Numbers 31 24

Numbers 31:24 kjv

And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

Numbers 31:24 nkjv

And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp."

Numbers 31:24 niv

On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp."

Numbers 31:24 esv

You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp."

Numbers 31:24 nlt

On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp."

Numbers 31 verses

Numbers 31 24 Meaning

This verse outlines a crucial divine directive for ritual cleansing following the war with Midian. It instructs the Israelite soldiers and the captive virgin girls, both of whom would have been ritually defiled by contact with death, to undergo a final purification. The command specifically emphasizes this purification on the "seventh day" and stipulates that it must occur "outside the camp." This underscores the profound necessity of separating defilement from the holy Israelite camp, where God’s presence resided, and highlights the transferability of ritual impurity, demanding that even new members of the community adhere to God’s stringent standards of purity.

Numbers 31 24 Context

Numbers chapter 31 records God's command to Israel to execute vengeance upon Midian for their role in the Baal Peor incident (Num 25). After a swift victory, the returning Israelite army is met by Moses, Eleazar, and the tribal leaders. Moses rebukes them for sparing the Midianite women who had caused Israel to sin and commands them to execute all non-virgin Midianite females and all male children. Following this, Moses outlines the purification protocols. Numbers 31:19-20 gives the initial command for the soldiers and specific items (garments, leather, wood, etc.) to undergo purification over seven days, specifically mentioning purification on the third and seventh day for people. Verse 31:21-23 provides instructions for purifying metallic spoils by fire and water. Verse 24, therefore, serves as a direct, specific directive reaffirming the requirement for both the soldiers and their virgin captives to complete their ritual cleansing, emphasizing the final "seventh day" and the necessary location "outside the camp" due to the intense defilement incurred through battle and contact with the dead. This command ensures the holiness of the Israelite camp remains untarnished by the impurities of war.

Numbers 31 24 Word analysis

• "And" (וְ / ve-): A simple conjunction. It signifies a continuation of instructions, linking this specific purification command to the preceding details about the Midianite spoils and the initial purification given in verse 19.
• "ye" (אַתֶּם / attem): This is a masculine plural pronoun, directly addressing the Israelite men who returned from battle. The repetition of the pronoun emphasizes personal responsibility and direct accountability for undergoing the specified purification.
• "shall purify yourselves" (תִּתְחַטָּאוּ / titkhatau): Derived from the root חָטָא (ḥaṭa), meaning "to miss the mark" or "to sin," in the Hithpael stem this verb specifically denotes a reflexive action of ceremonial purification. It means "to cleanse oneself from sin" or "to de-sin oneself" ritually. This cleansing is not necessarily moral but ceremonial, necessitated by contact with the dead, which caused profound ritual impurity in Israel. This ritual washing often involved the water of purification prepared from the ashes of a red heifer (Num 19).
• "on the seventh day" (בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי / bayyom hashshĕvî'î): This specifies the timing of the purification. The seventh day marks the completion of the required seven-day period for handling major defilement (e.g., corpse defilement, Num 19:11). It highlights a thorough, completed purification cycle before re-entry into full communal and worship life. This period is critical for achieving a state of complete ritual cleanness, symbolizing completion and restoration of holiness, much like the Sabbath principle.
• "ye and your captives" (אַתֶּם וּשְׁבִיכֶם / attem ushvîkhem):
  • "ye" (אַתֶּם / attem): Reiterates the soldiers.
  • "and your captives" (וּשְׁבִיכֶם / ushvîkhem): Refers to the virgin Midianite girls who were spared (Num 31:18). This demonstrates that ritual purity applied not only to native Israelites but also to foreigners being incorporated into the community, underscoring that defilement was transferable and the strict demands of God's holiness applied universally within His covenant space. This implies their adoption into the communal life would necessitate conformity to Israel's purity laws.
• "outside your camp" (מִחוּץ לְמַחֲנֶה / mîkhutz l'maḥăneh): This specifies the required location for purification. The Israelite camp was considered holy due to God's presence (Deut 23:14). Anything ritually impure, especially those defiled by death, had to be dealt with away from the sacred precinct to prevent contamination. This maintained the camp's sanctity and honored God's dwelling place. It reinforces the concept of physical and ritual separation between the sacred and profane.

Words-group analysis

• "And ye shall purify yourselves... outside your camp": This complete phrase forms a divine injunction emphasizing immediate action (implied by the future tense as a command), personal responsibility, the strict location requirement, and the ultimate purpose: maintaining the sanctity of God's dwelling place. The action is mandatory, comprehensive, and externally visible.
• "ye and your captives": This pairing underscores the inclusive nature of defilement and purification. The impurity acquired through the Midianite war was not confined to the Israelite soldiers but extended to the non-Israelite captives who were brought back. This highlights the absolute nature of the purity laws within the communal sphere; all who entered or were present within the sacred camp must conform to its standards. It points to a communal obligation for spiritual integrity before God.

Numbers 31 24 Bonus section

• Typology to Christ's Suffering Outside the Gate: The command to purify "outside the camp" resonates typologically with Christ's sacrifice "outside the gate" of Jerusalem (Heb 13:11-13). Just as the Old Testament sacrifices for sin and the defiled persons were taken outside the clean boundaries to bear away impurity, Christ bore the defilement of our sin outside the spiritual camp of humanity, offering a once-for-all purification for those within.
• Redemptive Grace Amidst Judgment: While the chapter describes a severe judgment on Midian, God's immediate provision for purification after the war demonstrates His faithfulness in providing means for His people to remain in communion with Him, even amidst necessary, yet defiling, acts. This balances divine judgment with redemptive care through prescribed means.
• The Universality of Purity for Those Joining God's People: The inclusion of "your captives" signifies that even non-Israelites, when incorporated into Israelite society (even by force, as in war captives), were immediately brought under the strictures of Israel's ritual laws concerning purity. This principle lays a foundation for later inclusiveness where foreigners could genuinely join Israel (e.g., proselytes) but had to adhere to the covenant's standards of holiness.
• Holiness as an Ever-Present Concern: This instruction is not merely a legalistic ritual but a spiritual discipline designed to continually remind Israel of God's inherent holiness and their own fallen nature. It cultivated a constant awareness of God's awesome presence and the meticulousness required to serve Him.

Numbers 31 24 Commentary

Numbers 31:24 provides a critical post-war instruction reflecting deep theological principles within the Mosaic covenant. The command for purification on the seventh day and "outside the camp" for both the Israelite soldiers and their Midianite captives stems from the profound understanding of God's holiness and the contagious nature of ritual defilement, particularly from death. Warfare, being inherently associated with death, rendered the participants and their immediate effects ritually unclean. The meticulous, seven-day purification process, culminating "outside the camp," underscored the strict necessity of removing every taint of impurity before drawing near to the divine presence. The specific mention of captives reinforces that God's standards of purity transcended ethnic boundaries for anyone within His holy space. This verse encapsulates the overarching theme of God dwelling amidst His people only when they maintain separation from the world's defilements, thus foreshadowing the ultimate and complete cleansing from sin provided by Christ, which allows humanity to truly dwell in God's presence. It highlights that even in divinely commanded actions, adherence to ritual and spiritual integrity remains paramount for a holy God.