Chapter 7.
HOW THE HEBREWS FOUGHT WITH THE MIDIANITES, AND OVERCAME
THEM.FJAJ 4.44
1. Now Moses sent an army against the land of Midian, for the causes
forementioned, in all twelve thousand, taking an equal number out of everyFJAJ 4.45
tribe, and appointed Phineas for their commander; of which Phineas we
made mention a little before, as he that had guarded the laws of the Hebrews,
and had inflicted punishment on Zimri when he had transgressed them
Now
the Midianites perceived beforehand how the Hebrews were coming, and would
suddenly be upon them: so they assembled their army together, and fortified
the entrances into their country, and there awaited the enemy's coming.
When they were come, and they had joined battle with them, an immense multitude
of the Midianites fell; nor could they be numbered, they were so very many:
and among them fell all their kings, five in number, viz
Evi, Zur, Reba,
Hur, and Rekem, who was of the same name with a city, the chief and capital
of all Arabia, which is still now so called by the whole Arabian nation,
Arecem, from the name of the king that built it; but is by the Greeks
called Petra.Now when the enemies were discomfited, the Hebrews
spoiled their country, and took a great prey, and destroyed the men that
were its inhabitants, together with the women; only they let the virgins
alone, as Moses had commanded Phineas to do, who indeed came back, bringing
with him an army that had received no harm, and a great deal of prey; fifty-two
thousand beeves, seventy-five thousand six hundred sheep, sixty thousand
asses, with an immense quantity of gold and silver furniture, which the
Midianites made use of in their houses; for they were so wealthy, that
they were very luxurious
There were also led captive about thirty-two
thousand virgins.FJAJ 4.46
(14)
The slaughter of all the Midianite women that had prostituted themselves
to the lewd Israelites, and the preservation of those that had not been
guilty therein; the last of which were no fewer than thirty-two thousand,
both here and Numbers 31:15-17, 35, 40, 46, and both by the particular
command of God; are highly remarkable, and show that, even in nations otherwise
for their wickedness doomed to destruction, the innocent were sometimes
particularly and providentially taken care of, and delivered from that
destruction; which directly implies, that it was the wickedness of the
nations of Canaan, and nothing else, that occasioned their excision. See
Genesis 15;16; 1 Samuel 15:18, 33; Apost. Constit. B. VIII. ch. 12. p.
402. In the first of which places, the reason of the delay of the punishment
of the Amorites is given, because "their iniquity was not yet full."
In the secured, Saul is ordered to go and "destroy the sinners, the
Amalekites;" plainly implying that they were therefore to be destroyed,
because they were sinners, and not otherwise. In the third, the reason
is given why king Agag was not to be spared, viz. because of his former
cruelty: "As thy sword hath made the (Hebrew) women childless, so
shall thy mother be made childless among women by the Hebrews." In
the last place, the apostles, or their amanuensis Clement, gave this reason
for the necessity of the coming of Christ, that "men had formerly
perverted both the positive law, and that of nature; and had cast out of
their mind the memory of the Flood, the burning of Sodom, the plagues of
the Egyptians, and the slaughter of the inhabitants of Palestine,"
as signs of the most amazing impenitence and insensibility, under the punishments
of horrid wickedness.
So Moses parted the prey into parts, and gave one fiftieth part to Eleazar
and the two priests, and another fiftieth part to the Levites; and distributed
the rest of the prey among the people
After which they lived happily,
as having obtained an abundance of good things by their valor, and there
being no misfortune that attended them, or hindered their enjoyment of
that happiness.FJAJ 4.47
2. But Moses was now grown old, and appointed Joshua for his successor,
both to receive directions from God as a prophet, and for a commander of
the army, if they should at any time stand in need of such a one; and this
was done by the command of God, that to him the care of the public should
be committed
Now Joshua had been instructed in all those kinds of learning
which concerned the laws and God himself, and Moses had been his instructor.FJAJ 4.48
3. At this time it was that the two tribes of Gad and Reuben, and the
half tribe of Manasseh, abounded in a multitude of cattle, as well as in
all other kinds of prosperity; whence they had a meeting, and in a body
came and besought Moses to give them, as their peculiar portion, that land
of the Amorites which they had taken by right of war, because it was fruitful,
and good for feeding of cattle; but Moses, supposing that they were afraid
of fighting with the Canaanites, and invented this provision for their
cattle as a handsome excuse for avoiding that war, he called them arrant
cowards, and said they had only contrived a decent excuse for that
cowardice; and that they had a mind to live in luxury and ease, while all
the rest were laboring with great pains to obtain the land they were desirous
to have; and that they were not willing to march along, and undergo the
remaining hard service, whereby they were, under the Divine promise, to
pass over Jordan, and overcome those our enemies which God had shown them,
and so obtain their land
But these tribes, when they saw that Moses was
angry with them, and when they could not deny but he had a just cause to
be displeased at their petition, made an apology for themselves; and said,
that it was not on account of their fear of dangers, nor on account of
their laziness, that they made this request to him, but that they might
leave the prey they had gotten in places of safety, and thereby might be
more expedite, and ready to undergo difficulties, and to fight battles.
They added this also, that when they had built cities, wherein they might
preserve their children, and wives, and possessions, if he would bestow
them upon them, they would go along with the rest of the army
Hereupon
Moses was pleased with what they said; so he called for Eleazar the high
priest, and Joshua, and the chief of the tribes, and permitted these tribes
to possess the land of the Amorites; but upon this condition, that they
should join with their kinsmen in the war until all things were settled.
Upon which condition they took possession of the country, and built them
strong cities, and put into them their children and their wives, and whatsoever
else they had that might be an impediment to the labors of their future
marches.FJAJ 4.49
4. Moses also now built those ten cities which were to be of the number
of the forty-eight [for the Levites;]; three of which he allotted to those
that slew any person involuntarily, and fled to them; and he assigned the
same time for their banishment with that of the life of that high priest
under whom the slaughter and flight happened; after which death of the
high priest he permitted the slayer to return home
During the time of
his exile, the relations of him that was slain may, by this law, kill the
manslayer, if they caught him without the bounds of the city to which he
fled, though this permission was not granted to any other person
Now the
cities which were set apart for this flight were these: Bezer, at the borders
of Arabia; Ramoth, of the land of Gilead; and Golan, in the land of Bashan.
There were to be also, by Moses's command, three other cities allotted
for the habitation of these fugitives out of the cities of the Levites,
but not till after they should be in possession of the land of Canaan.FJAJ 4.50
5. At this time the chief men of the tribe of Manasseh came to Moses,
and informed him that there was an eminent man of their tribe dead, whose
name was Zelophehad, who left no male children, but left daughters; and
asked him whether these daughters might inherit his land or not
He made
this answer, That if they shall marry into their own tribe, they shall
carry their estate along with them; but if they dispose of themselves in
marriage to men of another tribe, they shall leave their inheritance in
their father's tribe
And then it was that Moses ordained, that every one's
inheritance should continue in his own tribe.FJAJ 4.51