Numbers 31:15

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

And Moses {H4872} said {H559} unto them, Have ye saved {H2421} all the women {H5347} alive {H2421}?

Moshe asked them, "You let the women live?

β€œHave you spared all the women?” he asked them.

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

Commentary

Context of Numbers 31:15

Numbers 31 details God's command to Israel to execute vengeance upon the Midianites for their role in luring the Israelites into idolatry and immorality at Baal-peor. This divine judgment was a direct consequence of Midianite women enticing Israelite men to commit harlotry with them and to worship their gods, leading to a plague that killed 24,000 Israelites (Numbers 25:9). After a successful military campaign where the Israelites defeated the Midianite kings and warriors, they returned with spoils, including women and children. Verse 15 captures Moses' immediate and sharp rebuke to the returning commanders, expressing his dismay at their incomplete obedience to God's severe command.

Moses' Rebuke and Its Implications

Moses' blunt question, "Have ye saved all the women alive?", reveals his profound displeasure and understanding of the spiritual danger these women represented. He recognized that sparing them was a direct contravention of the spirit, if not the letter, of God's command for vengeance. The Midianite women, particularly those who participated in the seduction at Baal-peor, were seen as a persistent spiritual threat to Israel's purity and loyalty to God. Their continued presence would inevitably lead to further temptation and idolatry, as seen in the past. This question sets the stage for the subsequent, controversial command from Moses to eliminate the women who had known a man and all male children, while sparing the virgin girls (Numbers 31:17-18).

Key Themes and Interpretations

  • Divine Judgment and Holiness: The incident underscores the severity of God's judgment against those who seek to corrupt His people and lead them astray. The command to eradicate the Midianite influence highlights God's absolute commitment to Israel's holiness and spiritual purity.
  • Consequences of Spiritual Compromise: Moses' concern demonstrates the grave danger of allowing even remnants of pagan influence or immorality to remain within the community, as they can quickly lead to widespread sin and defilement.
  • Obedience to God's Commands: The verse emphasizes the importance of complete and unwavering obedience to God's specific instructions, especially when dealing with matters of spiritual integrity. Moses understood that partial obedience could be as dangerous as outright disobedience.
  • Context of Ancient Warfare: While challenging for modern readers, this passage must be understood within the specific historical and theological context of ancient Near Eastern warfare and divine judgment against nations whose practices were deemed utterly corrupt and a direct threat to God's covenant people.

Linguistic Nuance

The Hebrew phrase for "saved alive" is based on the verb Χ—ΦΈΧ™ΦΈΧ” (*chayah*), meaning "to live" or "to keep alive." Moses' use of this direct question implies a failure to fully carry out the divine mandate. It's a rhetorical question expressing shock and disappointment that the very source of Israel's recent spiritual plague was allowed to survive.

Practical Application

While the specific context of warfare and physical eradication is unique to ancient Israel's role in establishing the Promised Land, the underlying spiritual principles remain relevant:

  • Vigilance Against Spiritual Compromise: Believers today are called to be vigilant against influences that could corrupt their faith or lead them into sin. This involves making decisive choices to remove or distance ourselves from things that threaten our spiritual well-being, as Paul writes about coming out from among them and being separate.
  • Seriousness of Sin: The passage reminds us of God's profound displeasure with sin, especially idolatry and sexual immorality, which are often linked in Scripture (Revelation 2:14).
  • Complete Obedience: God desires not just partial but complete obedience from His people. When we commit to following Christ, it means addressing all areas of our lives that are contrary to His will.
Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated β€” the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • 1 Samuel 15:3

    Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

  • Jeremiah 48:10

    Cursed [be] he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed [be] he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

  • Deuteronomy 2:34

    And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:

  • Joshua 6:21

    And they utterly destroyed all that [was] in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

  • Psalms 137:8

    O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy [shall he be], that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

  • Psalms 137:9

    Happy [shall he be], that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

  • Joshua 11:14

    And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.
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