And Israel abode in Shittim
A place in the plains of Moab, so called from the shittim wood,
which grew here in great abundance, so often mentioned in the
building of the tabernacle; which was a sort of white thorn, or
rather the acacia tree, since there was scarcely any thing else
grew in the deserts of Arabia, (See Gill on Exodus
25:5) its full name was Abelshittim, ( Numbers
33:49 ) , here the Israelites abode even to the death of
Moses, for this was their last station in the wilderness; they
were now on the borders of the land of Canaan, and just ready to
enter into it, which is an aggravation of the sins they here fell
into, and are next observed:
and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters
of Moab;
and of Midian also, as appears from ( Numbers 25:6
) ( Numbers
31:9 Numbers
31:16 ) by the advice of Balaam, the Moabites and Midianites
found ways and means to become familiar with the Israelites, and
to introduce their daughters into their company and conversation,
and being ensnared and enamoured with them, they were drawn to
commit lewdness with them, and hereby were led on to commit other
abominations, which brought the divine displeasure upon them; so
that what they dared not attempt by war, and could not effect by
sorceries and divinations, they accomplished by those iniquitous
arts, namely, bringing the wrath, the curse, and plague of God
upon them.