A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Numbers · Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI.
Verſ. 2. AVenge the children of Iſr…el of the Midianites: afterwards ſ…alt thou be gathered unto thy people.]
Mo…es muſt not die till the Midianites be ſpoiled: and that firſt, for Moſes ſake that he might be comforted before his death by ſeeing the Iſraelites avenged upon their enemies the Midianites, who had been the occaſion of ſo much miſchief to them, chap. 25. 1. 6. and ſo might be the more willing to r…ſigne them up chearf…lly into the hands of God, who had ſo lately given proof how tender he was over them, how ſevere againſt all thoſe that ſhould ſeek to hurt them; and ſecondly, for the peoples ſake, becauſe if Moſes had be…n newly dead, t…ey would not have gone forth happely with ſuch courage againſt the Midianites, as alſo becauſe this late experience they had of Gods helping t…em againſt the Midianites might make them the more boldly to enter upon the conqueſt of Canaan a…ter the dea…h of Moſes under the conduct of Joſhua.
Verſ. 4. Of every tribe a thouſand, thro…ghout all the tribes of Iſrael ſhall ye ſend to the warre.]
Conſidering the multitude of the enemie, with whom they were to encounter (which may be gathered from the riches of the prey, and the death of five kings amongſt others that were ſlain, verſ. 8.) and withall how man… hundred thouſand fighting men of Iſrael Moſes might have ſent forth, it would have been a ſtrange courſe in Moſes of his own head onelyonly to ſend forth twelve thouſand againſt ſuch a mighty enemy. And therefore I make no queſtion but Moſes received particular dire…tions from God (though it be not expreſſed) both that he ſhould ſend out but twelve thouſand▪ (thereby to try the faith of the Iſraelites, and to make Gods hand in the victory the more evident) and that they ſhould be equally c…lled out of every tribe, that one tribe might not exalt it ſelf above another for this victo…y, but that all the glory might be given to God.
Verſ. 6. And Moſes ſent them to the warre, a thouſand of every tribe, them and Phinehas, &c.]
Who was ſent out as their captain to lead them in this warre againſt the Midianites, it is not here expr…ſſed: moſt probable it is that Joſhua, who was ſo lately appointed of God to ſucceed Moſes in the government, was imployed in this ſervice, that ſo the ſ…cceſſe of this enterpriſe might, whileſt Moſes yet lived, procure him the more reſpect and honour in the hearts of the people. And indeed had not Joſhua been amongſt theſe forces that went out to fight againſt the Midianites, why is he not mentioned amongſt thoſe that went out to meet them at their return, as well as Moſes and Eleazar, verſ. 13. I know that ſome hold that Phinehas was their captain, but for this they have no juſt ground, nor do we any where reade that the prieſts in thoſe times uſed to go out as captains in the warre: Phinehas went out onelyonly as one of the prieſts to encourage the people (as juſtly it might be expected that he would▪ be zealous in this cauſe, becauſe of the zeal he had already ſhown againſt that Mid…anitiſh harlot, chap. 25. 6.) and withall to take care of the holy things of the Sanctuary, which they carried with them to the warre, as is implyed in the following words, where it is ſaid that Phinehas went with them to the warre with the holy instruments and trumpets to blow in his hand, where by the holy instruments are meant the ark, with the mercy-ſeat, and other things appertaining thereto, which they uſed in thoſe times to carry with them when they went out to warre, as a comfortable ſigne of Gods preſence amongſt them.
Verſ. 8. And they ſlew the kings of Midian, &c.]
Theſe it ſeems were formerly vaſſals to Sihon, and therefore called Dukes of Sihon, Joſh. 13. 21. but Sihon himſelf being now ſlain, they became it ſeems abſolute kings, amongſt whom was Zur the father of Cozbi whom Phinehas ſlew, chap. 25. 15.
Balaam alſo the ſonne of Beor they ſlew with the ſword.]
See the note upon chap. 24. 25.
Verſ. 10. And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, &c.]
To wit, leſt ſloath or covetouſneſſe ſhould draw any of the Iſraelites to hide themſelves in theſe neſts, and to take up their reſt in this countrey which God had not allotted them, and neglect the land of Canaan which he had given them.
Verſ. 13. And Moſes, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation went forth to meet them without the camp.]
To wit, to congratulate their victory, and withall to put them in mind of cleanſing themſelves before they came into the camp.
Verſ. … And Moſes was wroth with the offic…rs of the host, &c.]
Phinehas may be here comprehended, though not expreſſed; yet I rather think that Moſes directs his ſpeech to the captains, becauſe Phinehas did chiefly attend upon the holy inſtruments, verſ. 6. and meddled not with the ordering of the ſouldiers as concerning the ſaving or not ſaving thoſe they took captives.
Verſ. 15. And Moſes ſaid unto them, Have ye ſaved all the women alive?]
As if he had ſaid, Whereas ye ought to have ſaved none, have you ſaved them all? theſe are they that inſnared the people, and therefore theſe above all ſhould have been ſlain.
Verſ. 17. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones.]
The generall rule and law given to the Iſraelites was, that they ſhould ſpare all the little ones, the Canaanites onelyonly excepted. See Deut. 20. 14. But here becauſe they were to execute Gods vengeance upon a people that had brought a great ſinne, and ſo conſe…uently a great plague, upon the Iſrael of God, Moſes (no doubt by the ſpeciall di…ection of Gods ſpirit) gives charge that all the male-children ſhould be ſlain: and ſo, the more lively thereby to expreſſe how deteſtable that fact of the Midianites was, by ſlaying the males h… ▪ doth as it were ſeek to root out the very memory of them; not indeed of the whole nation of the Midianites (for in the dayes of Gedeon we reade again of this nation, Judg. 6. 1.) but of theſe neighbouring Midianites that had done this miſchief to the Iſrael of God.
And kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.]
The words in the following verſe (where onelyonly the women-children are appointed to be ſaved) ſhew the meaning of theſe words, namely that all who were of years fit for the knowledge of men were ſlain, and onelyonly the women-children that were undoubtedly pure virgins were ſaved alive.
Verſ. 18. But all the women-children that have not known a man by lying with him keep alive for your ſelves.]
To wit, to make them ſervants, or to take them for wives, as they ſhould ſee cauſe; for being children they might bring them up in the knowledge of the true God.
Verſ. 19. And do ye abide without the camp ſeven dayes, &c.]
See chap. 19. 11, 12. &c.
Purifie both your ſelves and your captives, &c.]
When the heathens were taken captives in the warres by the Iſraelites, and ſo became their lawfull poſſeſſion, even they alſo became unclean by touching the dead, and were to be purified.
Verſ. 20. And purifie all your raiment, and all that is made of skinnes, &c.]
To wit, of the ſpoils which ye have taken. Becauſe all the garments and other ſpoils which they had taken had either touched dead bodies, or had been in the houſes of the ſlain, or at leaſt had been touched by thoſe that were unclean by the dead therefore t…ey were all to be eſteemed legally unclean, and were to be pu…ified according to the law. See chap. 19. 14, 16, and 22.
Verſ. 21. This is the ordinanc… of the Law which the Lord commanded Moſes, &c.]
We do not find all the particulars formerly expreſſed in thoſe laws that were given, chap. 19. concerning the purifying of thoſe that were unclean by the dead; and therefore the meaning of theſe words of Eleazar I conceive to be onelyonly this, that God had given Moſes an expreſſe commandment concerning theſe thing…, which he therefore, as the Lords high prieſt, was to make known to them, and to ſee they were obſerved.
Verſ. 27. And divide the prey in two parts, &c.]
This law concerning the dividing of the prey into two equall parts, the one for thoſe that went out to the warre, and brought away the ſpoil, the other for the reſt that ſtayed at home, was moſt juſt and equall; firſt, becauſe they that ſtayed at home were as willing to have gone forth as thoſe that went, and therefore it was not fit that thoſe which were culled out for that ſervice ſhould therefore carry away all the prey: and ſecondly, becauſe they that went forth to the warre were but twelve thouſand, and ſo one half of the prey being divided among them, they had farre greater ſhares (as it was fit they ſhould) then the other could have, who were about ſix hundred thouſand men, and had the other half divided amongſt them.
Verſ. 30. And of the children of Iſraels half thou ſhalt take one portion of fiftie, &c.]
As there was reſpect had to the men that hazarded themſelves in the warre in dividing the prey, their twelve thouſand having full as much allotted them as the ſix hundred thouſand had that ſtayed at home; ſo alſo in leavying a tribute for the Lord: for wh…reas thoſe that went forth to warre paid but one in five hundred, as is noted before, verſ. 28. the children of Iſ…ael that ſtayed behind paid one in fifty, as is here expr…ſſed; and ſo accordingly the ſmaller leavy out of their hal… that w…nt to the warre was given to Eleazar, verſ. 29. that is, to him and the …eſt of the prieſts (who becauſe they were ſo few had therein a liberall ſhare) and the greateſt leavy out of the peoples half was given to the Levites, b…cauſe they were many: the Levites had one in fifty, the prieſts one in …ive hundred, and ſo the ſame proportion was obſerved here that was obſerved in their tithes, to wit, that the prieſts had but the tenth of their tithes.
Verſ. 32. And the booty, being the reſt of the prey which the men of warre had caught, &c.]
The booty which was now to be divided is here called the rest of the prey which the men of warre had caught, either becauſe ſome of the perſons they had taken were ſlain ſince their coming home, to wit, all the male-children and the women, verſ. 17. or el…e becauſe ſome of the cattel had been ſlain for the ſouldiers to eat in their return home; or elſe in reſpect of the gold and ſilver and other ſpoils, whereof there was no tribute leavied.
Verſ. 47. Even of all the children of Iſraels half Moſes took one portion of fifty, &c.]
To wit, ſix thouſand ſeven hundred and fifty ſheep, ſeven hundred and …wenty beeves, ſix hundred and tenne aſſes, and three hundred and twenty women-children.
V…rſ. 49. Thy ſervants have taken the ſumme of the men of warre which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.]
Hereby God ſhewed, that it was his work rather then theirs, that the enemy was now vanquiſhed; and withall the Iſraelites were encouraged to fight the reſidue of the Lords battels, by this evidence of Gods power and care to protect them.
Verſ. 50. We have therefore brought an oblation,—to make an at onement for our ſoul before the Lord.]
That is, for our lives which God hath ſpared, and that there may …e no plague amongſt us (according to that, Exod. …0. 12. When thou takest the ſumme of the children of Iſrael after their number, then ſhall they give every man a ranſome for his ſoul unto the Lord) wherein alſo it is likely they had reſpect unto their ſinne in ſparing the women, verſ. 14, 15, 16.
Verſ. 53. For the men of warre had taken ſpoil every man for himſelf.]
That is, beſides the cattel above named, which was brought to the common ſtock, they had gotten every man for himſelf very rich ſpoils of jewels, bracelets, chains, &c. and of theſe they brought now an offering to the Lord.