John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 8. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain , etc.] Besides the males of the common people, they slew their kings, who were petty kings or princes, perhaps under the king of Moab, or had reassumed their titles and government after the death of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who, in his time, were called dukes of Sihon, ( Joshua 13:21), namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian ; the Targum of Jonathan says of Zur, this is Balak, which is not probable; it is more likely, what Aben Ezra observes, that he was the father of Cosbi, whom Phinehas slew, ( Numbers 25:15). Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with the sword ; so that he died not a natural death, but a violent one, not such an one as he desired, the death of the righteous, but of bloody and deceitful men, who do not live out half their days; for if the Jewish writers are to be credited, he was but thirty four years of age when he was slain, which is not quite half the age of man, that being seventy, ( Psalm 90:10), it appears by this that he was among the Midianites at the time of this war; either he stayed here till this time, when he went from Balak with an intention to go into his own country; or he had returned hither, being either sent for, by the princes of Midian, on this occasion; or, as some say, as Aben Ezra observes, that he came to Midian after he returned to his place, on hearing the plague that came upon Israel through his counsel, to receive the money of the elders of Midian for it; and so Chaskuni.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-12 - The Israelites slew the Kings of Midian. They slew Balaam. God' overruling providence brought him thither, and their just vengeanc found him. Had he himself rightly believed what he had said of the happy state of Israel, he would not have thus herded with the enemie of Israel. The Midianites' wicked wiles were Balaam's projects: it wa just that he should perish with them, Ho 4:5. They took the women an children captives. They burnt their cities and castles, and returned to the camp.
Original Hebrew ואת853 מלכי4428 מדין4080 הרגו2026 על5921 חלליהם2491 את853 אוי189 ואת853 רקם7552 ואת853 צור6698 ואת853 חור2354 ואת853 רבע7254 חמשׁת2568 מלכי4428 מדין4080 ואת853 בלעם1109 בן1121 בעור1160 הרגו2026 בחרב׃2719
