Numbers 31 - Introduction
_THE MIDIANITES, BY THE COMMAND OF GOD, ARE DESPOILED, BALAAM AND THEIR FIVE KINGS BEING SLAIN. MOSES IS WROTH WITH THE OFFICERS, FOR SPARING THE WOMEN: THE PREY IS DIVIDED._ _Before Christ 1452._... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE MIDIANITES, BY THE COMMAND OF GOD, ARE DESPOILED, BALAAM AND THEIR FIVE KINGS BEING SLAIN. MOSES IS WROTH WITH THE OFFICERS, FOR SPARING THE WOMEN: THE PREY IS DIVIDED._ _Before Christ 1452._... [ Continue Reading ]
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 ministration for the punishment of the Midianites, who had so abominably seduced the Israelites to wickedness.... [ Continue Reading ]
AVENGE THE LORD OF MIDIAN— What is called _avenging the children of Israel,_ in Numbers 31:2 is here called _avenging the LORD;_ because the war was with idolaters, the enemies of the true religion, and for the sake of God's peculiar people. Besides, the Midianites were particularly displeasing to G... [ Continue Reading ]
OF EVERY TRIBE A THOUSAND— Six thousand of the Midianites taken prisoners in the war (see the following verses) give us a sufficient proof of the strength of that nation, and that the laws of prudence required a numerous army to attack them; but a people favoured by heaven, and led on by the God of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY WARRED AGAINST THE MIDIANITES, &C.— The twelve thousand men chosen out by Moses marched against the Midianites. The battle they gave them was less an ordinary combat, than an execution of justice upon criminals; and, being performed by the immediate direction of God, can certainly never be... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SLEW THE KINGS— This would be more intelligible, if rendered, after Houbigant, "and in the midst of the slaughter, they slew five kings of Midian, Evi, &c." REFLECTIONS.—The success was answerable to their wishes. Their enemies fell before them, and justly suffered for the evil they had se... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES WAS WROTH WITH THE OFFICERS— The Israelites obeyed the order in general; but, with a false pity, saved the lives of those Midianitish women whom they ought to have treated with the utmost rigour. They did not look upon them with that horror which they ought to have had for such seducers, b... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE YE SAVED ALL THE WOMEN ALIVE?— See on chap. Numbers 22:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
THROUGH THE COUNSEL OF BALAAM— We have, in the course of the former Chapter s, spoken of this evil _counsel._ As the Moabites and Midianites, strongly infected with the ideas of local and tutelary gods, conceived Jehovah to be only the tutelary God of the Jews; we may well account, from this persuas... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DO YE ABIDE WITHOUT THE CAMP SEVEN DAYS— The whole army were to stay without the camp seven days; and such of them as had stained their hands in blood, or touched a dead body, were to purify themselves by the water of separation, ch. Numbers 19:9. For, though it was lawful to kill men in a just... [ Continue Reading ]
PURIFY ALL YOUR RAIMENT, AND ALL THAT IS MADE OF SKINS— La Roque, says the author of the _Observations,_ mentions, as part of the common Arab's furniture, hair sacks, and trunks, and baskets covered with skin, to put up and carry their things in, which are kettles or pots, great wooden bowls, hand-m... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ELEAZAR—SAID—_THIS IS THE ORDINANCE OF THE LAW_— i.e. "This is a law to be observed hereafter by all who go to war." The law before was, that he, who touched a dead body should be purified with water; but nothing had been hitherto said of him who killed a man in war; nor of the spoil, concerning... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE THE SUM OF THE PREY—BOTH OF MAN AND BEAST— The goods and money called _the spoil,_ Numbers 31:12 are not ordered to be divided, the warriors being allowed to keep these entirely to themselves. Indeed we find, Numbers 31:50, &c. that they made a voluntary oblation thereof. This _prey_ was to be... [ Continue Reading ]
A TRIBUTE UNTO THE LORD—ONE SOUL OF FIVE HUNDRED— As the word _soul_ refers to the cattle as well as to the men, it would be better to render this, _one life,_ or _living being,_ of _five hundred._ God being the sovereign of the nation, this tribute was an homage of submission and gratitude justly d... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL'S HALF, THOU SHALL TAKE ONE PORTION OF FIFTY— The congregation, not having hazarded their lives, are enjoined to part with ten times as much as those who went to battle, and in such a proportion as the number of them that went to battle held to the whole number of warriors,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE BOOTY, BEING THE REST, &C.— Hence it appears, that Midian must have been an extremely populous and fertile country; for the sum total of the divided booty was as in the following table, wherein the reader will see, at one view, what portion fell to the share of the soldiers, the congregation... [ Continue Reading ]
THE OFFICERS WHICH WERE OVER THOUSANDS, &C.— After their return from war, the officers of the army made a muster of the soldiery to see what number they had lost. Three kinds of officers are distinguished: 1. Those who had the command of several _thousands_ as the generals and lieutenant-generals. 2... [ Continue Reading ]
SIXTEEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY SHEKELS— See Exodus 25:39.... [ Continue Reading ]
_NUMBERS 31:53_. (_FOR THE MEN OF WAR HAD TAKEN SPOIL, EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF_)— But the men of war had every one their own booty. Houbigant; or, _had reserved the spoil, every man for himself:_ see on Numbers 31:26. REFLECTIONS.—The piety of the officers of Israel appears here as great as their prow... [ Continue Reading ]