Num 36 | CalvinCommentaries | STEP | 1. And the chief fathers of the families. It might appear strange that God had given an imperfect law with reference to succession, as if what will be now stated had not occurred to His mind until Moses was reminded by the chief men of the families (of Machir,) that it was unjust that the inheritances should be alienated, which would have been the case if the daughters of Zelophehad had married into other tribes, whereas their portion had fallen in the lot of the tribe of Manasseh. For whatever fell into the hands of those of another tribe, was a diminution of that lot. As, therefore, God had lately made provision for preserving the rights of individuals, He now treats of the general advantage or loss. What, then, can be the meaning of the objection, that God only half considered what was right? In my opinion, He so arranged His replies, that only when inquired of He assigned to each one his rights. The daughters of Zelophehad come, and demand justice of Moses and the elders, and God complies with their prayers. Now the heads of the tribe come, and agitate the question respecting the loss they would incur by the alienation of the inheritances; and it is then provided that other tribes should not be enriched by their loss. In short, whereas God might have spontaneously anticipated this, He preferred to grant it at the request of those who asked nothing but what was just and equitable. For it cannot be said that in this case it happened, as it often does, that, whilst every one pertinaciously maintains his own cause, and is eager to advance his own interests, one question arises out of another; for, when God has taken cognizance of the case, He pronounces that both parties only demanded what was right. It follows, therefore, that God designedly withheld His decisions until they naturally arose out of the circumstances of the case. It is a common saying that the law makes no provision for those things which rarely occur. Thus it would have been commonly supposed that this law was superfluous; and especially it would have detracted somewhat from the authority of his teaching, if Moses had treated of this trifling matter, had not circumstances led to it. In fine, God allowed Himself to be interrogated familiarly with respect to doubtful points of no primary importance, in order that posterity might recognize His reply as a proof of His fatherly indulgence. Meanwhile, let us bear in mind that if heavenly things are the subject of as much anxiety to us, as earthly things were to the children of Manasseh, the rule that we should observe will always be made clear to us.

‏ Numbers 36

1. And the chief fathers of the families. It might appear strange that God had given an imperfect law with reference to succession, as if what will be now stated had not occurred to His mind until Moses was reminded by the chief men of the families (of Machir,) ^{▼▼
Added from Fr.} that it was unjust that the inheritances should be alienated, which would have been the case if the daughters of Zelophehad had married into other tribes, whereas their portion had fallen in the lot of the tribe of Manasseh. For whatever fell into the hands of those of another tribe, was a diminution of that lot. As, therefore, God had lately made provision for preserving the rights of individuals, He now treats of the general advantage or loss. What, then, can be the meaning of the objection, that God only half considered what was right? In my opinion, He so arranged His replies, that only when inquired of He assigned to each one his rights. The daughters of Zelophehad come, and demand justice of Moses and the elders, and God complies with their prayers. Now the heads of the tribe come, and agitate the question respecting the loss they would incur by the alienation of the inheritances; and it is then provided that other tribes should not be enriched by their loss. In short, whereas God might have spontaneously anticipated this, He preferred to grant it at the request of those who asked nothing but what was just and equitable. For it cannot be said that in this case it happened, as it often does, that, whilst every one pertinaciously maintains his own cause, and is eager to advance his own interests, one question arises out of another; for, when God has taken cognizance of the case, He pronounces that both parties only demanded what was right. It follows, therefore, that God designedly withheld His decisions until they naturally arose out of the circumstances of the case. It is a common saying that the law makes no provision for those things which rarely occur. ^{▼▼
“De his, quae frequenter fieri solent, non quae raro, leges fieri debent.” 1. 3. et sequentibus ff. de legib.; 1. 3. Digest. si pars haeredit, petatur; 1.28 ff. de judiciis; 1. ea quae 64, de regul. juris.} Thus it would have been commonly supposed that this law was superfluous; and especially it would have detracted somewhat from the authority of his teaching, if Moses had treated of this trifling matter, had not circumstances led to it. In fine, God allowed Himself to be interrogated familiarly with respect to doubtful points of no primary importance, in order that posterity might recognize His reply as a proof of His fatherly indulgence. Meanwhile, let us bear in mind that if heavenly things are the subject of as much anxiety to us, as earthly things were to the children of Manasseh, the rule that we should observe will always be made clear to us.

2. And they said, The Lord commanded my lord. They here allege a kind of discrepancy, in that the tribes had had the land allotted to them agreeably to God’s command, but now their lots would be thrown into confusion, when the inheritance should pass over to another tribe. They assume it, however, to be an acknowledged impossibility, that God should be inconsistent with Himself: hence it was necessary that an interpretation should be delivered in order to remove the legal contradiction ( ἀντινομίαν ) The Law of God, say they, which ought to remain inviolable, enjoins that the land should be distxibuted by lot; how, then, will it accord that women should carry elsewhere the inheritance of their own tribe? Thus, in seeking a remedy for this evil, they submit themselves to God’s governance, and reverently accept what He had prescribed. And further, they enlarge upon the absurdity which would arisen from hence; viz., that in the fiftieth year, when they were to return to their original lots, so much would be withdrawn from the portion of the tribe of Manasseh as the daughters of Zelophehad had taken away with them. Reasonably, therefore, do they demand that a decree should be given to reconcile the two former laws, which otherwise appeared to be at variance with each other.

5. And Moses commanded the children of Israel. The account here given is not identical with the previous one, that Moses referred the matter to God; yet the same thing is more briefly stated, viz., that Moses answered the people out of the mouth of God, from whence we infer that God was consulted by him. Moreover, God not only decides in favor of the children of Manasseh, but approves of their appeal, in that they were contented with their allotment, and claim for themselves what could not be alienated without the violation of the Divine decree. From this particular occasion, a general law is laid down, that no woman to whom an inheritance had fallen, was to marry out of her tribe, because she would defraud her own relatives of her marriage portion. In this way, however, a free permission to marry was accorded to females, provided they renounced their paternal inheritance. The words, indeed, seem to be of wider application, i e., that no man should marry a wife, except of his own kindred; but the meaning of the law is to be sought from the cause which led to its enactment. Moreover, there is no doubt but that promiscuous marriages are here forbidden, in so far as they confound the order of hereditary rights.

Numbers 31

Numbers 31:1-54

1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

1. Et loquutus est Jehova ad Mosen, dicendo:

2. Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterwards shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.

2. Ulciscere ultionem filiorum Israel de Madianitis, postea aggregaberis ad populos tuos.

3. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian.

3. Loquutus est itaque Moses ad populum, dicendo, Accingant se ex vobis viri ad bellum, et sint contra Madian, ut dent ultionem Jehovae.

4. Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.

4. Mille de singulis tribubus, de omnibus tribubus Israel mittetis ad bellum.

5. So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

5. Et traditi sunt ex millibus Israel mille per singulas tribus, duodecim millia accineti ad militiam.

6. And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

6. Quos misit Moses, mille de singulis tribubus ad bellum: misit, inquam, illos et Phinees filium Eleazar sacerdotis ad bellum, et vasa sancta, et tubae clangoris erant in manu ejus.

7. And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

7. Et pugnaverunt contra Madian, quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova Mosi, et occiderunt omnem masculum.

8. And they slew the kings of Midian, besides the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hut, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

8. Reges quoque Madian occiderunt cum occisis eorum, Evi et Recem, et Sur, et Hur, et Reba, quinque reges Madian: et Balaam filium Beor occiderunt gladio.

9. And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.

9. Abduxerunt autem captivas filii Israel uxores Madianitarum, et parvulos eorum, atque omnia jumenta eorum, omniaque pecora eorum, et omnem substantiam corum praedati sunt.

10. And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles with fire.

10. Omnes quoque urbes eorum per habitationes eorum et omnes, aedes combusserunt igni.

11. And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.

11. Tuleruntque crania spolia, et omnem praedam, tam de hominibus quam de jumentis.

12. And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.

12. Et adduxerunt ad Mosen et Eleazar sacerdotem, et ad congregationem fillerum Israel, captivitatem, et praedam, et spolia ad castra ipsa in campestribus Moab, quae sunt juxta Jordanem Jericho.

13. And Moses and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.

13. Egressi sunt ergo Moses et Eleazar sacerdos, et omnes principes congregationis in occursum eorum extra eastra.

14. And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.

14. Iratusque est Moses contra praefectos exercitus, tribunes et centuriones qui revertebantur de expeditione belli.

15. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

15. Et dixit els Moses, Reservastisne omnes mulieres?

16. Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.

16. Ecce, ipsae fuerunt filiis Israel, consilio Balaam ad tradendum in praevaricationem contra Jehovam in negotio Phogor, et fuit plaga in congregatione Jehovae.

17. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

17. Nunc ergo occidite omnes mares in parvulis, et omnem mulierem qum cognoverit virum concubitu masculi, occidite.

18. But all the women-children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

18. Omnes autem parvulas inter mulieres, qum non cognoverint concubitum masculi, servate vivas vobis.

19. And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

19. Vos vero manete extra castra septem diebus: omnis qui occiderit aliquem, quicunqne item tetigerit occisum, purificabitis vos die tertia et die septima, vos et praeda vestra.

20. And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.

20. Omne quoque vestimentum, et omnem supellectilem pelliceam, et omne opus e pilis caprarum, et omne vas lineum purificabitis.

21. And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses;

21. Et dixit Eleazar sacerdos admilites qui iverant ad bellum, hoc est statutum legis quod praeceperat Jehova Mosi.

22. Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

22. Profecto aurum, et argentum, aes, ferrum, stannum, et plumbum, et quiequid ingreditur ignem, transire facietis per ignem, et mundabitur;

23. Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.

23. Veruntamen aqua expiationis purificabitur, quicquid autem non ingreditur ignem, transire facietis per aquam.

24. And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

24. Lavabitis praeterea vestimenta vestra die septima, et mundi eritis, et postea intrabitis castra.

25. And the Lord spalke unto Moses, saying,

25. Loquutus est deinde Jehova ad Mosen, dicendo:

26. Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation;

26. Cape summam praedm captivitatis, tam de hominibus quam de jumentis, tu et Eleazar sacerdos, et capita patrum congregationis.

27. And divide the prey into two parts, between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation;

27. Et partieris in duas partes praedam, inter bellatores qui egressi sunt ad pugnam, et inter universam congregationem.

28. And levy a tribute unto the Lord of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

28. Tollesque censum Jehovae a viris bellatoribus qui egressi sunt ad militiam, unam animam de quingentis, ex hominibus, et ex bobus, et ex asinis, et ex pecudibus.

29. Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave-offering of the l,ord.

29. De media parte illorum capietis: et dabitis Eleazaro sacerdoti oblationem Jehovae.

30. And of the children of Israel’s half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.

30. Et de media parte filiorum Israel capies unam portionem ex quinquaginta, ex hominibus, ex bobus, ex asinis, et ex pecoribus, id est ex omni jumento: et dabis illa Levitis custodientibus custodiam tabernaculi Jehovae.

31. And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

31. Et fecit Moses et Eleazar sacerdos quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova Mosi.

32. And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand, and seventy thousand, and five thousand sheep,

32. Et fuit praeda, residuum scilicet praedae quam praedati sunt milites, ovium sexcenta septuaginta quinque millia,

33. And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,

33. Et bovum septuaginta duo milIlia,

34. And threescore and one thousand asses,

34. Et asinorum unum et sexaginta millia,

35. And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.

35. Et animarum hominis e mulieribus qum non cognoverant coitum masculi: omnium, inquam, animarum, duo et triginta millia.

36. And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand, and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep:

36. Fuit autem dimidia pars, portio eorum, qui egressi fuerant ad militiare, numerus ovium trecenta triginta septem millia et quingentae.

37. And the Lord’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

37. Fuit vero census pro Jehova ex ovibus sexcentae septuagintaquinque.

38. And the beeves were thirty and six thousand, of which the Lord’s tribute was threescore and twelve.

38. Et bovum, sex et triginta millia: et census eorum Jehovae, duo et septuaginta.

39. And the asses, were thirty thousand and five hundred, of which the Lord’s tribute was threescore and one.

39. Et asinorum triginta millia, et quingenti: census autem eorum Jehovae unus et sexaginta:

40. And the persons were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord’s tribute was thirty and two persons.

40. Et animarum hominum sedecim millia: census vero eorum Jehovae, duae et triginta animae.

41. And Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord’s heave-offering, unto Eleazar the priest; as the Lord commanded Moses.

41. Deditque Moses censum oblationis Jehovae ipsi Eleazar sacerdoti, quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova Mosi.

42. And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,

42. Et de dimidia parte filiorum Israel, quam deduxerit Moses a viris que militaverant:

43. (Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand, and thirty thousand, and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

43. Fuit autem dimidia pars congregationis de ovibus, trecenta et triginta septem millia et quingentae.

44. And thirty and six thousand beeves,

44. Et bovum sex et triginta millia.

45. And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,

45. Et asinorum triginta millia et quingenti.

46. And sixteen thousand persons,)

46. Et animarum hominum sedecim millia.

47. Even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.

47. De dimidia, inquam, parte filiorum Israel tulit Moses portionem unam e quinquaginta ex hominibus et ex jumentis, et dedit eam Levitis custodientibus custodiam tabernaculi, Jehovae, quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova Mosi.

48. And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:

48. Et accesserunt ad, ad Mosen praefecti militum militiae, tribuni et centuriones.

49. And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lackcth not one man of us.

49. Dixeruntque ad Mosen, Servi tui levarunt (vel, subduxerunt,) summam virorum bellatorum qui sunt in manu nostra, et non defuit in nobis quisquam.

50. We have therefore brought an oblation for the Lord, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, ear-rings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the Lord.

50. Propterea obtulimus oblationem Jehovae quisque quod invenit, vasa aurea, brachiale, et ornamentum manus, annulum in aurem, et subligaculum foemineum, ad expiandum animas nostras coram Jehova.

51. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.

51. Et accepit Moses et Eleazar sacerdos aurum ab illis, omnia vasa operis.

52. And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the Lord, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

52. Fuitque omne aurum oblationis quod obtulerunt Jehovae, sedecim millia, septingenti et quinquaginta sicli, a tribunis et centurionibus.

53. (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)

53. (Viri namque exereitus praedati fuerant quisque sibi.)

54. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation,for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.

54. Accepit inquam Moses et Eleazar sacerdos aurum a tribunis et centurionibus, et intulit illud in tabernaculum conventionis, in memoriam filiis Israel coram Jehova.