NumbersChapter 31

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The LORD said to Moses,

"Take vengeance for the Israelites on the Midianites. After that you will be gathered to your people."

So Moses said to the people, "Arm some of your men for war, so they can go against Midian and carry out the LORD's vengeance on Midian.

Send a thousand men to war from each of the tribes of Israel."

So from the clans of Israel a thousand were enlisted from each tribe—twelve thousand men armed for war.

Moses sent them out to war, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the holy vessels and the trumpets for sounding the alarm.

They fought against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and killed every male.

Among the slain were the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also put Balaam son of Beor to the sword.

The Israelites took the women of Midian and their children captive, and they plundered all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods.

They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, along with all their encampments.

They carried off all the spoil and all the plunder, both people and livestock,

and brought the captives, the plunder, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the assembly of the Israelites at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the assembly went out to meet them outside the camp.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the campaign.

"Have you let all the women live?" he said to them.

"These were the very ones who followed Balaam's advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD in the affair at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD's assembly.

Now kill every male among the children, and kill every woman who has slept with a man.

But keep alive for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

As for you, stay outside the camp for seven days. Everyone who has killed a person or touched a dead body must purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, both you and your captives.

Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goat hair, and every wooden object."

Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, "This is the requirement of the law that the LORD gave Moses:

the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead—

anything that can withstand fire you must put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire you must pass through the water.

On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp."

The LORD said to Moses,

"You, Eleazar the priest, and the family heads of the assembly are to count all that was captured, both people and livestock.

Divide the plunder between the fighting men who went into battle and the rest of the assembly.

From the soldiers who went into battle, set apart as a tribute for the LORD one out of every five hundred—of the people, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep and goats.

Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as the LORD's portion.

From the Israelites' half, take one out of every fifty—of the people, the cattle, the donkeys, the sheep and goats, all the livestock—and give them to the Levites, who are charged with the care of the LORD's tabernacle."

So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The plunder remaining from the spoil taken by the fighting men was 675,000 sheep and goats,

72,000 cattle,

61,000 donkeys,

and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.

The half belonging to those who had gone to war came to 337,500 sheep and goats,

of which the tribute for the LORD was 675;

36,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the LORD was 72;

30,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the LORD was 61;

and 16,000 people, of whom the tribute for the LORD was 32.

Moses gave the tribute, the LORD's portion, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD had commanded him.

Then there was the Israelites' half, which Moses had divided off from the share of the fighting men:

The assembly's half came to 337,500 sheep and goats,

36,000 cattle,

30,500 donkeys,

and 16,000 people.

From the Israelites' half Moses took one out of every fifty, both of the people and of the livestock, and gave them to the Levites, who were charged with the care of the LORD's tabernacle, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Then the officers over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds—came to Moses

and said to him, "Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one man is missing.

So we have brought as an offering to the LORD the gold articles each of us found—armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and pendants—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."

Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them, all the crafted articles.

All the gold that the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds presented to the LORD came to sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.

Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.

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Summary2

Chapter 31

Main Theme: The war against Midian as God’s vengeance and detailed rules for distributing war spoils and ritual purification.

Content: God commands Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites on behalf of Israel before he dies. Twelve thousand soldiers, led by Phinehas, go into battle where all the men, five kings, and Balaam are killed. Moses becomes angry because the women—who had led Israel into sin at Peor—were spared, and orders that only the virgin girls may live. The warriors must be purified for seven days outside the camp, and all spoils are cleansed by fire or water. The spoils are divided equally between the soldiers and the people, with portions given to the priests and Levites. The commanders voluntarily give gold to the Lord because no Israelite fell in battle.

Key Words/Images:

Vengeance (נקם): The war is the Lord’s vengeance against Midian for their role in the Peor incident.
Phinehas: The priest who leads the army with holy objects and trumpets, connected to his zeal from chapter 25.
Purification: Detailed rules for the ritual cleansing of soldiers and spoils highlight the uncleanness associated with war.
Distribution of Spoils: Systematic division among soldiers, people, priests, and Levites demonstrates fair sharing and God’s portion.
Voluntary Offering: The officers’ gift of gold in gratitude that no Israelite died shows thankfulness to God.

Historical context

People

Phinehas, son of Eleazar is mentioned as the leader of the army along with the holy articles and trumpets (v. 6). His role here follows directly from his zealous action in Numbers 25:7-13, where he killed an Israelite man and a Midianite woman during the Baal-Peor incident. The fact that Phinehas, not Joshua, leads this expedition underscores that this was a religious act of vengeance rather than an ordinary military campaign.

The five Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Sur, Hur, and Reba—are mentioned in v. 8. Joshua 13:21 calls them "chiefs under Sihon," suggesting they were vassal kings. The name "Rekem" is also known as a place name, possibly linked to the Petra area. "Sur" is mentioned in Numbers 25:15 as the father of Cozbi, the woman Phinehas killed.

Balaam, son of Beor was also killed in the battle (v. 8). His death here connects the narrative from chapters 22-24, where he originally blessed Israel, with v. 16, which reveals that he advised the Midianites to seduce the Israelites at Peor.

Events and Customs

Herem war (devotion to destruction) was a form of holy war in which the spoils were dedicated to God. Moses' command to kill all male children and women who had had sexual relations (v. 17), while sparing virgins (v. 18), reflects ancient Near Eastern warfare practices, but with specific Israelite modifications. Assyrian and Moabite inscriptions (such as the Mesha Stele) describe similar practices where enemies were "devoted to destruction" for a deity.

Purification rituals in vv. 19-24 provide detailed instructions for soldiers who had killed or touched dead bodies. A seven-day purification outside the camp, with cleansing on the third and seventh days using "water of purification" (מֵי נִדָּה, me niddah), corresponds to the rules in Numbers 19 regarding the red heifer. Metal objects were to be purified by fire, while other materials were to be purified with water.

The distribution of war spoils (vv. 25-47) follows a precise system: the spoils are divided equally between the soldiers and the rest of the people. From the soldiers' half, 1/500 goes to the priests; from the people's half, 1/50 goes to the Levites. This system for war spoils has parallels in other ancient Near Eastern cultures, but the specific shares allocated to cult personnel are unique to Israel.

Key Terms

נִקְמַת (niqmat, "vengeance/retribution") in vv. 2-3 does not refer to personal vengeance, but to divine justice that restores order after an offense. The expression alternates between "vengeance for Israel" (v. 2) and "the Lord's vengeance" (v. 3), showing that the military action is understood as the execution of divine judgment.

טִירֹתָם (tirotam, "their encampments/enclosures") in v. 10 refers to the characteristic nomadic settlements of the Midianites. The word describes guarded camps or stone enclosures for livestock, typical of semi-nomadic peoples in the region.

כוּמָז (kumaz) in v. 50, often translated as "gold ornaments" or "pendants," is a rare Hebrew word that appears only here and in Exodus 35:22. It likely refers to an ornament worn on the body, possibly with an amulet function.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Archaeological excavations in the Midian region (northwestern Arabia, modern Tabuk Province in Saudi Arabia) have revealed settlements from the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age with characteristic "Midianite" pottery decorated with geometric patterns. These findings confirm the presence of the Midianites as a distinct cultural group during this period. The discovery of copper mines in the Timna region, traditionally associated with Midianite metallurgy, corresponds to the large quantities of metal mentioned among the war spoils (vv. 22, 50-52).

People12

Reba1 Beor1 Balaam2 God1 Eleazar10 Evi1 Hur1 Midian1 Sur1 Phinehas1 Rekem1 Moses14

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Key words8

Moses — An important prophet and leader of the people of Israel, who received the law from God and led the Israelites out of Egypt.
The Lord — Another name for God, used to show respect and reverence.
Children of Israel — A term for the people of Israel, descendants of Jacob's twelve sons, who form the twelve tribes of Israel.
Midianites — A group of people who lived in Midian, often in conflict with the people of Israel in the Old Testament.
Commander — A military leader or officer responsible for leading an army force.
Gold — A precious metal that was highly valued and used for jewelry, decoration, and as currency.
Sanctuary — A special place dedicated to worship and religious ceremonies.
Tithe — A tax or contribution, usually 10% of income or property, given to the church or temple.