN TRANS-JORDAN (NUMBERS 31; NUMBERS 32; NUMBERS 33:1-42) A. ATTACK UPON THE MIDIANITES vv. 1-12 TEXT Numbers 31:1. And th

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING,_ The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge ... of the Midianites - a semi-nomadic people, descended from Abraham and Keturah, occupying a tract of country east...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    WAR AGAINST MIDIAN This chapter contains an account of the fulfilment of the decree of extermination passed upon the Midianites as being the occasion of Israel's apostasy in the plains of Moab: see o...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF NUMBERS IN THE DESERT NUMBERS _MARION ADAMS_ CHAPTER 31 *ISRAEL’S WAR AGAINST THE COUNTRY CALLED MIDIAN – NUMBERS 31:1-12 V1 The *LORD said to Moses, V2...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    XXXI. (1) AVENGE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL OF THE MIDIANITES. — The time had now come for the fulfilment of the command which had already been given (see Numbers 25:16), after which Moses was to be gathe...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל ־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּ אמֹֽר

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    WAR AND SETTLEMENT 1. THE WAR WITH MIDIAN Numbers 31:1 THE command to vex and smite the Midianites Numbers 25:16 has already been considered. Israel had not the spiritual power which would have just...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE DESTRUCTION OF THE MIDIANITES Numbers 31:1 In reading such a chapter as this we must remember that the Bible is the history of the slow advance of a nation toward the knowledge of God, and its pr...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Here we have the story of the end of Balaam. It took place in connection with a war directly resulting from the sin of the people committed through the influence of Balaam. They had corrupted the nati...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    CONTENTS In this Chapter we have the relation of Israel's war with Midian. The number of the army appointed by the LORD himself; the success of GOD'S host; the event of the battle in the spoils broug...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Here we see the fulfillment of that sacred Scripture, which assures us that the judgment of the ungodly lingereth not; for however the LORD may seem slack, as some men count slackness, yet the day of...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The successes given to the children of Israel alarmed some of their neighbours, more particularly Moab; and this gives occasion for a striking episode in the history which brought to issue as solemn a...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    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 exec...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    War is found in the wilderness (though it is not characteristic of it) whenever we fall into the snares the enemy there lays for us. There are always conflicts in the heavenly places in order to the e...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES,.... After the plague upon Israel for their fornication and idolatry, into which they were drawn by the daughters of Moab and Midian, and after the sum of the people was...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites_ For their malicious designs and practices against Israel, both by hiring Balaam to curse them, and by sending their women to insnare them. The Moabite...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 The Midianites are spoyled, and Balaam slaine. 13 Moses is wroth with the officers, for sauing the women aliue. 19 How the souldiers with their captiues and spoile, are to be purified. 25 The pro...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE OVERTHROW OF MIDIAN...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    VENGEANCE ON MIDIAN (vs.1-11) The Midianites had been guilty of seducing Israel, and God required that account to be settled. This was the last charge laid upon Moses before his death (v.2). His own...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-6 All who, without commission from God, dare to execute private revenge, and who, from ambition, covetousness, or resentment, wage war and desolate kingdoms, must one day answer for it. But if God,...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    NUMBERS CHAPTER 31 God commanded Moses, before he die, to avenge Israel of the Midianites, NUMBERS 31:1,2. he chooses twelve thousand men, and Phineas: the kings of Midian and Balaam slain, NUMBERS 31...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    We have here the closing scene of Moses' _ official_ life; as in Deuteronomy 34:1-12 we have the closing scene of his _ personal_ history. "and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children o...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Numbers 31:1 LORD H3068 spoke H1696 (H8762) Moses H4872 saying H559 (H8800)...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    (I) THE SENTENCE PASSED AND CARRIED OUT ON THE LOCAL MIDIANITES (NUMBERS 31:1). Analysis. a The command to avenge Yahweh on Midian (Numbers 31:1). b The judgment of Yahweh in the defeat of Midian ...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: The judgment of Midian. CHARACTERS: God, Moses, Balaam. CONCLUSION: Our worst enemies are those that draw us to sin. Over all such enemies there is absolute victory for those who take side...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Numbers 31:2. _Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites._ If it were just to cut off twenty four thousand of the Israelites for the awful feast, apostasy, and fornication at Baal-peor, it was e...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _They warred against the Midianites._ THE VENGEANCE OF JEHOVAH ON MIDIAN I. That in the administration of the Divine government the punishment of sin is certain. 1. The sin which the Midianites had...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES Moses had already received command to smite the Midianites (Numbers 25:16); and in this chapter we have the order given to him to execute that command, and the narrativ...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Then as we get into Numbers chapter thirty-one, the Lord orders the destruction of the Midianites. Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward thou shall be gathered to your people (Nu...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Numbers 31:1...

  • When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, 1960

    NUMBERS 31 — How can it be morally right for the Israelites to totally destroy the Midianites? PROBLEM: According to the record of events in Numbers 31, Moses commanded the Israelites to utterly destr...

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