Let’s not forget this little tidbit from the Bible—Numbers 31. It's not something you’re likely to hear in Sunday school, but it’s there in black and white. After a battle with the Midianites, Moses—speaking on behalf of God—gives a brutal and deeply unsettling command:
“Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.” (Numbers 31:17–18, KJV)
Yes, you read that right. They were told to kill all the boys and all the non-virgin women, and to keep the virgin girls for themselves.
What follows is a detailed account of how the spoils of war were divided—livestock, gold, and yes, people. The spared girls were counted along with the other plunder and divvied up between the soldiers, the community, and the priestly class.
This was all framed as a divinely sanctioned act of vengeance against the Midianites, who had previously “led Israel astray” through a mix of idol worship and sexual seduction (see Numbers 25). That incident resulted in a plague that killed 24,000 Israelites, and this war was framed as payback.
It’s important to understand this didn’t come from rogue warriors acting on their own—this was commanded by Moses, who was said to be acting under direct instruction from God.
This part of the Bible is often glossed over because it’s so hard to reconcile with the image of a loving, just, and merciful God. But it’s there, and we have to wrestle with it.
Some people say, “Well, that was just the culture back then,” and yes, it was a brutal, patriarchal time. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is presented as divinely ordained. Others argue that this shows why we need Jesus—because without him, the Old Testament world is pretty grim. Still, others just avoid this chapter altogether because it's too difficult to justify.
But if you’ve ever wondered how myths, distortions, or selective storytelling shape what we believe—this is a good example to stop and think. Not everything in the Bible is inspirational. Some of it is deeply disturbing. And if we're going to be honest with ourselves and others, we can't cherry-pick the feel-good parts and pretend things like Numbers 31 never happened.
If you're going to believe something, you should at least know what it really says.