Chapter 31
2022 - We go back to a historical narration here, after several chapters of rules about observing feasts.
2 "Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people." [Num 31:2 ESV]
One last thing for Moses to do before he goes home. Midian had been a pain to Israel for quite some time. It was the Midianite priest's daughter that had been brought into camp by the Simeonite, and caused a great plague. This was all political on Midian's part.
2026 - What does it mean when it says "gathered to your people"? Who is in view as "your people" with regard to Moses? ChatGPT explained it this way: In Numbers 31:2, “you will be gathered to your people” is primarily a Hebrew idiom for death, but it is not merely a bland euphemism like “pass away.”
It means Moses would die and be joined to the company of those who had gone before him — especially the covenant ancestors and the righteous dead.
The phrase is used elsewhere for major patriarchal figures:
Abraham — Genesis 25:8
Ishmael — Genesis 25:17
Isaac — Genesis 35:29
Jacob — Genesis 49:33
Aaron — Numbers 20:24
Moses — Numbers 31:2; Deuteronomy 32:50
I think we can say that this is not a description of the welcoming committee after he died, which is what I was wondering. He will be dying, as all who went before him also died. He will be joining his ancestors and the covenant people of God all the way back to Abraham who have died previously. It does not mean he will be in their presence - necessarily - but that he, like them, will leave this earthly life.
1000 men from each tribe were "called up". Of more than 600,000 available fighting men, God only required 1,000 from each tribe.
7 They warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9 And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 10 All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, 11 and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. [Num 31:7-11 ESV]
I had never before noticed that Balaam was killed here. He is mentioned all the way into Revelation for the harm he did to Israel, teaching Midian and Moab how to undermine them. And this is where he ended.
15 Moses said to them, "Have you let all the women live? 16 Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD. 17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18 But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. [Num 31:15-18 ESV]
It seems cruel to us now, killing little boys, children, males, and women. The reason for it is in verse 16 above. These are the same women who enticed the men of Israel at Peor, likely with "free love", though they were married, and tried to lead them away from God. And Balaam is the one who proposed this strategy, and the husbands of these women were all for it.
But this was not even unusual in those days. It is hard to imagine what it was like for the young women allowed to live though they became slaves. Seeing all the people they knew, all their families killed before them. Why would you want someone with that kind of hatred inside them to stay with you? And remember, Assyria and Babylon would someday do the same to Israel.
I am pretty sure I am glad we don't do things this way anymore....though we did see it with those guys in Jordan and the rest of the Middle East. I can't even remember today who they were, but they killed men, women and children in the name of their god.
Those who had gone to battle and become ceremonially unclean from touching dead bodies had to stay outside the camp seven days, be purified with water on the third and seventh days, wash all their clothes and themselves, and only then could they return to the camp itself, where the tabernacle was. Any thing that could stand the fire had to be passed through fire to be purified - and water also. Anything that would burn in fire had to be purified with water. Only after this could the men and the spoil be brought back into the camp. They are very specific, both Moses and Eleazar.
The spoil is divided, half to those who fought, and half to those who stayed behind. A tribute to God is taken from each half, from the soldiers to Eleazar, and from the people to the Levites. After all the killing, 32,000 women remained as slaves. There were only 12,000 sent to fight. How many did Israel kill? There must have been at least 100,000 men to fight for Midian and 12,000 overcame them completely, and killed them to the last man.