For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. (1 Samuel 30:24)
A definite system for the distribution of spoils was imposed at the time Israel first fought the Midianites. Only a portion of the encampment went forth to war, but immediately after the battle the Lord instructed Moses to divide the booty into two parts, so that the warriors and those remaining with the stuff might share equally; definite amounts were also to be set aside for the Levites and for an offering to the Lord (see Num. 31:25-54). The plan was not always adhered to, but from David’s time on it appeared to be an established ordinance in Israel.