d 3 And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian. 4 * Of tribe every f a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war. 5 So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand. 7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. j 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: Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with the sword. 9 And the children of Israel took all the woman of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, 10 And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire. 11 And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts. 12 And they brought the 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. to act as his servants in inflicting punishment on his enemies. (Note, Judg. 16:28.) eration of the slaughter which they made: as indeed the execution of justice is never intended to gratify the finer feelings of benevolence, but to V. 4-6. Twelve thousand was a small numexcite dread and horror. Hence we may draw ber, in proportion either to all Israel, or to the a very forcible argument, that the consequence forces with which they were to encounter; for the of "the day of wrath, and revelation of the right- Lord would teach them not to trust in an arm of eous judgment of God," will by no means accord flesh, but in his almighty power and faithful promto those rules which men, ignorant of the evil of ise. As they were under the conduct of the capsin and proud of their own benevolence, have de- tains of thousands, and of hundreds, they probavised for him; and which they would wrest the bly had no general, and therefore Joshua is not Scriptures to countenance, though evidently con- mentioned. Phinehas, the zealous avenger of the trary to the constant tenor of them. If they can- insulted honor of God, (Notes, 25:6-13.) was ornot reconcile with their own ideas of justice and dered to accompany them with "the holy instrugoodness, the severities inflicted upon the Midian-ments," by which some understand the silver ites, Canaanites, and Amalekites, by the express trumpets; but others suppose that the second command of a just and good God; let them allow priest, the high priest's deputy and successor, that they are incompetent to determine what con- consulted the Lord on such occasions with the duct becomes the Judge of the world; and that it breast-plate of judgment; or that the ark was caris more safe, wise, and humble, simply to believe ried with them. (Marg. Ref.) his testimony, and "to flee from the wrath to V. 7. They slew all the males.] The victoricome," leaving the government of the universe ous Israelites did not extirpate the nation of Midto him, than rashly to dispute about things which ian, which subsisted and was powerful long after: are evidently out of their province, and of which but they slew all the males, without giving quarthey know nothing further than the Lord is pleas-ter, as far as they proceeded, which probably was ed to inform them. (Note, Deut. 29:29.) Death in every case is the wages of sin, and all diseases fulfil the counsels of God: why then may he not employ the sword of a warrior, as well as a fever, in depriving sinners of their forfeited life? Or why should it be unjust or cruel in Moses or Joshua to obey the command of God in this respect, and yet righteous and holy in an angel to obey a similar command; as when the angel slew 185,000 men of Sennacherib's vast army? (Note, 2 Kings 19:35.)—Moses had beheld with grief and indignation the temptation, the sin, and the punishment of Israel: and in witnessing the success of this war, just before his death, he saw a specimen of the Lord's vengeance on the enemies of Israel, and of his kindness to his people.-The Midianites had been most criminal, and therefore at the present the vengeance was restricted to them. (Note, 25:17,18.) V. 3. The Israelites were reminded by this language not to indulge private resentment, but to be influenced by zeal for the glory of God; and as far as those tribes reached from which the tempters chiefly came. V. 8. (Marg. Ref. k, 1.)-Balaam, blinded by covetousness, and "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin," perished among the enemies of Israel; which some think he foreboded, when he wished "to die the death of the righteous." Thus "he went to his own place," as Judas afterwards did; and their characters have a great resemblance to each other. (Notes, 22:5. 25:1-3. Acts 1:16-18,25.)-Whatever information Moses might receive concerning Balaam and Balak, he doubtless received it more exactly by inspiration from God: and it was very proper that it should be thus circumstantially recorded, for the information, encouragement, and caution of God's people in all ages, concerning the secret machinations of their enemies; and for the warning of those who unite in wicked counsels against them. V. 10. The Israelites were not allowed at present to inherit any part of that country; and therefore they in this manner disabled the Midi 20 And purify all your raiment, and 13 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congre- all that is made of skins, and all work gation, went forth to meet them without of goats' hair, and all things made of the camp. 14 And Moses was twroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. anites from rallying their forces and renewing the war, as well as executed the vengeance of the Lord upon them. wood. 21 And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses; e merely permitted to possess them as female slaves, while all the laws concerning marriage and concubinage, and against fornication and whoredom, V. 14-18. The sword of war should spare were in full force, in this as well as in other cases. women and children, as incapable of resisting;|--But what shall we say of the execution of all but the sword of justice knows no distinction, ex- the male infants, who could not be personally cept that of guilty or not guilty, and more or less guilty in this matter? The Lord commanded it, guilty. This war was the execution of a right- in this and many other instances: and "shall not eous sentence upon a guilty nation, in which the the Judge of all the earth do right?" Had they women were the principal criminals; and perhaps lived, they might have conspired to avenge the particular instructions had been given on this death of their parents on Israel: and the example head: therefore Moses was angry, when he found was thus rendered more tremendous, warning pathat the women had been spared. If those con- rents not to imitate the guilt of the Midianites, cerned in the detestable project of Balaam, had lest they should involve their beloved offspring in been preserved as captives, they would have been destruction. (Notes, Ex. 20:5. 2 Kings 2:23,24.) a constant temptation to the people; and they The Scripture addresses men's natural affection could not be known from the rest except by mir- by promises and threatenings, in which their chlacle. Orders were therefore given to put all the dren also are included; and in a future state the women to death, and the male children; and only Lord may, for what we know, turn the temporal to spare the female children, who could not be sufferings of children into an infinite mercy to supposed to have been culpable; and who, being them.-It should also be remembered that chilbrought up among the Israelites, would not tempt dren are constantly involved in the desolations them to idolatry.-It has been groundlessly as-occasioned by famines, pestilences, and earthserted that Moses authorized the Israelites to make concubines of the whole number of female children, or even promiscuously to debauch them; and a formidable objection against his writings has been grounded on this strange supposition. But the whole tenor of the law, and especially a statute hereafter to be considered, proves the contrary. (Note, Deut 21:10-14.) They were quakes. (Notes, 16:27-34. Jon. 4:9-11.) V. 19-24. The Israelites had acted by the Lord's commission; yet they had contracted pollution by touching the dead: and the spoil, having been used by idolaters, must be purified also in the prescribed manner; which would form a pattern for succeeding wars. Thus the law was reduced to practice under the inspection of the of the men of war which went out to bat-zar the priest; as the LORD commanded tle: one soul of five hundred, both of Moses. the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep. 29 Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heaveoffering of the LORD. 30 And the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take 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 P keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD. 31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses. 32 And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep, 33 And threescore and twelve thousand beeves, 42 And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men that warred, 43 (Now the half that pertained unto the congregation, was three hundred thou sand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep, 44 And thirty and six thousand beeves, 45 And thirty thousand asses and five hundred, 46 And sixteen thousand persons,) 47 Even of the 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. 48 T And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came 34 And threescore and one thousand near unto Moses: asses, 35 And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him. 36 And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in ber three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep: 49 And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us: 50 We have therefore brought " an obnum-lation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, ear-rings, and tablets, to make X an atonement for our souls before the LORD. 37 And the LORD's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen. 38 And the beeves were thirty and six thousand, of which the LORD's tribute was threescore and twelve. 39 And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred, of which the LORD's tribute was threescore and one. 40 And the persons were sixteen thousand, of which the LORD's tribute was thirty and two persons. 41 And Moses gave the tribute which was the LORD's heave-offering unto Elea lawgiver. (Marg. Ref.-19:11-19.)--All the metais known, till these modern times, are here mentioned together. V. 25--31. To prevent dispute, and for a rule o after times, the Lord ordered the distribution of the cattle and the female captives, between the soldiers and the congregation; and that a portion from each should be reserved for the priests and have given universal satisfaction.--No horses or camels are mentioned. (Marg. Ref.) V. 35. The number of the female children, when considered as bearing proportion to the men, women, and male children, who were slain, suggests an awful idea of the terrible vengeance, which God took upon the enemies of him, and of his people! Amalek, who first warred with Israel, was long spared; but Midian, who first tempted them to idolatry, was speedily and most tremendously punished." Levites. The Levites received ten times as much as the priests, being vastly more numerous; and the twelve thousand soldiers had more than all the rest of Israel. The arrangement seems toll V. 47. It does not appear, that a single ox, or VOL. I. 64 [505 2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, d 3 Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer and Nimrah, and 'Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and h Beon; 4 Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle and thy servants have cattle. 5 Wherefore, said they, if we have d 1,34-38. Josh. 13:17. Is. 15: | g 38. Shibmah. Josh. 13:19. e 36. Beth-nimrah. Is. 15:6. h 38. Baal-meon. f 21:25,26,28. Judg. 11:26. Neh.k Gen. 19:19. Ruth 2:10. 9:22. Is. 15:4. 16:8,9. Jer. 48: 2,34,45. Sam. 20:3. 2 Sam. Esth. 62. Jer. 31 2. 1 14:22. sheep, or ass, was required by Moses, as his por-sparing our strongest, nor overlooking our feeblest tion; or given to him by the people: yet he had a family, as well as others, for which no provision had been made, above the common lot of Levites! (Notes, 16:15.) V. 48-54. The success of this detachment had been extraordinary; so small a company overcoming and cutting off such immense multitudes, and taking so large a spoil: but their preservation was still more remarkable; not one individual having been slain, or even wounded that we find! In acknowledgment of this, the officers presented the wrought gold, (all of it probably,) which they had found among the spoil, as an oblation to the Lord, "to make an atonement for their souls;" or to be employed in that service of God, by which atonement was typically made. (Note, Ex. 30:11 -16.) Thus they confessed, that, instead of claiming a reward, they needed forgiveness of what had been sinful; and desired thus to express their gratitude for the preservation of their lives which might justly have been taken away.--Some think the private soldiers had taken a booty of this kind, which they reserved to themselves; and others, that the officers presented the offering in the name of the soldiers also. PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS. V. 1-12. "The triumphing of the wicked is short." The pleasures and advantages of sin are bought at an enormous price; and the vengeance of the Lord is always sure, and sometimes speedy and sudden. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God;" (Note, Heb. 10:28-31 ) and if his temporal judgments are so dreadful, what will be the case of sinners "when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ?" (Note, 2 Thes. 1:5-10.) Let us then take warning, and "flee from the wrath to come," to that Savior, who alone is able to deliver us: and, depending on his assistance, let us declare war against every corrupt passion, by which we have been induced to dishonor God, and bring guilt and misery upon ourselves.-This is indeed a holy war, in which we must utterly destroy every one of the enemies of our souls, or they will certainly ruin us: to this the trumpet of the gospel calls and encourages us; and in it we may depend upon the Lord for counsel and assistance. Here we ought to indulge the deepest resentment; and, without thinking of peace or truce, should prosecute the quarrel to the utter extermination of our enemies, root and branch, with unrelenting severity; not 506] lusts, which, if not crucified, will soon become formidable and produce fatal effects.-In all our undertakings, we must not only make the Lord our Confidence, but adhere to his orders and instructions; and thus we may expect all desirable success, notwithstanding interposing difficulties. While we forgive and pray for all our enemies,. we should entertain the deepest abhorrence of the conduct, and most carefully shun the company, of those who have once attempted to draw us into sin. Nor will any be more severely punished by the Lord than tempters, especially of his people; except it be those who, against the convictions of their own conscience, have counselled and encouraged them so to do. V. 13-54. There is no natural disposition of the heart which does not require to be moderated and regulated: for even our humanity and compassion, as well as our resentment, must be subjected to the command of God; or we shall spare and encourage those whom the Lord would have reproved, corrected, or treated with severity, and so bring anger from him upon ourselves: and surely, it must be highly criminal in the sight of God, for us to imagine ourselves more merciful and compassionate than he is. This is especially the case with magistrates, ministers, heads of families, and all intrusted with authority.-They who have been faithful in inferior stations may expect to be employed in more important services: but even when we have attended to our bounden duty, we need purifying in the blood of Christ, and by his grace, from the guilt and pollution adhering to our best performances. God so abhors murder, and would have us to abhor it, that he hath represented even that bloodshed which he commanded, as in some degree contaminating those concerned in it. He likewise approves and requires exact equity in all our transactions; nor should we dare to appro priate any gain, of which we cannot conscientiously devote a portion to that God, who "hates robbery for burnt-offering," and for which we cannot thank him as the Giver. This rule, if well observed, would render us incapable of fraud, extortion, oppression, or any kind of iniquity or sinful compliances. But besides the exact rules of honesty, we should liberally give to the Lord, and dispose of in pious and charitable uses, a proportion of all our acquisitions; particularly when commemorating special deliverances: and though the blood of Christ has made the effectual atonement for our souls, such oblations are proper evidences of our faith, and of the sincerity of our love: they are acknowledgments that we are un 8 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up into the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them. 10 And the LORD's anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying, r 11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not + wholly followed me; 12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD. 13 And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them twander in the wilderness forty years, " until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was consumed. I Deut. 1:37. 3:25,26. Josh. 7:7. n 9. 21:4. Deut. 1:28. o See on 13:2-20.-14:2. Deut. p 13:23-33. 14:1-10, Deut. 1: 24-28. q 14:11,23. Deut. 1:34-40. Ps. 95:11. Ez. 215. Heb. 3: r 14:29. 26:2,64,65. Deut. 2: † Heb. fulfilled after me. s 14:24,30. 26:65. Deut. 1:36. t 14:33-35. Deut. 2:14. Ps. u 26:64. Deut. 2:15. worthy of all our mercies; and expressions of our gratitude to God and zeal for his glory, and of our love to our fellow-Christians. NOTES. 15 For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness, and ye shall destroy all this people. с 16 T And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheep-folds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones; d 17 But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities, because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; & because our inheritance is fallen to us this side Jordan eastward. h on 20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war, armed over 21 And will go all of you Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him 22 And the land be subdued befor f the LORD; then afterward ye shall return Gen. 5:3. 8:21. Neh. 9:24 | 29-32. Deut. 3:18-20. Josh 26. Job 14:4. Is. 1:4. 57:4. y Deut. 1:34,35. Ezra 9:13,14. z Lev. 26:14-18. Deut. 28:15, 4:12,13. e Josh. 22:4,5. f Gen. 13:10-12. 14:12. Kings 10:32,33. 15:29, 1 Chr 5:25,26. Prov. 20:21. ge Josh. 12:1-6. 13:8. &c. 30:17-19. Josh. 22:16h 32. 34:15. Josh. 1:14,15, 18. 2 Chr. 7:19-22. 15:2. a Num. 14:30-35. b Jer. 38:23. Matt. 18:7. Rom. c 34-42. Gen. 33:17. i Deut. 3:18-20. Josh. 1:13 15. 4:12,13. 22:2-4. k Josh. 10:30.42. 11:23 18:2 1 Heb. 3:7-19. 4:1,2.) Indeed he was 95:9-11. apprehensive that their example would induce their brethren to renew the old provocatior, and so to destroy the whole nation. But, though they CHAP. XXXII. V. 1-5. (Marg. Ref.) This were in some degree faulty, they were not so proposal of the Reubenites and Gadites seemed deeply criminal as he supposed.--It is not known to imply a disregard to the land of Canaan, a dis-on what account Caleb, or rather Jephunneh, is trust of the Lord's promise, and a reluctance to called the Kenezite: probably from some ancestor of the family, of whom nothing remains on record. encounter the difficulties and dangers of conquering and expelling the inhabitants. And in- (Josh. 14:14.) deed when we compare their petition "not to be brought over Jordan," with the earnestness with which Moses entreated to pass over; we cannot but conclude, that they did not behold in the rest of Israel in Canaan, that type of heaven, which he and other believers doubtless did. (Note, Deut. 3:23-28.) V. 16-19. This proposal was very equitable, and it was honestly made and faithfully executed. It did not imply that all the men capable of bearing arms should go, and so leave their families and possessions defenceless; but a sufficient detachment: accordingly forty thousand went out of about a hundred thousand. (Notes, Josh. 1:12 V. 6-15. (Notes, 13: 14:) It was very nat--15. 22:1-5.) ural for Moses to suspect, that sloth and cowardice, the effects of unbelief, suggested the petition of the descendants of Gad and Reuben; and he therefore remonstrated with them very plainly on their conduct. He feared that they "were risen up, an increase of sinful men," like those who provoked the Lord to "swear in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest." (Notes, Ps. |