What is the meaning of Numbers 31:20? And purify God’s first word is action: “purify.” After battle, the soldiers had handled corpses and pagan property, so cleansing was mandatory (Numbers 19:11-13). • Purification underscores that the Lord “is holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45) and will not dwell with impurity. • The command extends beyond people to objects, reminding us that sin’s reach is comprehensive. • In Christ, the spiritual counterpart is ongoing: “let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1). • Hebrews 9:13-14 ties Old Testament washings to the fuller cleansing found in Jesus’ blood. Every garment Clothing absorbs uncleanness; therefore “every garment” had to be washed. • Leviticus 15:17 required laundering a garment that touched bodily discharge; the same principle applies here. • Jude 23 urges believers to hate “even the garment stained by the flesh,” a vivid picture drawn from passages like this. • Practically, no corner of life—or wardrobe—lies outside God’s call to holiness. And leather good Leather, fashioned from animal hide, was common in tents, sandals, and containers. • Leviticus 13:48 treated leather items exactly like garments when mildew appeared—another sign that God views materials through a moral lens. • Ezekiel 16:10 recalls the Lord gifting Israel “sandals of fine leather.” Those blessings were to be kept clean for His glory. Everything made of goat’s hair Goat hair formed the sturdy outer curtains of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:7-13), yet even such practical items needed decontamination. • Objects once used for worship could still carry impurity if captured from pagan hands. • The lesson: whatever our calling—whether sacred or ordinary—must pass through God’s cleansing (1 Peter 1:15-16). And every article of wood Wooden tools and vessels were everyday necessities. • Leviticus 15:12 ordered rinsing a “wooden vessel” that became unclean; Numbers 31 applies the same standard to war plunder. • 2 Timothy 2:20 speaks of “articles of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay,” urging believers to become vessels for honor by cleansing themselves. • God leaves no loophole: if it can be contaminated, it must be purified. summary Numbers 31:20 widens the purification net to include every category of material—fabric, leather, goat’s-hair textiles, and wood. The verse teaches that God’s holiness permeates all of life and demands thorough cleansing from anything touched by sin or death. For believers today, the outward washing foreshadows the inward cleansing secured by Christ and applied daily as we yield every part of our lives—no exceptions—to His sanctifying work. |
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