21 24<\/strong>. Further injunctions given by Eleazar, drawing a distinction between objects which could not stand purification by fire, and metals which could.<\/p>\n And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war, which went to the battle<\/strong>,…. To all the soldiers, officers, and common men:<\/p>\n this is the ordinance of the law, which the Lord commanded Moses<\/strong>; concerning the purification of unclean persons and things, hereby confirming what Moses had said.<\/p>\n To this end Eleazar, whose duty it was as high priest to see that the laws of purification were properly observed, issued fuller instructions with reference to the purification of the different articles, in accordance with the law in ch. 19. , those who came to the war, i.e., who went into the battle (see at Num 10:9<\/span>). “The ordinance of the law:” as in Num 19:2<\/span>. The metal (gold, silver, copper, tin, lead), all that usually comes into the fire, i.e., that will bear the fire, was to be drawn through the fire, that it might become clean, and was then to be sprinkled with water of purification (Num 19:9<\/span>); but everything that would not bear the fire was to be drawn through water. – The washing of clothes on the seventh day was according to the rule laid down in Num 19:19<\/span>.<\/p>\n Verses 21-24:<\/strong><\/p>\n Verse 21 notes <\/strong>the Lord’s specific direction for Israel though the office of the high priest. Eleazar identifies this legal code as the word of Jehovah through Moses, but it was delivered through the high priest, to become a permanent part of Israel’s law.<\/p>\n The six metals listed <\/strong>in verse 22 were in common use in the ancient world. The.plunder Israel took from the Midianites includes some of all six. All were to be purified “by fire,” according to the law of cleansing. They were to be purified not only because of their contact with the dead, but because they were tainted with idolatry. After the purification by fire, these metals were to be further purified by the waters of separation, chapter 19.<\/p>\n The plunder which could not be purified by fire must be purified by the waters of separation, chapter 19. Those who were involved in the battle, and who had touched the plunder, must follow the prescribed purification ritual.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n C. PURIFICATION OF THE SOLDIERS AND THE BOOTY vv. 2124 Num. 31:21<\/span>, 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; 22. Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23. Everything 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. 24. And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.<\/p>\n PARAPHRASE<\/strong><\/p>\n Num. 31:21<\/span>. Then Eleazar the priest said to the warriors who had gone to the battle, This is the statute of the Law which the Lord commanded Moses: 22. only the gold and silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin and the lead, 23. everything which can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. But whatever does not pass through the fire you shall pass through the water. 24. And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean; afterwards you may enter the camp.<\/p>\n COMMENTARY<\/strong><\/p>\n In recognizing that this is the earliest instance of the high priest declaring to the people what the law of God as delivered to Moses was, and then applying and enlarging that law to meet the present circumstances, (PC, p. 400), we should also recognize the circumstances under which such a declaration was made. As the account moves inexorably toward the time of the death of Moses, more responsibility has already been shared with Joshua, and it is only reasonable that such a sharing should occur in another area in which Moses has carried a singular responsibilitya responsibility which will be an inherent part of the duties of the succeeding high priests. This fact alone is hardly sufficient to prove that the passage is a later interpolation.<\/p>\n All those metals which can be purified by fire are to undergo this method of treatment; materials which would not survive this process are to be washed thoroughly with water. The metals named here: gold, silver, bronze, tin, iron and lead were well known to ancient people; all of them were refined, and all could be purified by the fires; so it was ordered. The process of washing would have included all skins, clothing, and woven fabrics of any kind. Even aside from the fact that the order is given for ceremonial purposes, no better precautionary measures could have been taken to insure curtailment of any transmissible diseases. In a day when men did not know anything of this fact, and of the part which either clothing or materials of any other kind could play in spreading unwanted germs and infestations, it was a part of Gods divine protection of His people to order such a cleansing. Their own clothing must be washed on the final day of the quarantine, as the final act of compliance; following this, life might be resumed in its normal course.<\/p>\n QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS<\/strong><\/p>\n 572.<\/p>\n Why were the metal items and all other articles of booty to be subjected to the ritual of cleansing?<\/p>\n 573.<\/p>\n Explain the part of Eleazar in presenting the instructions to Israel.<\/p>\n 574.<\/p>\n Why did Moses himself not deliver the instructions?<\/p>\n 575.<\/p>\n Find other instances where the Israelites were required to make similar compliances with Gods orders.<\/p>\n Num 31:21-24<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>And Eleazar<\/em><\/strong>said<\/strong>This is the ordinance of the law<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> i.e. “This is a law to be observed hereafter by all who go to war.” The law before was, that he, who touched a dead body should be purified with water; but nothing had been hitherto said of him who killed a man in war; nor of the spoil, concerning which Moses here prescribes two sorts of purifications, the fire <\/em>for metals, and the water <\/em>for all combustible matters. Purifying by water <\/em>was a rite of the earliest antiquity, (see Gen 35:2<\/span>.) and the use of fire <\/em>in purification appears to have been not much less ancient. Hence Homer makes Ulysses call for sulphur and fire, <\/em>to fume the house wherein the riotous suitors had been killed, Odyss. b. xxii. v. 518 of Pope’s translation; who, in the note upon the place, observes, that Job 18:15<\/span> seems to refer to this same custom; brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. <\/em>Livy mentions this practice among the Romans; Habet et in religionibus locum ad expiandas suffitu domus, <\/em>lib. xxx. cap. 15. The natural reason why fire is proper for that use is assigned by Ovid, Fast. lib. iv. ver. 785. <\/p>\n Omnia purgat edax ignis, vitiumque metallis<\/em> Excoquit.<\/em> <\/p>\n We may observe, that it is only said, go through the fire, <\/em>not that it should be melted. See 1Co 3:13<\/span>. For more upon this subject, the learned reader is referred to the works of Scacchi, Bonfrere, and Spencer. <\/p>\n went = came, or had come<\/p>\n ordinance = statute. <\/p>\n the Disposition of the Spoils of War<\/p>\n Num 31:21-54<\/p>\n This law, which subjected the victors to a whole week of separation and to special purification, instead of an immediate welcome into the camp, was intended to wean the Hebrews from the practice of war, giving them a higher standard than that of surrounding nations. Thus God educates us, by placing before us an ever higher standard, as we are able to obey it. It is easy to say hard things against this treatment of Midian, but extermination is sometimes the only way to safety.<\/p>\n For us the lesson is one of rigid separation. Some may be able to stand Gods searching fire; but others cannot bear that flame. Yet these may not go altogether free. See Num 31:23. As strangers and pilgrims we must abstain from fleshly lusts. God demands our holiness, but discriminates in the method of producing it.<\/p>\n Num 30:16 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Num 19:2 – the ordinance<\/p>\n 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 24. Further injunctions given by Eleazar, drawing a distinction between objects which could not stand purification by fire, and metals which could. Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 31:21”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4694\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
TEXT<\/strong><\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"