Numbers 31:1-12

The Overthrow of Midian

v. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

v. 2. Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites, by undertaking a formal campaign of revenge against them, as commanded Numbers 26:16-Job :. Afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people, as had been revealed to him Numbers 27:13.

v. 3. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, prepare everything for a campaign, mobilize an army, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian, carry out the revenge of Jehovah upon Midian, execute His divine judicial sentence upon the entire nation.

v. 4. of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war, a total of twelve thousand armed men.

v. 5. So there were delivered out of the thousands. of Israel, for so the subdivisions of the tribes were called, Numbers 1:16, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

v. 6. And Moses sent them to the war, as a holy army under the direction of Jehovah, and very likely with Joshua as their commander, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, who had distinguished himself in his zeal for the Lord, to the war with the holy instruments, either the priestly garments or some of the consecrated vessels, and the trumpets to blow in his hand, for that was one of the objects of the silver trumpets, to call the army to battle, Numbers 10:9.

v. 7. And they warred against the Midianites, whom they presumably took unawares, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males, since it was a war of revenge, of extermination.

v. 8. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Bekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Beba, five kings of Midian; Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with the sword, because it had been he who had given the devilish advice to the Midianites in the matter of seducing the children of Israel and causing them to commit idolatry and whoredom.

v. 9. And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives and their little ones, the small children of both sexes, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.

v. 10. And they burned all their cities, the fortified towns, wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, the unfortified hamlets or encampments, with fire.

v. 11. And they took all the spoil and all the prey, all the plunder both in treasures and in animals, both of men and of beasts.

v. 12. And they brought the captives and the prey and the spoil unto Moses and Eleazar, the (high) priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the Plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho. Note that the punishment of the Lord is sure to strike those who seduce His people, even though He, so far as we know, no longer delegates any special nation to carry out His will in this manner.