במדבר, פרק ל״א, פסוק ט׳

Following the military victory over Midian, the Israelite fighters gathered the spoils of war, collecting captives, animals, and a vast amount of property. The decision to take human captives, specifically the Midianite women and their small children [ביאור שטיינזלץ], presents a profound moral puzzle. These were the very same women who had recently led the Israelites into severe sin, triggering a devastating plague that claimed twenty-four thousand lives. Bringing them back into the camp seemed entirely counterintuitive.

However, the fighters were righteous men who never intended to keep these women alive. Their actual goal was to bring the captives back to the camp for a public execution. By presenting them to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the entire gathered congregation, the soldiers hoped to publicly sanctify God's name and clearly expose those responsible for the recent national tragedy. Unfortunately, this plan to demonstrate their pure intentions quickly unraveled. Moses did not wait to hear their reasoning. Seeing the women alive, he immediately grew angry. This sudden outburst of anger caused Moses to lose his prophetic connection to God, while the stunned soldiers were left completely speechless and unable to explain their true motives [שפתי כהן].

In addition to the human captives, the spoils included a massive number of animals. The captured livestock primarily consisted of standard flocks and herds, such as sheep and cattle. Yet, another distinct category of animals was also taken from the Midianites. One perspective suggests that since the only other animals present in the spoils were donkeys, this secondary category refers specifically to them [אם למקרא]. Another approach offers that this group actually consisted of various wild animals that the Midianites had managed to tame and domesticate [העמק דבר].

Finally, the fighters stripped the enemy of their remaining wealth [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This sweeping collection of property encompassed all the inanimate valuables left behind in the conquest, consisting largely of gold, silver, copper, iron, and clothing [אבן עזרא].