Numbers 31:7-8

31:7 They fought against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male. ¹  31:8 They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain – Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba – five Midianite kings. ²  They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. ³ 

Numbers 22:7

22:7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported ⁴  to him the words of Balak.

Numbers 31:3

31:3 So Moses spoke to the people: “Arm ⁵  men from among you for the war, to attack the Midianites and to execute ⁶  the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.

Numbers 31:9

31:9 The Israelites took the women of Midian captives along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder.

Numbers 22:4

22:4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “Now this mass of people ⁷  will lick up everything around us, as the bull devours the grass of the field. Now Balak son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at this time.

Numbers 25:18

25:18 because they bring trouble to you by their treachery with which they have deceived ⁸  you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, ⁹  their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague that happened as a result of Peor.”

[31:7]  ¹ sn Many modern biblical scholars assume that this passage is fictitious. The text says that they killed every male, but Judges accounts for the Midianites. The texts can be harmonized rather simply – they killed every Midianite who was in the battle. Midianite tribes and cities dotted the whole region, but that does not mean Israel went and killed every single one of them. There apparently was a core of Midianites whom Balaam had influenced to pervert Israel.

[31:8]  ² sn Here again we see that there was no unified empire, but Midianite tribal groups.

[31:8]  ³ sn And what was Balaam doing among the Midianites? The implication is strong. This pagan diviner had to submit to the revealed will of God in the oracles, but he nonetheless could be hired. He had been a part of the attempt to destroy Israel that failed; he then apparently became part of the plan, if not the adviser, to destroy them with sexual immorality and pagan ritual.

[22:7]  ³ tn Heb “spoke.”

[31:3]  ⁴ tn The Niphal imperative, literally “arm yourselves,” is the call to mobilize the nation for war. It is followed by the jussive, “and they will be,” which would then be subordinated to say “that they may be.” The versions changed the verb to a Hiphil, but that is unnecessary: “arm some of yourselves.”

[31:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “give.”

[22:4]  ⁵ tn The word is simply “company,” but in the context he must mean a vast company – a horde of people.

[25:18]  ⁶ tn This is the same word as that translated “treachery.”

[25:18]  ⁷ sn Cozbi’s father, Zur, was one of five Midianite kings who eventually succumbed to Israel (Num 31:8). When the text gives the name and family of a woman, it is asserting that she is important, at least for social reasons, among her people.