Numbers 25:8

8 he entered after the man of Israel into the whorehouse, and sticked through both together, that is, the man and the woman, in the places of engendering. And the vengeance ceased from the sons of Israel, (he went into that bawdy house, after the man of Israel, and stuck his sword through both of them together, that is, the man and the woman, in their places of begetting. And so the plague that had attacked the Israelites was stopped,)

Numbers 25:8 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 25:8

And he went after the man of Israel into the tent
Into which he went with his harlot; the word here used is different from what is commonly used for a tent: Aben Ezra observes that in the Kedarene or Arabic language there is a word near to it, which Bochart, putting the article "al" to it, says ^F1, is "alkobba", from whence is the word "alcove" with us; and Aben Ezra says, there was some little difference between the form of a tent and this, as well as others observe ^F2 there was in the matter of it, this being of skins and leather, and the other of hair, boughs of trees the author of Aruch ^F3 says, it was short, or narrow above and broad below, and interprets it a place in which whores were put; and so it is used in the Talmud ^F4 for a brothel house, and is so translated here by some interpreters ^F5:

and thrust both of them through;
with his javelin, spear, or pike;

the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly;
by which, it seems, they were killed in the very act of uncleanness; this was an extraordinary action, done by a person of public authority, and under a more than common emotion of spirit, and not to be drawn into an example by persons of a private character:

so the plague was stayed from the children of Israel;
which had broke out among them and carried off many; even a disease, the pestilence, according to Josephus ^F6; it ceasing upon this fact of Phinehas, shows that that was approved of by the Lord.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 <arabic> "conclave est camerati operis, quo lectus circumdatur", Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 4. c. 8. col. 1092. Vid. Schultens Animadv. Philolog. in Job. p. 183.
F2 Castel. Lex. Heptaglot. col. 3261.
F3 Baal Aruch, fol. 133. 4.
F4 T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 17. 2.
F5 (hbqh la) "in lupanar", V. L. "ad lupanar", Montanus; "in lupanar ipsum", Junius & Tremellius; "in fornicem", Tigurine version.
F6 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 4. c. 6. sect. 12.)

Numbers 25:8 In-Context

6 And lo! one of the sons of Israel entered before his brethren to an whore of Midian, in the sight of Moses, and of all the company of the sons of Israel, which wept before the gates of the tabernacle. (And lo! one of the Israelites brought a woman of Midian into his tent, in the sight of Moses, and all the congregation of the Israelites, who were mourning at the entrance to the Tabernacle.)

7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, had seen this unshamefast doing (had seen this shameful thing), he rose (up) from the midst of the multitude; and when he had taken a sword,

8 he entered after the man of Israel into the whorehouse, and sticked through both together, that is, the man and the woman, in the places of engendering. And the vengeance ceased from the sons of Israel, (he went into that bawdy house, after the man of Israel, and stuck his sword through both of them together, that is, the man and the woman, in their places of begetting. And so the plague that had attacked the Israelites was stopped,)

9 and four and twenty thousand of men were slain. (but by then, twenty-four thousand people had already died.)

10 And the Lord said to Moses,