Numbers 25

The Plague of Israel

1 When Israel dwelled in Shittim, the people began to prostitute [themselves] with the daughters of Moab.

2 And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods.

3 So Israel was joined together to Baal Peor, and {Yahweh became angry} with Israel.

4 Yahweh said to Moses, "Take all {the leaders} of the people and kill them before the sun, so the fierce anger of Yahweh will turn from Israel."

5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each [of you] kill his men who are joined together with Baal Peor."

6 And behold, a man from the {Israelites} came and brought to his brothers [a] Midianite woman before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all of the community of the {Israelites}, and they [were] weeping [at] the doorway of the tent of assembly.

7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest saw, he got up from the midst of the community and took a spear in his hand.

8 He went after the man of Israel into the woman's section of the tent, and he drove the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, into her belly. And the plague among the {Israelites} stopped.

9 The ones who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, turned away my anger from among the {Israelites} when he was jealous with my jealousy in their midst, and I did not destroy the {Israelites} with my jealousy.

12 Therefore say, 'Behold, I [am] giving to him my covenant of peace,

13 and it will be for him and his {offspring} after him a covenant of an eternal priesthood because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the {Israelites}.'"

14 The name of the man of Israel who was struck with the Midianite woman [was] Zimri son of Salu, a leader of {the family} of the Simeonites.

15 The name of the Midianite woman who was struck [was] Cozbi daughter of Zur, {a leader} of [a] tribe of {the family} in Midian.

16 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

17 "Attack the Midianites and strike them

18 because they [were] attacking you with their deception, [with] which they have deceived you on the matter of Peor and on the matter of Cozbi the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was struck on the day of the plague because of the matter of 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 "have sexual relations"
• [b]. Literally "the nose of Yahweh became hot"
• [c]. Literally "the heads"
• [d]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [e]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [f]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [g]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [h]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [i]. Literally "seed"
• [j]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [k]. Or "the father's house" or "the ancestor's house"
• [l]. Hebrew "Simeonite"
• [m]. Literally "a head"
• [n]. Or "the father's house" or "the ancestor's house"

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.