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Numbers 25

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The Sin at Baal-peor 1–5

1
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. ​
2
And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. ​
3
And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. ​
4
And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. ​
5
And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

Phinehas Executes Judgment 6–9

6
And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. ​
7
And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; ​
8
And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. ​
9
And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. ​

Phinehas Rewarded with Priesthood 10–15

10
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. ​
12
Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: ​
13
And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. ​
14
Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. ​
15
And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian. ​

Command to Attack Midian 16–18

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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17
Vex the Midianites, and smite them: ​
18
For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Numbers 25

Verse 1

Shittim — Abel-shittim, 'in the plains of Moab' (Num 33:49), where Joshua's spies later set out (Josh 2:1). 'Commit whoredom' is zanah, which the next verses show to be idolatry as well as immorality. Rev 2:14 names its source: Balaam 'taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel… to commit fornication'.

Verse 2

the sacrifices of their gods — The danger the LORD had set out at Sinai: 'lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice' (Ex 34:15). 'Bowed down' is shachah, to worship. Paul says such sacrifices are offered 'to devils, and not to God' (1 Cor 10:20).

Verse 3

joined himself unto Baalpeor — Tsamad, to link or fasten, as the Psalm repeats: 'They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead' (Ps 106:28). Baalpeor is 'lord of Peor', the name of the height Balak chose in Num 23:28. Hosea says Israel 'went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame' (Hos 9:10).

Verse 4

hang them up before the LORD — 'Hang up' is yaqa, the word used of the sons of Saul hanged 'unto the LORD' (2 Sam 21:6). The purpose is stated: 'that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away'. The verb of turning, shub, is the same one used when the wrath is turned away in v.11. The judges receive the order to slay in v.5.

Verse 6

in the sight of Moses — The man brought a Midianitish woman 'in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation', while Israel was 'weeping before the door of the tabernacle'. Moab had already spoken to 'the elders of Midian' about Israel (Num 22:4). The woman is named in v.15 and the man in v.14.

Verse 7

Phinehas — Son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron (Ex 6:25). 'Javelin' is romach, a spear. He 'rose up from among the congregation' to act. Ps 106:30 gives the sequel: 'Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.'

Verse 8

thrust both of them through — 'Tent' (qubbah) and 'belly' (qobah) occur only in this verse. 'The plague was stayed' (atsar) is the phrase that closed the plague after Korah's rebellion, when Aaron 'stood between the dead and the living' (Num 16:48) and after David's altar (2 Sam 24:25).

Verse 9

twenty and four thousand — Paul says of Israel's fornication that 'some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand' (1 Cor 10:8), which may be the part of the total that fell in a single day. Moses recalls it: 'all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you' (Deut 4:3).

Verse 11

zealous for my sake — The verb qanah is from the same root as 'jealousy' (qinah) in this verse: Phinehas shared the LORD's own jealousy, and so the LORD 'consumed not' Israel. The psalmist says it 'was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore' (Ps 106:31).

Verse 12

my covenant of peace — A gift from the LORD: 'Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace.' Ezek 34:25 uses 'a covenant of peace' of the LORD's promise to his flock, and Isa 54:10 'the covenant of my peace'. Malachi speaks of 'my covenant… with Levi' (Mal 2:4), 'of life and peace' (Mal 2:5).

Verse 13

an everlasting priesthood — Olam, for ever, with kehunnah, priesthood; the reason given is that he 'made an atonement' (kaphar) for Israel. Phinehas is still ministering generations later: 'Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days' (Judg 20:28). 1 Chr 6:4 continues the line: 'Eleazar begat Phinehas'.

Verse 14

Zimri, the son of Salu — The man who was slain is named and given his standing, 'a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites'. Simeon was numbered 'fifty and nine thousand and three hundred' in the first census (Num 1:23) and 'twenty and two thousand and two hundred' in the census after the plague (Num 26:14).

Verse 15

Cozbi, the daughter of Zur — Zur was 'head over a people' (ummah) and 'of a chief house in Midian'. He is among the five kings of Midian slain in Num 31:8: 'Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba'. The woman is named again in v.18 as 'the daughter of a prince of Midian'.

Verse 17

Vex the Midianites — Tsarar, to treat as an adversary. The command is carried out in Num 31, where the LORD says to Moses, 'Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites' (Num 31:2) and Moses tells the people to 'avenge the LORD of Midian' (Num 31:3).

Verse 18

they vex you with their wiles — The same verb, tsarar, as in v.17, so the order and its reason are joined. 'Wiles' (nekel) are schemes, and 'beguiled' (nakal) is the verb of the same root. Num 31:16 names the instrument: 'through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor'.