This is the second consecutive post that has "sex" in the title. It is the bible I am writing about, after all. Frequently the bible is not a family-friendly piece of literature by today's standards. I would say xenocide counts as not family friendly by today's standards.
But this is also the story of God's protection, warfare, and how to punish your enemies.
War Against Midian: Numbers 31.1-12
The HarperCollins Study Bible refers to the war against Midian as "holy war" but within a historical and/or literary context, this is not the case. As we saw in Numbers 14, all war must be sanctioned by God in order for the Israelites to be victorious. So really this is not a "holy war" but a war under the protection of YHWH Sabaoth, the almighty Lord of "war." The biblical author presents God as a militaristic protector of the people. So the war is not waged for religious (holy) reasons, but rather for political ones.
In any case, the Lord commands Moses to send 1,000 men of each tribe to fight the Midianites, whose women were so audaciously having sex with Israelite males. Phineas son of Eleazar the priest commands them, and they leave with the "vessels of the sanctuary" and trumpets for battle. The "vessels of the sanctuary ensure God's presence (and therefore Israel's victory).
The Israelites utterly destroy the Midianites, killing every male and the five kings of Midian. They even kill Balaam, who thrice blessed the Israelites and was able to speak with the Lord. The Israelites take the Midianite women and children and all their goods and livestock. They then burn the Midianite towns and encampments.
Little known fact about war: generally the entire opposing army is not slain. Usually some survivors remain. So what the author is trying to do is demonstrate the absolute power of the Israelites. It is like the Midianite army was never even there. They just disappear, along with their homes, which are burned to the ground. But the Israelites must remember that their power is dependent on God's support.
Return from the War: Numbers 31.13-24
Moses, Eleazar, and all the congregation go out to meet the 12,000 who slew the Midianites. When Moses hears what they have done, he becomes angry - but not for the reason you might think. You see, the Israelites have allowed the Midianite women to live, even though it was they who slept with the Israelite men, which invoked the wrath of the Lord and caused the plague to fall upon the congregation. And furthermore, it was on Balaam's addvice that the Midianite women seduced the Israelite men in the first place. Now, this is never mentioned in the text, so it is likely there is a tradition of this tale that didn't make it into the bible. However, the story is plausible, as the story of the worship of Baal and sexual intercourse outside of the congregation comes immediately after the story of Balaam and Balack. Now it becomes clear why the author was sure to point out Balaam's death.
[This type of discovery is pretty common in biblical literature, especially if you read the bible chronologically. Sometimes it seems events happen for no reason, but then in a later passage the reason is given. So reading the bible as a piece of literature involves a lot of looking backwards into the text.]
Moses offers a solution: kill every Midianite woman that is not a virgin (because they might have slept with an Israelite), kill every male child (so the Midianites do not reproduce), and keep the virgin girls (because they are the spoils of war).
Anyone who has killed in battle or touch a corpse is to remain outside the camp for seven days to be purified, and undergo the normal purification ritual. This involves cleaning the body and garments, but Eleazar adds a new dimension. Metals (for weapons) are to be purified by fire and the water of purification.
Disposition of Captives and Booty: Numbers 31.25-54
The Lord gives commands for divvying up the booty. Half will go to the warriors, and half to the congregation. The warriors will be "taxed" 1 item out of every 500, to be given to the Lord. The congregation will be "taxed" one item out of every 50.
The Midianites, it turns out, had the following stuff:
- 675,000 sheep
- 72,000 oxen
- 61,000 donkeys
- 32,000 young virgin girls
It is split up evenly, with the author providing exact amounts of everything, even though the shares are the same for the warriors as the congregation.
Afterwards, the officers and commanders of the army approach Moses and disclose that not a single Israelite died in the massacre. Every officer and commander therefore gives an article of gold (in jewelry form) to Moses and Eleazar. It totals 16,750 shekels, which does not count the gold the troops took for themselves.
Moses and Eleazar bring the gold into the tent of meeting, where it serves as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.
Yes, it is have good to have YHWH Sabaoth on your side. Just make sure you honor him.
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