31:3 And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of
yourselves unto the war, and let them go a against the
Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.
(a) As he had commanded in (Nu 25:17), declaring also
that the injury done against his people is done against
him.
31:6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of [every]
tribe, them and b Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to
blow in his hand.
(b) For his great zeal that he bare for the Lord,
(Nu 25:13).
31:8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them
that were slain; [namely], Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and
Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: c Balaam also the
son of Beor they slew with the sword.
(c) The false prophet who gave counsel how to cause the
Israelites to offend their God.
31:12 And they brought the d captives, and the prey, and the
spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the
congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at
the plains of Moab, which [are] by Jordan [near] Jericho.
(d) As the women and little children.
31:15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the e women
alive?
(e) As though he said, you should have spared none.
31:16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the
counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD f
in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the
congregation of the LORD.
(f) For worshipping of Peor.
31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the g little ones,
and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with
him.
(g) That is, all the boy children.
31:23 Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make [it] go
through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it
shall be h purified with the water of separation: and
all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the
i water.
(h) The third day and before it is molten.
(i) It shall be washed.
31:28 And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the k men of war
which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, [both]
of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and
of the sheep:
(k) Of the prey that falls to the soldiers.
31:30 And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take l
one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of
the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and
give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the
tabernacle of the LORD.
(l) The Israelites who had not been at war, of every
fiftieth paid one to the Lord: and the soldiers one of
every five hundred.
31:37 And the m LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred
and threescore and fifteen.
(m) This is the portion that the soldiers gave to the
Lord.
31:40 And n the persons [were] sixteen thousand; of which the
LORD'S tribute [was] thirty and two persons.
(n) Meaning, of the maids, or virgins who had not slept
with a man.
31:42 And of the children of Israel's o half, which Moses
divided from the men that warred,
(o) Of that part which was given to them in dividing the
spoil.
31:47 Even of the p children of Israel's half, Moses took one
portion of fifty, [both] of man and of beast, and gave
them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the
tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
(p) Which had not been at war.
31:50q We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD,
what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and
bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an
atonement for our souls before the LORD.
(q) The captains by the free offering acknowledge the
great benefit of God in preserving his people.
31:53 ([For] the men of war had taken spoil, every man for r
himself.)
(r) And gave no portion to their captains.
31:54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the
captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into
the tabernacle of the congregation, [for] a s memorial
for the children of Israel before the LORD.
(s) that the Lord might remember the children of Israel.
