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 gathered unto his people, as it had been revealed to him (Numbers 27:13). After Balaam had been dismissed... [ Continue Reading ]
ARM SOME OF YOURSELVES... — Better, _Arm from among you_ (or, _from those with you_)_ men for the war._ The details of the selection are contained in the next verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH THE HOLY INSTRUMENTS, AND... — Or, _with the holy instruments, even,_ &c. It does not appear whether the ark did or did not accompany the expedition. It has been inferred from Numbers 14:44 that the reference may be to the ark, but it does not appear probable that the ark would be so described.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SLEW ALL THE MALES. — The reference appears to be to those who were engaged in the war. The words do not refer to the whole of the male population, as appears from Numbers 31:17; and it is probable that many of the Midianites who were not engaged in the war withdrew from the scene of conflict.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SLEW THE KINGS OF MIDIAN... — Those persons who are here described as kings appear to have been chiefs of the more powerful Midianitish tribes, just in the same way as Zur is represented in Numbers 25:15. They are described in Joshua 13:21 as “princes” or “chiefs,” and as “dukes” or “prince... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THEIR CITIES WHEREIN THEY DWELT. — Better, _all their cities in their dwelling-places._ This expression is explained by a reference to Joshua 13:21, from which it appears that the five kings or chiefs of the Midianites who are mentioned in Numbers 5:8 dwelt in the territory which Sihon, king of... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CAPTIVES, AND THE PREY, AND THE SPOIL. — The first word denotes the women and children; the second, which in Numbers 5:11 includes both the captives and the cattle, appears in this place to refer to the animals only; whilst the third refers to the rest of the spoil.... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE YE SAVED ALL THE WOMEN ALIVE? — It was the women, as is expressed in the following verse, who had been the cause, at the instigation of Balaam, of the apostacy of the Israelites; and consequently the command to “avenge the Lord of Midiani” implied the punishment of those who had been the instru... [ Continue Reading ]
KEEP ALIVE FOR YOURSELVES. — The Israelites were allowed to make slaves of their captives. Shortly after the capture of these Midianitish women, and, it may be, as arising out of it, the law concerning marriage with captives was enacted. (See Deuteronomy 21:10.)... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DIVIDE THE PREY INTO TWO PARTS... — It was reasonable that those who had encountered the perils and hardships of the war should receive a larger share of the spoil than those who had remained in the camp. It was equally reasonable that the latter should not be left without some substantial benef... [ Continue Reading ]
AND LEVY A TRIBUTE UNTO THE LORD. — Literally, _and thou shalt lift up_ (or, _heave_)_,_ &c. The portion assigned to the priests, which was taken from the prey that fell to the lot of the warriors, and which is described in Numbers 31:29 as “the heave offering of the Lord,” was one-five-hundredth pa... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE PORTION OF FIFTY. — The Levites were much more numerous than the priests, and consequently it was ordered that they should have two per cent. of the spoil which fell to the congregation, whereas the priests had only one-fifth percent, of a like amount. The portion of the Levites, therefore, was... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE BOOTY, BEING THE REST OF THE PREY... — The reference may be to the residue of the captives after the slaughter of all the males and of a large number of the women, and to the cattle which were brought to the camp, some, it may be, having been lost or slaughtered for food; or it may be to the... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE LACKETH NOT ONE MAN OF US. — It is obvious from the smallness of the number of the Israelitish warriors, as well as from the reference to those chiefs only of the Midianites who were the vassals of Sihon, and from the strength of the Midianitish nation in the time of Gideon (Judges 6-8), that... [ Continue Reading ]
SIXTEEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY SHEKELS. — This quantity of golden ornaments is quite in harmony with the well-known habits of nomad and even barbarous tribes. The peculiar affection of the Midianites for such ornaments is shown further in the account which is contained in Judges 8:26 of th... [ Continue Reading ]