Numbers 31-32    Listen

Those evil women...what's to be their end? (Numbers 31:1-18)

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
3 ¶ So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the LORD on Midian.
4 A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.”
5 ¶ So there were recruited from the divisions of Israel one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6 Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from each tribe; he sent them to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand.
7 And they warred against the Midianites, just as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed all the males.
8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword.
9 ¶ And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods.
10 They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts.
11 And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast.
12 ¶ Then they brought the captives, the booty, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.
13 And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp.
14 But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.
15 ¶ And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive?
16 Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.
18 But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately.

Numbers 31:2 is interesting regarding God's word to Moses, "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people." Here's Moses' last big assignment before he is to be "gathered to your people." While not specifically detailed, there is no question that the Hebrews clearly understood the principle of the afterlife in the presence of their ancestors and the Lord. Moses knew back in Numbers 20:12 (see notes) that he would not be accompanying Israel over into Canaan when the time came. But Moses is not done yet; God has commissioned him to plan this battle against the Midianites who had planned the destruction of Israel.

To lend some perspective here, let's first look at verse 16, "Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD." The NKJV inserts the word "women" in that verse because the Hebrew pronoun translated "these" is feminine plural. Remember back in Numbers 22:4-7 (see notes) that the Midianites and the Moabites conspired to contract the Midianite prophet Balaam to curse Israel; that plan failed. But Balaam subsequently devised a plan that they corrupt the morals of Israel instead. The Midianite episode in Numbers 25 (see notes) was orchestrated by Balaam. With all the adversity Israel had overcome, they were almost corrupted by the heathen Midianites and Moabites. And what was the weapon of their warfare against Israel back in Numbers 25? It was a troop of women who had been designated to entice Israel sexually for the purpose of introducing them to heathen gods, thus causing Israel to forsake the one true God. As a matter of fact, one of the women (Cozbi) was identified in Numbers 25:15 as being the daughter of one of the Midianite leaders. Make no mistake about it, the Midianites, along with the Moabites, had conspired, as a nation, to use their women to corrupt Israel's allegiance to the Lord, Jehovah. Balaam's evil plan was quite effective, but fell short due to the heroic deed of Phinehas (Numbers 25:6-8). Understand this, the Midianites and Moabites (including the women) were bent on Israel's destruction.

Maybe the resulting events of chapter 31 seem extreme. What about the events of 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Innocent people died there as well at the hands of the USA. Was there another solution that would have brought to a close World War II? Then it seemed that there was not, and in retrospect today it seems that there was not. War is war. When God commissioned the events of Numbers 31, it's because there was no other way. And who knows better than God? Oh, and appropriately, Balaam was executed in this battle as well.

Let's add some perspective to the selection of those Midianites who were sentenced to death at the end of this battle. The women had been commissioned as an army of prostitutes to corrupt Israel. These women, therefore, were not innocent victims of war as many times was the case in other battles. Secondly, The remaining people of the Midianites were integrated into the tribes of the Hebrews. That being the case, non-Hebrew male children would have injected a non-Jewish line of Midianites into the Tribes of Israel. These males would have harbored an intense resentment against the Hebrews as they entered adulthood. Since no males survived this battle, the virgin women became the possessions of Hebrew men; as such, the resulting children would have been of Hebrew lineage, since lineage was dependent upon the father's ancestry and not the mother's. And...incidentally, the leaders of the Midianites were executed (Numbers 31:8) - one being Zur, the father of Cosbi (slain by Phinehas in Numbers 25:15).

The uncleanness of war (Numbers 31:19-24)

19 And as for you, remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
20 Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”
21 ¶ Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses:
22 “Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23 everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water.
24 And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.”

The soldiers required purification because of their contact with the dead. This seven-day purification ritual for the soldiers and for the plunder taken in war had to be performed outside the camp in order to prevent contamination of the rest of the people in accordance with the instructions of Numbers 19 (see notes).

Let's divide up the spoils of war (Numbers 31:25-54)

25 ¶ Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
26 “Count up the plunder that was taken—of man and beast—you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation;
27 and divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.
28 And levy a tribute for the LORD on the men of war who went out to battle: one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep;
29 take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering to the LORD.
30 And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one of every fifty, drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”
31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
32 ¶ The booty remaining from the plunder, which the men of war had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,
33 seventy-two thousand cattle,
34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,
35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man intimately.
36 And the half, the portion for those who had gone out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep;
37 and the LORD’S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.
38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’S tribute was seventy-two.
39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD’S tribute was sixty-one.
40 The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the LORD’S tribute was thirty-two persons.
41 So Moses gave the tribute which was the LORD’S heave offering to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
42 ¶ And from the children of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who fought—
43 now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
44 thirty-six thousand cattle,
45 thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,
46 and sixteen thousand persons—
47 and from the children of Israel’s half Moses took one of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
48 ¶ Then the officers who were over thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses;
49 and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a count of the men of war who are under our command, and not a man of us is missing.
50 Therefore we have brought an offering for the LORD, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”
51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments.
52 And all the gold of the offering that they offered to the LORD, from the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.
53 (The men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)
54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of meeting as a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.

When the smoke had cleared, this was a massive haul of people, possessions and livestock. The spoils of war are divided among all of Israel - some for the soldiers, some for the Levites, some for the people and some for the Lord. The exact division of the spoil in these verses is most interesting. Look at all the livestock! And here's another remarkable aspect of this campaign that one might overlook in verse 49; not one Israeli soldier was lost in the battle.

Let's break down the numbers here for the distribution of the spoils:

Reuben and Gad: A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush! (Numbers 32)

The tribes of Reuben and Gad speak to Moses about staying on the east side of the Jordan River.

1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock,
2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,
3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon,
4 the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”
5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”
6 ¶ And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?
7 Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them?
8 Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.
9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them.
10 So the LORD’S anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying,
11 “Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me,
12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.’
13 So the LORD’S anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.
14 And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel.
15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”

Moses negotiates a deal with Reuben and Gad: They'll still fight for the other tribes against the Canaanites.

16 ¶ Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,
17 but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance.
19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”
20 ¶ Then Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the LORD for the war,
21 and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven out His enemies from before Him,
22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the LORD and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.
23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.
24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.”
25 ¶ And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands.
26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead;
27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, just as my lord says.”

Let's review the specifications of the deal with the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Half of the tribe of Manasseh joins them.

28 ¶ So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.
29 And Moses said to them: “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession.
30 But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”
31 ¶ Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: “As the LORD has said to your servants, so we will do.
32 We will cross over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”
33 ¶ So Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country.
34 And the children of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer,
35 Atroth and Shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah,
36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
37 And the children of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim,
38 Nebo and Baal Meon (their names being changed) and Shibmah; and they gave other names to the cities which they built.
39 ¶ And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.
40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it.
41 Also Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its small towns, and called them Havoth Jair.
42 Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.

As Israel is encamped on the east side of the Jordan poised to go over Jordan and take some real estate, the leaders of these two tribes (Reuben and Gad) ask Moses, "We like this land; why can't we just stay here?" In verses 6-15 Moses accuses them of acting like their fathers who refused to go over into Canaan back in Numbers 14 (see notes) after the return of the 12 spies. We see the substance of Moses' concern in verse 15 when he says, "For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people." He's concerned that the disobedience of these tribes may bring judgment from God on the whole nation of Israel. However, at the conclusion of his angry accusations, they assure Moses that they will be willing to fight side by side with Israel as they go into Canaan. As a matter of fact, in verse 17 they volunteer for the front lines of Israel's military efforts into Canaan.

Moses finally consents to their request, but with certain stipulations that these tribes dare not ignore. They must agree to go over Jordan with the rest of the fighting men of Israel to take Canaan. They readily agree to wholeheartedly support the war effort. After Moses does significant warning of the consequences of not providing this armed assistance, he agrees to let them settle on the east side of the Jordan in the land they had already conquered. There's a phrase in this passage that has been repeated over and over down through the ages as a warning to others. You've probably said it yourself without knowing where it originated. See if you can find it. There it is in verse 23, "...be sure your sin will find you out." As it turns out, Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh remain on the east side of the Jordan river. This is the area occupied by Syria and Jordan today. To see a map of the land as Israel would eventually settle in, click here.

Incidentally, these east-of-the-Jordan tribes keep their promise all the way down to the time that they are released from service by Joshua in Joshua 22:1-9 (see notes). It had taken something more than seven years at that point.