Arcana Coelestia # 4117
4117. 'And he set his face towards mount Gilead' means good within it. This is clear from the meaning of 'mount' as the celestial element of love, which is good, dealt with in 795, 1430, to which the good meant by 'Jacob' was joined - 'Gilead' meaning the essential nature of it. Since the river was the boundary and, as has been stated, meant the first phase of the joining together, 'mount Gilead', which lay in this part away from the Jordan, means the good involved in that first stage of the joining together.
[2] The land of Gilead where the mountain was situated lay within the confines of the land of Canaan understood in a wide sense. It was situated on this side of the Jordan, and was granted as an inheritance to the Reubenites and the Gadites, and in particular to the half-tribe of Manasseh. And since the inheritances stretched out that far, it is said that it was situated within the confines of the land of Canaan understood in a wide sense. The fact that this territory was granted as an inheritance to those tribes is clear in Moses, Numbers 32:1, 26-41; Deuteronomy 3:8, 10-16; Joshua 13:24-31. For this reason when the land of Canaan was envisaged in its entirety it was said to stretch from Gilead even to Dan, and in another sense from Beersheba even to Dan, for Dan also was a boundary, 1710, 3923. Regarding its stretching from Beersheba even to Dan, see 2858, 2859; and reference to its doing so from Gilead to Dan occurs in Moses,
Moses went up from the plains of Moab onto mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is in the direction of Jericho. There Jehovah showed him the whole land, Gilead even to Dan. Deuteronomy 34:1.
And in the Book of Judges,
Gilead dwelling at the crossing of the Jordan; and Dan, why will he fear ships? Judges 5:17.
[3] Because it was a boundary, 'Gilead' in the spiritual sense means the good that comes first, which is that of the bodily senses, for it is the good or delight of the senses that a person who is being regenerated is introduced into first of all. This is the sense in which 'Gilead' is taken in the Prophets, as in Jeremiah 8:22; 22:6; 46:11; 50:19; Ezekiel 47:18; Obad. verse 19; Micah 7:14; Zechariah 10:10; Psalms 60:7; and in the contrary sense, in Hosea 6:8; 12:11.
Numbers 31
1
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2
"Avenge the children of Israel for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."
3
Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh's vengeance on Midian.
4
Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war."
5
So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6
Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
7
They warred against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses; and they killed every male.
8
They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the sword.
9
The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their livestock, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.
10
All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.
11
They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal.
12
They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.
13
Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp.
14
Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.
15
Moses said to them, "Have you saved all the women alive?
16
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh.
17
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
18
But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19
"Encamp outside of the camp seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives.
20
As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves."
21
Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses:
22
however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23
everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.
24
You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp."
25
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
26
"Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the congregation;
27
and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.
28
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 cattle, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks:
29
take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh's wave offering.
30
Of the children of Israel's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, [even] of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of the tabernacle of Yahweh."
31
Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.
32
Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,
33
and seventy-two thousand head of cattle,
34
and sixty-one thousand donkeys,
35
and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.
36
The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:
37
and Yahweh's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.
38
The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which Yahweh's tribute was seventy-two.
39
The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which Yahweh's tribute was sixty-one.
40
The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh's tribute was thirty-two persons.
41
Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh's wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
42
Of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men who warred
43
(now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
44
and thirty-six thousand head of cattle,
45
and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,
46
and sixteen thousand persons),
47
even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the tabernacle of Yahweh; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
48
The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses;
49
and they said to Moses, "Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us.
50
We have brought Yahweh's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh."
51
Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all worked jewels.
52
All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.
53
([For] the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.)
54
Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh.
