Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 31:6

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. The war being of a strictly religious character, the soldiers were apparently led not by Moses or Joshua but by Phinehas the priest, who had previously displayed his zeal against the Midianites (Num 25:6-8). Eleazar the chief priest is represented as staying behind in the camp, perhaps from fear of pollution by contact with the dead.

the vessels of the sanctuary ] The word rendered ‘vessels’ is a general term which may denote any utensils or objects. It has been suggested that the writer had in mind the ephod containing the Urim and Tummim by which Phinehas could enquire of God concerning the conduct of the battle; but it is doubtful whether that right would be ascribed to any but the high priest (cf. Num 27:21).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Phinehas – He was marked out as the fitting director of the expedition by his conduct (compare Num 25:7-13) in the matter of Zimri and Cozbi.

With the holy instruments, and the trumpets – Or rather, with the holy instruments, to wit, the trumpets, for the trumpets themselves seem to be the instruments intended.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 6. A thousand of every tribe] Twelve thousand men in the whole. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar; some think he was made general in this expedition, but this is not likely. The ark and its contents must proceed to this battle, because the battle was the Lord’s, and he dwelt between the cherubim over the ark; and Phinehas, who had before got a grant in the eternal priesthood, was chosen to accompany the ark in place of his father Eleazar, who was probably now too far advanced in years to undergo the fatigue. Who then was general? Joshua, without doubt, though not here mentioned, because the battle being the Lord’s, he alone is to have the supreme direction, and all the glory. Besides, it was an extraordinary war, and not conducted on the common principle, for we do not find that peace was offered to the Midianites, and that they refused it; see De 20:10, c. In such a case only hostilities could lawfully commence but they were sinners against GOD; the cup of their iniquity was full, and God thought proper to destroy them. Though a leader there certainly was, and Joshua was probably that leader, yet because God, for the above reason, was considered as commander-in-chief, therefore no one else is mentioned; for it is evident that the sole business of Phinehas was to take care of the holy instruments and to blow with the trumpet.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Phinehas had the charge not of the army, as general, (an office never committed to any priest in all the Old Testament,) but of

the holy instruments, & c. as is here expressed, and was also sent to encourage, and quicken, and confirm them in their good enterprise. It is not here mentioned who was the general, whether Joshua, as some think, because he is not named amongst those who went out to meet the returning host, though that might be for other reasons, or some other prince, nor is it worth while to determine. The holy instruments; either,

1. The ark, with the things belonging to it, which before the building of the temple they did sometimes carry into the war for the encouragement of their army. See Num 14:44; Jos 6:9; 1Sa 4:4; 14:18. But why then is it thus ambiguously expressed, seeing in all the other places it is called by its proper name? Nor is the ark ever so called in Scripture. Or,

2. The trumpets, as it here follows, the words being thus to be read, the holy instruments that is, the trumpets; for and is ofttimes put exegetically for that is, or to wit, as Gen 13:15; 1Ch 21:12, compared with 2Sa 24:13; Zec 1:4; 9:9, &c. Or rather,

3. The holy breastplate, wherein was the Urim and Thummim, which was easily carried and used, and very useful in war upon many emergent occasions. See 1Sa 23:9; 30:7.

And the trumpets, which were to be used in war as well as in the service of the tabernacle. See Num 10:9; 2Ch 13:12.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

6. Moses sent . . . Eleazar thepriest, to the warAlthough it is not expressly mentioned, itis highly probable that Joshua was the general who conducted thiswar. The presence of the priest, who was always with the army (De20:2), was necessary to preside over the Levites, who accompaniedthe expedition, and to inflame the courage of the combatants by hissacred services and counsels.

holy instrumentsAsneither the ark nor the Urim and Thummim were carried to thebattlefield till a later period in the history of Israel, the “holyinstruments” must mean the “trumpets” (Nu10:9). And this view is agreeable to the text, by simply changing”and” into “even,” as the Hebrew particleis frequently rendered.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And Moses sent them to the war,…. Being mustered and armed:

a thousand of [every] tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the war; which looks as if Phinehas was the general of this army; for Moses went not to the war, and no mention is made of Joshua, nor might it be proper for him, he being the successor of Moses, who was quickly to die; but it seems rather that there was no one person that had the command of the whole, but every captain commanded his own company; since, when Moses met them, and was angry with them for sparing the women, he does not address anyone as the chief commander, but all the officers, Nu 31:14, however, it was very proper and prudent to send Phinehas with them, both on account of his office as a priest, to encourage the people, and because of his extraordinary zeal against the Midianites for what they had done, as appears by his slaying a prince of Simeon and a Midianitish princess in their uncleanness:

[and he went] with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand; by “the holy instruments”, Aben Ezra understands the ark with what appertained to it, which in later times used to be carried out when the Israelites went to war, Jos 6:4, and Jarchi interprets them of the ark and plate of gold z which was upon the forehead of the high priest; but what had Phinehas to do with this, who was but a common priest? though the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it,

“with the Urim and Thummim of holiness, to inquire by them;”

and it appears, that sometimes a son of an high priest was intrusted with the ephod, to which the breastplate was fastened, which had the Urim and Thummim on it, and made use thereof to inquire by, as in the times of David, 1Sa 23:6, but it is the opinion of some learned men, and they may be in the right, that these instruments are no other than the trumpets, and who suppose the “vau” is not copulative, but explanative, so Ben Gersom, and read the words thus, “with the holy instruments, even”, or, “that is, the trumpets” a, the silver trumpets ordered to be made, Nu 10:2 one of which was far the journey of the camps, and also to blow an alarm for war, and which was done by the priests; and so the Targum of Jonathan adds here,

“to cause the camp of Israel to rest, and to cause it to go;”

that is, to direct it when it should stop, and when it should move.

z So the Rabbins in Abendana in Miclol Yophi in loc. a “erantque tubae”, Tigurine version; “id est tubae”, Vatablus; “nempe tubae”, Piscator; so Ainsworth.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Verses 6-12:

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the high priest, accompanied the army into battle. He was the successor to the office of high priest, and as such was Jehovah’s representative in the battle.

The “holy instruments” likely refer to the furniture of the Tabernacle, primarily the Ark of the Covenant. This later was a custom in Israel, Jos 3:14; 6:8; 1Sa 4:3, which may have begun at this occasion.

The “kings” of Midian were likely the tribal chieftains or heads of clans. Jos 13:21 identifies them as vessels of the Amorite king Sihon. It may be inferred that these were the tribes who gave allegiance to the invaders, and were thus considered traitors to their fellow countrymen. This would explain Israel’s relatively easy victory, as well as the appearance two centuries later of the formidable force of Midianites.

The soothsayer Balaam was slain in this battle, thus reaping the harvest of judgment for his complicity in seducing Israel.

The Israeli army slew the Midianite men in battle, but they took captive the women and children along with their livestock and personal belongings as spoils of war. They burned their cities and “goodly castles,” tirah, towers, likely the pastoral villages consisting of tents and crude huts.

“Spoil,” shalal, the goods confiscated in battle.

“Prey,” malqoach, “what is taken or caught,” the livestock, women, and children captured in battle.

“Captives,” shebi, prisoners taken in battle.

All captives and booty were taken to Israel’s camp in the plains of Moab.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

(6) With the holy instruments, and . . . Or, with the holy instruments, even, &c. It does not appear whether the ark did or did not accompany the expedition. It has been inferred from Num. 14:44 that the reference may be to the ark, but it does not appear probable that the ark would be so described. Moreover, Phinehas was not the high priest, and therefore would not have the ephod with the breastplate, which was worn at this time by-Eleazar. The reference may be only to the silver trumpets (see Num. 10:9), or it may include other sacred instruments. This was emphatically a holy war; and we may learn, from the command given to the Israelites to take with them the holy instruments, that they who would engage in the war against sin and Satan must take to them the whole armour of God (Eph. 6:13).

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Num 31:6 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.

Ver. 6. Them and Phinehas. ] Not without Joshua, the general (though not here mentioned), the mighty conqueror of all Israel’s enemies that rose up and resisted them: famous is he for his faithfulness and fortitude, In cognoscendis rebus bellicis perspicax, in agendo solers: noverat optime insidias facere, proelium committere, victoria uti, &c., as Dio saith a of Decebalus, king of the Daci, in Domitian’s days: i.e., Well skilled in warlike businesses, and diligent in despatching them; He knew well how to lay an ambush, worst an enemy, use a victory, &c.

a Dio, in Domitiano.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)