Numbers 25

Israel Worships Baal

1 While Israel was staying in Acacia Grove,^{[a] [b]} the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab.

2 The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods.^[c]

3 So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor,^[d] and the Lord's anger burned against Israel.^[e]

4 The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute^[f] them in broad daylight before the Lord so that His burning anger may turn away from Israel."

5 So Moses told Israel's judges, "Kill each of the men who aligned themselves with Baal of Peor."

Phinehas Intervenes

6 An Israelite man came bringing a Midianite woman to his relatives in the sight of Moses and the whole Israelite community while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw [this], he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,

8 followed the Israelite man into the tent,^[g] and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman-through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped,

9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.^[h]

10 The Lord spoke to Moses,

11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with My zeal,^{[i] [j]} so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal.

12 Therefore declare: I grant him My covenant of peace.^[k]

13 It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his descendants,^[l] because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites."

14 The name of the slain Israelite man, who was struck dead with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite ancestral house.

15 The name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal head of an ancestral house in Midian.

Vengeance against the Midianites

16 The Lord told Moses:

17 "Attack the Midianites and strike them dead.

18 For they attacked you with the treachery that they used against you in the Peor incident. They did the same in the case involving their sister Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite leader who was killed the day the plague came at Peor."

Numbers 25 Commentary

Chapter 25

The Israelites enticed by the daughters of Moab and Midian. (1-5) Phinehas puts Zimri and Cozbi to death. (6-15) The Midianites to be punished. (16-18)

Verses 1-5 The friendship of the wicked is more dangerous than their enmity; for none can prevail against God's people if they are not overcome by their inbred lusts; nor can any enchantment hurt them, but the enticements of worldly interests and pleasures. Here is the sin of Israel, to which they are enticed by the daughters of Moab and Midian. Those are our worst enemies who draw us to sin, for that is the greatest mischief any man can do us. Israel's sin did that which all Balaam's enchantments could not do; it set God against them. Diseases are the fruits of God's anger, and the just punishments of prevailing sins; one infection follows the other. Ringleaders in sin ought to be made examples of justice.

Verses 6-15 Phinehas, in the courage of zeal and faith, executed vengeance on Zimri and Cozbi. This act can never be an example for private revenge, or religious persecution, or for irregular public vengeance.

Verses 16-18 We read not that any Midianites died of the plague; God punished them with the sword of an enemy, not with the rod of a father. We must set ourselves against whatever is an occasion of sin to us, ( matthew 5:29 matthew 5:30 ) . Whatever draws us to sin, should be a vexation to us, as a thorn in the flesh. And none will be more surely and severely punished than those who, after Satan's example, and with his subtlety, tempt others to sin.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or in Shittim
• [b]. Nm 33:49; Jos 2:1; 3:1; Mc 6:5
• [c]. Ex 34:15-16; 1 Co 10:8; Rv 2:14
• [d]. Nm 23:28
• [e]. Dt 4:3; Ps 106:28-29; Hs 9:10
• [f]. Or impale, or hang, or expose; Hb obscure
• [g]. Perhaps a tent shrine or bridal tent
• [h]. 1 Co 10:8
• [i]. Or jealousy
• [j]. Ex 34:14; Zch 8:2
• [k]. Isa 54:10; Ezk 34:25; 37:26; Mal 2:5
• [l]. Ex 40:15; Ps 106:30-31

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 25

The contents of this chapter are, the sin of the people of Israel, their whoredom and idolatry, Nu 25:1-3, their punishment for it, multitudes being slain, Nu 25:4,5, whose number is given, Nu 25:9, the zeal of Phinehas in slaying two notorious offenders, Nu 25:6-8, whose names are observed, Nu 25:14,15 for which he is commended, and the covenant of priesthood was given and confirmed unto him, Nu 25:10-13, and the chapter is concluded with an order to vex the Midianites, for vexing Israel with their wiles, Nu 25:16-18.