Numbers 31 · WEB
War Against Midian
Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2"Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."
3Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh's vengeance on Midian.
4You shall send a thousand from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel, to the war."
5So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6Moses sent them, one thousand from every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
7They made war against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses; and they killed every male.
8They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.
9The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and they took all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder.
10They burnt all their cities in which they lived and all their encampments with fire.
11They took all the plunder and all the prey, both of man and of animal.
12They brought the captives and the prey and the plunder to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab, which is by the Jordan at Jericho.
13Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp.
14Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.
15Moses said to them, "Have you saved all the women alive?
16Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh.
17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
18But all the girls who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19Encamp outside of the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives.
20Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything made of goat's hair, and everything made of wood."
21Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses:
22however the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of cleansing. Everything that can't withstand the fire you shall make go through the water.
24You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean; and afterward you may come into the camp."
25Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
26"Take a census of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation;
27and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war who went out to battle, and all the congregation.
28Levy a tribute to Yahweh from the men of war who went out to battle: one out of five hundred, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks.
29Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest for Yahweh's wave offering.
30From the children of Israel's half you shall take one drawn out of every fifty of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, even of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who perform the duty of the tabernacle of Yahweh."
31Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.
32Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,
33seventy-two thousand cattle,
34sixty-one thousand donkeys,
35and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.
36The half which was the portion of those who went out to war was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
37and the tribute to Yahweh of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.
38The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which Yahweh's tribute was seventy-two.
39The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which Yahweh's tribute was sixty-one.
40The persons were sixteen thousand, of whom Yahweh's tribute was thirty-two persons.
41Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh's wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
42From the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men who went to war—
43now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
44thirty-six thousand cattle,
45thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,
46and sixteen thousand persons—
47even from the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites who performed the duty of the tabernacle of Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
48The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses.
49They said to Moses, "Your servants have taken a census of the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man lacking from us.
50Therefore we have brought Yahweh's offering, what every man found of gold jewelry, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh."
51Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them, all worked jewelry.
52All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to Yahweh was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels, from the captains of thousands and from the captains of hundreds.
53For the men of war had taken plunder, every man for himself.
54Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh.
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Summary
God commands Moses to take vengeance on Midian before his death — specifically for the Peor incident of chapter 25. Twelve thousand Israelite soldiers (a thousand per tribe) defeat Midian, killing the five Midianite kings and Balaam. The soldiers return with captives and plunder. Moses is angry that the women (who had seduced Israel at Peor) were spared and gives further orders for purification. The chapter concludes with the precise division of plunder between soldiers and congregation, with designated portions to the priests and Levites. Remarkably, not one Israelite soldier died — the officers bring a gold offering as gratitude to God.
Themes
- Divine judgment falling on those who led Israel into sin
- War as both sacred duty and moral complexity
- Purification after contact with death, even in victory
- Gratitude expressed through generous giving after God's protection
- The fate of Balaam — judgment finds those who exploit God's people
Key verses
- Num 31:2 — “Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
- Num 31:49-50 — “There is not a man lacking from us. Therefore we have brought Yahweh's offering, what every man found of gold jewelry... to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh.”
- Num 31:8 — “They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.”
Context & background
The war against Midian takes place from Israel's camp in the plains of Moab (modern central Jordan). Midian occupied the region east of the Gulf of Aqaba and parts of northwestern Arabia, with some groups resident in Transjordan. The chapter is notably difficult due to its account of killing Midianite males and certain women. Moses's explanation (v. 15-16) connects this to the specific women who had participated in the Peor seduction strategy (ch. 25) — making this a targeted response to a known act of spiritual warfare against Israel. Balaam's death here (v. 8) confirms the later tradition that he had counseled Balak in the Peor strategy (31:16). The fact that not one Israelite soldier died (v. 49) is presented as miraculous divine protection, provoking spontaneous gold offerings to God.
Cross-references
- Deut 7:1-6 — The broader principle of complete destruction of groups devoted to leading Israel astray
- Josh 13:21-22 — Joshua's account confirms Balaam was killed among the Midianite kings
- Num 22-24 — Balaam's failed curses; his death here (v. 8) is the consequence of his later betrayal
- Num 25:1-18 — The Peor incident that directly caused this war
- Rev 2:14 — Jesus references "the teaching of Balaam" as a persistent spiritual danger