Lesson&#12&

The&Spoils&of&War&(31:%1%–%54)%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 1$

In%Lesson%#11,%God%told%the%Israelites%that%when%they%enter%the%“Promised%

Land”%they%must%remember%their%relaBonship%with%him,%obeying%his%

commands%and%precepts,%and%they%must%punctuate%each%year%with%the%

sacrifices%and%fesBvals%that%celebrate%their%covenant%with%him,%starBng%with%

the%morning%and%evening%daily%sacrifices,%and%then%the%seven%formal%

celebraBons:%

% % % % % %1)%%the%Sabbath%%

% % % % % %2)%%the%New%Moon%Feast%%

% % % % % %3)%%Passover%

% % % % % %4)%%Pentecost%

% % % % % %5)%%New%Year’s%Day%%

% % % % % %6)%%Day%of%Atonement%%

% % % % % %7)%%Feast%of%Booths%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 2$

Once%the%Israelites%cross%the%Jordan%River%and%begin%the%conquest%of%Canaan%

they%will%spend%an%enBre%generaBon%at%war;%indeed,%considerably%longer%

than%a%generaBon,%since%they%will%never%fully%conquer%the%land%unBl%the%

Bme%of%king%David,%some%500%years%a]er%the%iniBal%invasion.%%%

Men%fight%wars%for%many%reasons,%but%in%the%ancient%world—including%the%

world%of%the%Hebrew%Scriptures—men%fight%for%plunder:%%ancient%warfare%

may%have%personal,%religious,%poliBcal%or%philosophical%jusBficaBons,%but%at%

its%core%warfare%is%“beat%up%your%neighbor%and%take%his%stuff.”%%The%Israelites%

will%adack%those%who%live%in%the%Promised%Land,%they%will%“put%to%the%

sword”%all%those%who%live%there,%they%will%take%their%land,%and%they%will%

divide%the%plunder%among%themselves,%a]er%giving%a%porBon%to%God.%

Of%course,%this%raises%serious%moral%and%ethical%issues%when%viewed%through%

the%lens%of%21stecentury%ChrisBanity.%%We%explore%some%of%those%issues%in%

this%lesson,%and%we%strive%to%understand%the%context%from%which%this%

episode%emerges.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 3$

For%most%21stecentury%readers—

ChrisBan%and%noneChrisBan%alike—

Numbers%31%poses%enormous%moral%and%

ethical%difficulBes.%%%

Numbers%31:%1%picks%up%where%25:%19%

le]%off,%right%a]er%the%Zimri/Cozbi%affair.%%

Recall%how%Numbers%25%ended:%

“The&Lord&then&said&to&Moses:&&Treat&the&Midianites&as&enemies&and&strike&them,&for&they&have&been&your&enemies&by&the&deceiAul&dealings&they&had&with&you&regarding&Peor&and&their&kinswoman&Cozbi,&the&daughter&of&a&Midianite&prince,&who&was&slain&at&the&Gme&of&the&plague&because&of&Peor.”&

% % % % % % %(25:%16e19)%

Now%we%read%.%.%.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 4$

5$The$Spoils$of$War$

“The Lord said to Moses: Avenge the Israelites on the Midianites, and then you will be gathered to your people. So Moses told the people, ‘Arm some men among you for the campaign, to attack Midian and to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. From each of the tribes of Israel you will send a thousand men to the campaign. From the contingents of Israel, therefore, a thousand men of each tribe were levied, so that there were twelve thousand men armed for war. Moses sent them out on campaign, a thousand from each tribe, with Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest for the campaign, who had with him the sacred vessels and the trumpets for sounding the alarm. They waged war against the Midianites, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male . . .

6$The$Spoils$of$War$

. . . Besides those slain in battle they killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the five kings of the Midianites; and they killed Balaam, son of Beor, with the sword. But the Israelites took captive the women of the Midianites with their children, and all their herds and flocks and wealth as loot, while they set on fire all the towns where they had settled and all their encampments. Then they took all the plunder, with the people and animals they had captured, and brought the captives, together with the spoils and plunder, to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the Israelite community at their camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.”

(31: 1-12)

Up%to%this%point%we%witness%standard%

pracBce%in%ancient%warfare:%%adack%

your%enemies;%kill%their%warriors%in%

badle;%execute%their%leaders;%and%take%

their%women,%children%and%

possessions%as%plunder.%%%

This%is%exactly%what%happens%in%the%

Trojan%War%when%the%Achaeans%sack%

Troy.%%Set%in%1184%B.C.,%shortly%a]er%

our%story%in%Numbers,%Homer’s%The&Iliad%recounts%the%tale.%%In%Book%6%Hector,%the%prince%of%Troy%and%Troy’s%

greatest%warrior,%speaks%with%his%wife%

Andromache,%who%foresees%her%fate,%

and%the%fate%of%Troy:%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 7$

At&that,&Hector&spun&and&rushed&from&his&house,&back&by&the&same&way&down&the&wide,&wellMpaved&streets&throughout&the&city&unGl&he&reached&the&Scaean&Gates,&the&last&point&he&would&pass&to&gain&the&field&of&baPle.&There&his&warm,&generous&wife&came&running&up&to&meet&him,&Andromache&the&daughter&of&gallantMhearted&EeGon&who&had&lived&below&Mount&Placos&rich&with&Gmber,&in&Thebe&below&the&peaks,&and&ruled&Cilicia’s&people.&His&daughter&had&married&Hector&helmed&in&bronze.&She&joined&him&now,&and&following&in&her&steps&a&servant&holding&the&boy&against&her&breast,&in&the&first&flush&of&life,&only&a&baby,&Hector’s&son,&the&darling&of&his&eyes&and&radiant&as&a&star&.&.&.&&Hector&would&always&call&the&boy&Scamandrius,&townsmen&called&him&Astyanax,&Lord&of&the&City,&since&Hector&was&the&lone&defense&of&Troy.&The&great&man&of&war&breaking&into&a&broad&smile,&his&gaze&fixed&on&his&son,&in&silence.&&Andromache,&pressing&close&beside&him&and&weeping&freely&now,&clung&to&his&hand,&urged&him,&calling&him:&&“Reckless&one,&my&Hector—your&own&fiery&courage&will&destroy&you!&Have&you&no&pity&for&him,&our&helpless&son?&&Or&me,&and&the&desGny&that&weighs&me&down,&your&widow,&now&so&soon?&&Yes,&soon&they&will&kill&you&off,&all&the&Achaean&forces&massed&for&assault,&and&then,&bere]&of&you,&bePer&for&me&to&sink&beneath&the&earth&.&.&.&

The$Spoils$of$War$ 8$

Andromache,&Astyanax&and&Hector.&&Apulian%redefigure%columnecrater,%c.%370e360%B.C.%

Museo%Nazionale%Jada,%Ruvo%di%Puglia.%

What&other&warmth,&what&comfort’s&le]&for&me,&Once&you&have&met&your&doom?&&Nothing&but&torment!&I&have&lost&my&father.&&Mother’s&gone&as&well.&Father&.&.&.&the&brilliant&Achilles&laid&him&low&when&he&stormed&Cilicia’s&city&filled&with&people,&Thebe&with&her&towering&gates.&&He&killed&EeGon,&not&that&he&stripped&his&gear—he’d&some&respect&at&least—&for&he&burned&his&corpse&in&all&his&blazoned&bronze,&then&heaped&a&graveMmound&high&above&the&ashes&and&nymphs&of&the&mountain&planted&elms&around&it,&daughters&of&Zeus&whose&shield&is&storm&and&thunder.&And&the&seven&brothers&I&had&within&our&halls&.&.&.&&all&in&the&same&day&went&down&to&the&House&of&Death,&the&great&godlike&runner&Achilles&butchered&them&all,&tending&their&shambling&oxen,&shining&flocks.&

% %Robert%Fagels,%trans.%The&Iliad&&% %(New%York:%%Viking%Press,%1990),%6:%462e503.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 9$

“Achilles”%(Brad%Pid)%from%the%2004%movie%

Troy,%directed%by%Wolfgang%Peterson.%

Euripides’%The&Trojan&Women&(c.%415%B.C.)%laments%Troy’s%fate.%%Given%that%all%the%Trojan%

men%have%been%slain%by%their%Greek%victors,%it%

is%their%women—mothers,%daughters,%wives—

who%give%voice%to%the%suffering%of%the%city.%%

Taken%as%slaves%and%concubines%by%their%

Greek%masters,%Hector’s%widow%Andromache%

announces%that%Polyxena%has%been%sacrificed%

to%the%dead%Achilles,%and%Hector’s%infant%son%

Astyanax%has%been%hurled%from%the%city%walls,%

smashed%on%the%stones%below.%

As%Troy’s%women%are%about%to%be%taken%

capBve%aboard%Odysseus’%ship,%Hecuba,%wife%

of%Priam%king%of%Troy%laments:%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 10$

Ah,&wretched&me.&&So&this&is&the&unhappy&end&and&goal&of&all&the&sorrows&I&have&lived.&I&go&forth&from&my&country&and&a&city&lit&with&flames.&Come,&aged&feet;&make&one&last&weary&struggle,&That&I&may&hail&my&city&in&its&afflicGon.&&O&Troy,&Once&so&huge&over&all&Asia&in&the&drawn&wind&of&pride,&Your&very&name&of&glory&shall&be&stripped&away.&They&are&burning&you,&and&us&they&drag&forth&&from&our&land&enslaved.&&&Oh,&gods!&&Do&I&call&upon&the&gods&for&help?&We&cried&to&them&before&now,&and&they&would&not&hear.&Come&then,&hurl&ourselves&into&the&pyre.&Best&now&to&die&in&the&flaming&ruins&of&our&fathers’&house!&

%Richard%Laqmore,%trans.%%“The%Trojan%Women”%in%

&Euripides&III&(The&Complete&Greek&Tragedies),%3rd%ediBon.%%%%(Chicago:%%University%of%Chicago%Press,%2013),%1272e1283.%%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 11$

MerryeJoseph%Blondel.%%Hecuba&and&Polyxena%%(oil%on%canvas),%1814.%

LACMA,%Los%Angeles.%%

As%Israel%wreaked%vengeance%on%the%

Moabites%and%Midianites%in%Numbers%

31,%so%does%the%Moab%wreak%vengeance%

on%the%Israelites%during%the%Bme%of%

Omri%king%of%Israel,%around%840%B.C.

(about%500%years%later),%a%story%alluded%

to%in%2%Kings%3:%4e8.%

The%Mesha%Stele,%discovered%in%1868%by%

Frederick%Augustus%Klein%at%the%

archaeological%site%of%ancient%Dibon%in%

moderneday%Jordan%tells%the%story%of%

how%king%Mesha%of%Moab,%with%the%

help%of%his%god,%Chemosh,%defeats%Omri%

and%his%son%Ahab,%kings%of%Israel,%who%

had%subjected%the%Moabites%for%many%

years.%%The$Spoils$of$War$ 12$

“I&am&Mesha,&son&of&ChemoshMgad,&king&of&Moab,&the&Dibonite.&My&father&reigned&over&Moab&thirty&years,&and&I&have&reigned&a]er&my&father.&And&I&have&built&this&sanctuary&for&Chemosh&in&Karchah,&a&sanctuary&of&salvaGon,&for&he&saved&me&from&all&aggressors,&and&made&me&look&upon&all&mine&enemies&with&contempt.&Omri&was&king&of&Israel,&and&oppressed&Moab&during&many&days,&and&Chemosh&was&angry&with&his&aggressions.&His&[Omri’s]%son&[king%Ahab]%succeeded&him,&and&he&also&said,&I&will&oppress&Moab.&&

In&my&days&[Chemosh]%said,&Let&us&go,&and&I&will&see&my&desire&upon&him&and&his&house,&and&Israel&said,&I&shall&destroy&[Moab]%for&ever.&Now&Omri&took&the&land&of&Madeba,&and&occupied&it&in&his&day,&and&in&the&days&of&his&son&[Ahab],&forty&years&.&.&.&

The$Spoils$of$War$ 13$

Mesha&Stele,&c.%840%B.C.%Louvre%Museum,%Paris.%

.&.&.&and&Chemosh&had&mercy&on&[Moab]%in&my&Gme.&And&I&built&BaalMmeon&and&made&therein&the&ditch,&and&I&built&Kiriathaim.&And&the&men&of&Gad&dwelled&in&the&country&of&Ataroth&from&ancient&Gmes,&and&the&king&of&Israel&forGfied&Ataroth.&&I&assaulted&the&wall&and&captured&it,&and&killed&all&the&warriors&of&the&city&for&the&wellMpleasing&of&Chemosh&and&Moab,&and&I&removed&from&it&all&the&spoil,&and&offered&it&before&Chemosh&in&Kirjath;&and&I&placed&therein&the&men&of&Siran,&and&the&men&of&Mochrath.&And&Chemosh&said&to&me,&“Go&take&Nebo&against&Israel,”&and&I&went&in&the&night&and&I&fought&against&it&from&the&break&of&day&Gll&noon,&and&I&took&it:&and&I&killed&all&seven&thousand&men,&but&I&did&not&kill&the&women&and&maidens,&for&I&devoted&them&to&AshtarMChemosh;&and&I&took&from&it&the&vessels&of&Jehovah&[YHWH],&and&offered&them&before&Chemosh.”1%

1%James%King.%%Moab’s&Patriarchal&Stone&(London:%%Bickers%and%Son,%1878),%pp.%55e56.%[Text%translated%by%James%King.]%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 14$

Ancient%warfare%was%indeed%brutal,%but%

such%brutality%is%seldom%quesBoned%

unBl%the%beginning%of%the%ChrisBan%era.1%%%

Although%St.%AugusBne%introduces%the%

term%“just%war”%in%his%monumental%

work,%City&of&God%(A.D.%426),%St.%Thomas%

Aquinas%presents%the%most%systemaBc%

exposiBon%of%the%“just%war”%doctrine%in%

his%Summa&Theologica&(wriden%1265e1274),%in%which%he%discusses%the%

“right%to%go%to%war”%(jus&ad&bellum)%and%

the%“right%conduct%in%war”%(jus&in&bello).%

1%Although%Cicero%addresses%the%condiBons%under%which%war%may%be%

fought%in%De&Officiis,%1.11.33%–%1.13.41.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 15$

The%“just%war”%doctrine%is%the%subject%of%voluminous%

research%and%scholarship,%but%the%Roman%Catholic%

church%succinctly%summarizes%the%criteria%%for%a%“just%

war”%in%the%Catechism&of&the&Catholic&Church&(1995):%

“The%strict%condiBons%for%legiGmate&defense&by&military&force%require%rigorous%consideraBon.%%The%gravity%of%such%a%decision%makes%it%subject%to%rigorous%condiBons%of%

moral%legiBmacy.%%At%one%and%the%same%Bme:%

• The%damage%inflicted%by%the%aggressor%on%the%naBon%or%

community%of%naBons%must%be%lasBng,%grave,%and%certain;%

• All%other%means%of%puqng%an%end%to%it%must%have%been%

shown%to%be%impracBcal%or%ineffecBve;%

• There%must%be%serious%prospects%of%success;%%

• The%use%of%arms%must%not%produce%evils%and%disorders%

graver%than%the%evil%to%be%eliminated.%%The%power%of%

modern%means%of%destrucBon%weighs%very%heavily%in%

evaluaBng%this%condiBon.”%

% % % % % % % %(3:%2309)%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 16$

The%Compendium&of&the&Social&Doctrine&of&the&Church,&(2004)%probes%deeper,%placing%war%within%the%overall%context%of%social%jusBce.%%Paragraphs%

500e501%are%parBcularly%instrucBve:%

“It&is&important&to&remember&that&it&is&one&thing&to&wage&a&war&of&selfMdefense;&it&is&quite&another&to&seek&to&impose&dominaGon&on&another&naGon.&&The&possession&of&war&potenGal&does&not&jusGfy&the&use&of&force&for&poliGcal&or&military&objecGves.&&Nor&does&the&mere&fact&that&war&has&unfortunately&broken&out&mean&that&all&is&fair&between&the&warring&parGes&.&.&..&&Therefore,&engaging&in&a&prevenGve&war&without&clear&proof&that&an&aPack&is&imminent&cannot&fail&to&raise&serious&moral&and&juridical&quesGons.”&

% % % % % % % %%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 17$

Recall%that%in%Numbers%31:%1%“The%Lord%said%to%

Moses:%%Avenge%the%Israelites%on%the%

Midianites,”%so%the%Israelites%proceeded%to%wage%

war%“and%killed%every%male,”%and%then%executed%

the%five%kings%of%Midian,%along%with%Balaam%son%

of%Beor%“with%the%sword”%(that%is,%the%Israelites%

beheaded%them).%

The%Israelites%then%“took&capGve&the&women&of&the&Midianites&with&their&children,&and&all&their&herds&and&flocks&and&wealth&as&loot,&while&they&set&on&fire&all&the&towns&where&they&had&sePled&and&all&their&encampments.&&Then&they&took&all&the&plunder,&with&the&people&and&animals&they&had&captured,&and&brought&the&capGves,&together&with&the&spoils&and&plunder,&to&Moses&and&Eleazar&the&priest&and&to&the&Israelite&community&.&.&..”&(31:%9e12).%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 18$

At%this%stage,%the%capBves%(the%

women%and%children)%would%become%

the%Israelite%slaves%or%concubines,%to%

be%kept%or%sold,%as%happens%in%the%

posteTrojan%War%tales%of%Euripides,%

Virgil,%Ovid%and%Seneca,%as%well%as%in%

other%ancient%cultures,%such%as%Moab.%

But%this%is%not%what%happens%here:%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 19$

20$The$Spoils$of$War$

“When Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the leaders of the community, went outside the camp to meet them, Moses became angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign. ‘So you have spared all the women!’ he exclaimed. These are the very ones who on Balaam’s advice were behind the Israelites’ unfaithfulness to the Lord in the affair at Peor, so that plague struck the Lord’s community. Now kill, therefore, every male among the children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man. But you may spare for yourselves all the girls who have not had sexual relations.”

(31: 15-18)

This%disturbing%scene%has%provoked%

intense%and%varied%commentary,%

ranging%from%Thomas%Paine’s%visceral%

scorn%and%contempt%to%ChrisBan%

apologists’%who%adempt%to%jusBfy%

such%acBons%as%morally%correct.%

Here%is%Thomas%Paine%(1737e1809),%

philosopher,%poliBcal%theorist%and%one%

of%the%Founding%Fathers%of%the%United%

States%in%The&Age&of&Reason&(published%in%3%parts:%%1794,%1795%and%

1807):%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 21$

“The&most&detestable&wickedness,&the&most&horrid&cruelGes,&and&the&greatest&miseries,&that&have&afflicted&the&human&race&have&had&their&origin&in&this&thing&called&revelaGon,&or&revealed&religion&.&.&.&[whence]%arose&all&the&horrid&assassinaGons&of&whole&naGons&of&men,&women,&and&infants,&with&which&the&Bible&is&filled;&and&the&bloody&persecuGons,&and&tortures&unto&death&and&religious&wars,&that&since&that&Gme&have&laid&Europe&in&blood&and&ashes.”&

&The&Age&of&Reason,%pp.%226e227%%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 22$

Auguste%Millière.%%Thomas&Paine&&(oil%on%canvas),%1880.%

NaBonal%Portrait%Gallery,%London.%

In%contrast,%here%is%the%

commentary%from%a%recent%

ChrisBan%apologeBc%web%site:%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 23$

24$The$Spoils$of$War$

the Complaining about Jehovah’s order to destroy innocent children is a vain gesture when one realizes that the children were spared an even worse fate of being reared as slaves under the domination of sin. Instead of having to endure the scourge of a life of immorality and wickedness, these innocents were ushered early into the bliss of Paradise. If the male children had been allowed to mature, they most likely would have followed the pagan ways of their forefathers, and eventually would have taken vengeance on the Israelites. Killing the males not only prevented them from falling into the same abominable sins as their parents, but also kept Israel from having to battle them later . . .

25$The$Spoils$of$War$

the The simple answer to the questions surrounding Numbers 31 is that God ordered the Midianites to be killed in Numbers 25: 17-18. When the army did not carry out this order at the time of the Midianite defeat, it was carried out in a delayed fashion when the army returned with the captives. As to Moses allowing the young girls to remain alive, that was a judgment call from the man with God’s authority over the Israelites . . . God does everything for a reason, [and] sometimes that reason may be unclear to us.

www.apologeticspress.org

Robert%Alter%in%The&Five&Books&of&Moses&strikes%a%thoughwul%balance%between%

such%extremes:%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 26$

“The&pracGce&of&massacring&most&or&all&of&a&conquered&populaGon&was&widespread&in&the&ancient&Near&East&(the&Moabite&Mesha&stele&records&a&similar&‘ban’&or&‘herem’&against&a&defeated&enemy,&using&certain&SemiGc&terms&cognate&to&ones&that&are&employed&here),&but&that&is&not&exactly&a&palliaGve.&&It&is&painfully&evident&that&this&is&an&instance&in&which&the&biblical&outlook&sadly&failed&to&transcend&its&historical&contexts.”&

&The&Five&Books&of&Moses,&p.%843.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 27$

Robert%Alter%

Professor%of%Hebrew%%

and%ComparaBve%Literature%

University%of%California,%Berkeley.%

And%that%is%the%key:%%“historical%contexts.”%%%

As%we%have%noted%in%our%previous%studies,%

all%art—literary,%visual%or%musical—mirrors%

the%Bme%and%culture%from%which%it%

emerges.%%%

Scripture%is%no%excepBon.%%When%we%read%

in%Numbers,%“The&Lord&said&to&Moses:&&&‘Avenge&the&Israelites&on&the&Midianites,’”&and%then%we%read%of%the%wholesale%

slaughter%of%an%enBre%populaBon,%

including%women%and%children,%it%is%a%

mistake%to%apply%21ecentury%ChrisBan%

moral%and%ethical%standards%to%a%story%that%

emerges%from%a%3,000eyear%old%Near%

Eastern%culture.%%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 28$

St.%AugusBne%had%been%brought%up%nominally%as%a%

ChrisBan%by%his%mother,%St.%Monica,%but%he%had%

never%been%bapBzed,%for%he%never%truly%believed%

ChrisBanity’s%teaching.%%%

One%of%the%most%brilliant%young%men%of%his%

generaBon%(indeed,%of%any&generaBon),%AugusBne%considered%the%Bible%preposterous,%for%no%ChrisBan%

could%explain%to%him%how%a%good%God%could%create%

evil%or%allow%it%to%exist,%or%how%the%God%in%Numbers%

31,%for%example,%could%be%reconciled%with%the%God%

of%the%Gospels.%

It%was%not%unBl%AugusBne%was%teaching%rhetoric%in%

Milan%that%he%heard%St.%Ambrose,%bishop%of%Milan,%

propose%an%enBrely%fresh%way%of%understanding%

Scripture.%%“Think%of%the%stories%in%the%Bible%as%

allegories,”%Ambrose%said,%“not%as%literal%accounts%of%

events.”%%%

This%removed%a%major%stumbling%block%to%Scripture%

for%St.%AugusBne.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 29$

In%a%similar%fashion,%we%need%not%read%

Scripture%as%allegory,%as%St.%AugusBne%

did,%but%we%gain%much%by%recognizing%

the%literary&nature%of%Scripture,%and%by%reading%it%as%a%product%of%its%own%Bme%

and%culture,%recognizing%and%

understanding%the%historical%and%

cultural%context%of%each%individual%

book%and%story.%%

Approaching%Scripture%in%this%way%may%

well%remove%a%stumbling%block%for%us,%

too.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 30$

Once%the%Israelites%dispose%of%the%

Midianites,%God%instructs%the%

soldiers%who%had%taken%part%in%the%

badle—and%the%slaughter—to%

purify%themselves:%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 31$

32$The$Spoils$of$War$

“Moreover, remain outside the camp for seven days; every one of you who has killed anyone or touched someone killed will purify yourselves on the third and on the seventh day—both you and your captives. You will also purify every garment, every article of leather, everything made of goats’ hair, and every article of wood. Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had taken part in the battle: This is the prescribed ritual which the Lord has commanded Moses: gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead—whatever can stand fire—you shall put into the fire, that it may become clean; however, it must also be purified with water of purification. But whatever cannot stand fire you must put into the water. On the seventh day you will wash your garments, and then you will again be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

(31: 19-24)

The%instrucBons%here%reflect%chapter%

19,%regarding%purificaBon%from%contact%

with%a%corpse.%%The%“water%of%

purificaBon”%refers%to%water%sprinkled%

with%the%ashes%of%the%red%heifer.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 33$

With%the%purificaBon%

complete,%its%Bme%to%divvy%up%

the%spoils!%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 34$

35$The$Spoils$of$War$

“The Lord said to Moses: With the help of Eleazar the priest and of the heads of the ancestral houses of the community, inventory all the spoils captured, human being and beast alike; then divide the spoils between the warriors who went on the campaign and the whole community. You will levy a tax for the Lord on the soldiers who went on the campaign: one out of every five hundred persons, oxen, donkeys, and sheep. From their half you will take it and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. From the Israelites’ half you will take one captive from every fifth human beings, oxen, donkeys, and sheep—all the animals—and give them to the Levites, who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle. So Moses and Eleazar the priest did this, as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

(31: 25-31)

DistribuBng%the%spoils%of%war%differs%greatly%in%

Scripture%from%that%of%The&Iliad&or%other%Near%Eastern%and%Greek%examples.%

In%the%Homeric%world,%for%example,%warriors%

fight%for%“honor”%(timhv,“Gmê”)%and%“glory”%(klevoß, kleos”).%%“Honor”%is%how%your%peers—the%other%warriors—view%you,%based%

upon%your%performance%in%badle,%and%as&your&share&of&the&plunder%demonstrates;%“glory”%is%

what%people%say%about%you%a]er%your%death,%

based%upon%how%you%lived%your%life%(as%a%

warrior,%heroically).%

In%Scripture%the%spoils%of%war%are%distributed&equally,%including%among%those%who%“stayed%in%

the%rear%with%the%gear”%and%the%priests.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 36$

The%amount%of%plunder%is%extraordinary!%

“This&plunder,&what&was&le]&of&the&loot&which&the&troops&had&taken,&amounted&to&six&hundred&and&seventyMfive&thousand&sheep,&seventyMtwo&thousand&oxen,&sixtyMone&thousand&donkeys,&and&thirtyMtwo&thousand&women&who&had&not&had&sexual&relaGons.”&

% % % % % %(31:%32e35)%

And,%we%should%note:%

“Then&those&who&were&officers&over&conGngents&of&the&army,&commanders&of&thousands&and&commanders&of&hundreds,&came&up&to&Moses&and&said&to&him,&‘Your&servants&have&counted&the&soldiers&under&our&command,&and&not&one&of&us&is&missing&[!]’”&

% % % % % %(31:%48e49)%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 37$

Recall%how%many%men%were%counted%in%the%2nd%

census:%%601,730.%%The%obvious%correspondence%

between%601,730%men%in%the%census%and%675,000%

sheep,%as%well%as%the%schemaBc%numbers%of%oxen,%

donkeys%and%virgins,%seems%wildly%exaggerated,%

as%do%other%details%of%the%victory;%for%example,%in%

defeaBng%the%Midianites%the%Israelites%did%not%

suffer%a%single%casualty%(31:%49)!%

Clearly,%the%story%is%told%to%support%the%

overwhelming%superiority%of%Israel’s%fighBng%

men,%a%vast%difference%between%them%and%the%

slaves%who%le]%Egypt%a%generaBon%ago.%%%

These&are%men%born%and%raised%in%the%crucible%of%

the%wilderness,%men%poised%to%defeat%the%

Canaanites%when%Joshua%launches%his%invasion%of%

the%“Promised%Land.”%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 38$

1.   Why%does%God%command%Moses%to%take%

vengeance%on%the%Midianites?%

2.   What%do%the%Israelites%do%with%the%

Midianite%warriors%they%fight?%%

3.   What%do%they%do%with%the%women%and%

children?%

4.   Why%do%the%Israelite%soldiers%need%to%be%

purified%a]er%the%badle?%%%

5.   How%is%the%Midianite%plunder%distributed?%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 39$

Copyright%©%2015%by%Logos%EducaBonal%CorporaBon%

All%rights%reserved.%No%part%of%this%course—audio,%video,%photography,%

maps,%Bmelines%or%other%media—may%be% reproduced%or% transmided%

in% any% form% by% any% means,% electronic% or% mechanical,% including%

photocopying,% recording% or% by% any% informaBon% storage% or% retrieval%

devices%without%permission% in%wriBng%or%a% licensing%agreement% from%

the%copyright%holder.%

The$Spoils$of$War$ 40$