Commentaries Dictionaries Concordances

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Numbers 31:19-24

The Purification of the Israelite Army after the Slaughter. The purification of warriors after a battle, practised in antiquity as by savage peoples to-day, was due, not to any desire for physical cleanliness, but to the dread of the mystery involved in spilt blood and in dead bodies: those who had been in contact with such were sources of danger to the community until ritually purified. The rules observed are those prescribed in Numbers 19:11 f.; but in addition it is here enjoined that everything that can stand fire shall be purified by fire and by the water of separation (Numbers 19:9), whereas for everything likely to suffer from fire ordinary washing shall suffice.

Continues after advertising

See also Numbers 31:19-24 in other biblical comments:

  • 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 ...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    PERSON. soul. Hebrew. _nephesh_ (App-13)....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _The purification necessary after contact with the dead_. Moses bids all who are defiled to remain outside the camp for seven days and perform the requisite ritual of purification....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _purify yourselves_ The same word as in Numbers 8:21, - _unsin_yourselves." Purification after battle is a custom found among various primitive tribes. The Hebrews had not yet received the higher teac...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    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 thems...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    B. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THEIR DISPOSAL vv. 13-20 TEXT Numbers 31:13. And Moses and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. 14. And Moses was...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND DO YE ABIDE WITHOUT THE CAMP SEVEN DAYS: WHOSOEVER HATH KILLED ANY PERSON, AND WHOSOEVER HATH TOUCHED ANY SLAIN, PURIFY BOTH YOURSELVES AND YOUR CAPTIVES ON THE THIRD DAY, AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY....

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    31:19 person, (g-12) Lit. 'soul.' purify (h-21) See ch. 19.12....

  • 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...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וְ אַתֶּ֗ם חֲנ֛וּ מִ ח֥וּץ לַֽ †...

  • 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...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Shall be. Hebrew, "purify yourselves and your captives on the," &c. The girls, and all the booty, might probably be rendered unclean by the presence of a corpse, &c., chap xix. 14._...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    The law respecting uncleanness had so much in it of allusion to the gospel, that it is not to be wondered at we meet with it upon every occasion. But Reader! how delightful is it to see our privileges...

  • 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

    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...

  • 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 DO YE ABIDE WITHOUT THE CAMP SEVEN DAYS..... Which was the time that anyone that touched a dead body remained unclean, Numbers 19:11, WHOSOEVER HATH KILLED ANY PERSON; as most of them if not all...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify [both] yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day...

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

    _Abide without the camp seven days_ According to the law, Leviticus 15:13. _Purify yourselves_ With the water of sprinkling, Numbers 19:9. _Your raiment_ Namely, your spoil and prey. _All work _ All w...

  • 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

    THE PURIFICATION OF THE ARMY...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And do ye abide without the camp seven days, because they had touched the bodies of slain people and must be purified, Numbers 19:11; WHOSOEVER HATH KILLED ANY PERSON AND WHOSOEVER HATH TOUCHED ANY SL...

  • 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

    19-24 The Israelites had to purify themselves according to the law, and to abide without the camp seven days, though they had not contracted any moral guilt, the war being just and lawful, and command...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    SEVEN DAYS; according to the law, LEVITICUS 15:13 NUMBERS 19:11,12. PURIFY with the water of sprinkling, NUMBERS 19:9....

  • 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 31:19 remain H2583 (H8798) outside H2351 camp H4264 seven H7651 days H3117 killed H2026 (H8802) person...

  • 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 ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    NUMBERS—NOTE ON NUMBERS 31:19 Though the war had been ordered by God, it still made the soldiers unclean. They and the spoils had to be purified. ⇐...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    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 th...

  • 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

    1 Chronicles 22:8; Numbers 19:11; Numbers 5:2...

Continues after advertising