Numbers 31

For the relevant weekly Torah portion, see Matot.
Numbers 31
Women of Midian led captive by Israelite soldiers. Watercolour by James Tissot (c. 1900).
BookBook of Numbers
Hebrew Bible partTorah
Order in the Hebrew part4
CategoryTorah
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part4

Numbers 31 is the 31st chapter of the Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Pentateuch (Torah), the central part of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), a sacred text in Judaism and Christianity. Scholars such as Israel Knohl and Dennis T. Olson name this chapter the War against the Midianites.[1][2]

Set in the southern Transjordanian regions of Moab and Midian, it narrates the Israelites waging war against the Midianites, commanded by Phinehas and Moses. They killed the men, including their five kings and Balaam, burnt their settlements and took captive the women, children and livestock. Moses commanded the Israelites to kill the boys and women who had sex with men and spare the virgin girls for themselves. The spoils of war were then divided between Eleazar, the Levitical priesthood, soldiers and Yahweh.[3][note 1]

Much scholarly and religious controversy exists surrounding the authorship, meaning and ethics of this chapter of Numbers.[3] It is closely connected to Numbers 25.[4]: 69 

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Knohl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Olson, Dennis T. (2012). "Numbers 31. War against the Midianites: Judgment for Past Sin, Foretaste of a Future Conquest". Numbers. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. pp. 176–180. ISBN 9780664238827. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b Shectman, Sarah (2009). Women in the Pentateuch: A Feminist and Source-critical Analysis. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press. pp. 158–166. ISBN 9781906055721. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Brown was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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