(ii) The Division of the Spoils (Numbers 31:25-54).
This whole passage follows the following pattern.
a The sum of the prey that was taken and the levies commanded (Numbers 31:25-31).
b Division between the men of war, Yahweh (the priests), the people and the Levites (Numbers 31:32-47).
a The sum of the men of war and their freewill gift to the Sanctuary (Numbers 31:48-54)
These sections can then be analysed as follows:
The Sum of The Prey That Was Taken and The Levies which Were To Be Exacted (Numbers 31:25-31).
a Yahweh speaks to Moses. With Eleazar he is to take the sum of the prey which has been captured (Numbers 31:25-26).
b The prey to be divided into two parts between the men who went to war and the remainder of the congregation (Numbers 31:27).
b A levy to be made on the soldiers' share for Yahweh and given to Eleazar the Priest as a contribution offering and a levy to be made on the congregation's share for the Levites who keep the charge of the Dwellingplace (Numbers 31:28-30).
a Moses and Eleazar do as Yahweh commanded (Numbers 31:31).
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
Once more it is emphasised that these were the words of Yahweh to Moses.
‘Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation; and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation.'
The first step with regard to the booty was a division between the men who went to war and the rest of Israel. We learn later that this was an equal division, and the fact that the skilled men of war were specifically distinguished here confirms that they each received the larger portion as a reward for risking their lives in battle.
So Moses, Eleazar and the tribal chieftains were first to assess the amount of the booty, including the young women (‘of man') and were then to divide it into two parts.
‘And levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the oxen, and of the asses, and of the flocks: take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh's heave-offering.'
Then of the share that went to the men of war one individual woman or animal out of every ‘five hundred' (a half flock or five small groups) was to be given to Eleazar the Priest as Yahweh's contribution offering. This would include young women, probably to serve in the outer Sanctuary, although they may have become servants in the priests' households, as well as oxen, asses and flocks.
“Counting” would simply be by setting aside physically and apportioning accordingly. Very few could count. They would assess with the eye in terms of ‘thousands' (flocks), ‘hundreds' (smaller groupings), fifties' (even smaller groupings'), and so on. Number words in those ancient days would have a different significance than they would have later, and would be fluid. The number of flocks may indicate how many men there had been in the Midianite camps (675), each family having a ‘flock' which would not have been large, the number of herds may indicate the number of more wealthy Midianites (72) and so on.
‘And of the children of Israel's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the asses, and of the flocks, even of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites, who keep the charge of the tabernacle of Yahweh.'
And of the share that went to the children of Israel, one out of every smaller group was to be given to the Levites who had the charge of the Sanctuary.
‘And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.'
And Moses and Eleazar did as Yahweh commanded them. They divided up the spoils of war in the way that He had instructed.