“Divide And Conquer”

Monday, September 29, 2014

Can you explain what's going on in Numbers 31:25-41, especially regarding what happens to both the animals and people captured after being divided and given to Eleazar the priest as a tribute for God or as a heave offering of Jehovah?

Sincerely,
Heave-Ho!

Dear Heave-Ho,

In Numbers 31, Moses was to lead the Israelites in battle against the Midianites (Num 31:1-2).  After the battle, the army had to decide what to do with the plunder from the land (Num 31:12).  God told them to split the plunder 50/50 between the soldiers who fought and the rest of the nation (Num 31:26-27).  The soldiers were told to take 1/500^th of their share of the plunder and give it to the priest (Num 31:28-29).  Of the half that went to the rest of the nation, 1/50^th was to be given to the Levites (Num 31:30-31).  The verses you mentioned simply address a practical matter of dividing the spoils of war.

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