Israel Sins at Peor
Study note
The Israelites were camped at Shittim, near the plains of Moab, just before entering the Promised Land. Some of the men began relationships with Moabite women, who invited them to worship their false god, Baal of Peor. Bowing to a foreign god was a serious sin because Israel had promised to worship only the Lord. God's anger burned against them, and he ordered the guilty leaders to be publicly executed as an example.
1 Israel was camped at Shittim. The Israelite men began sleeping with Moabite women. And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
2 These women invited the Israelites to come along to sacrifices for their gods. The Israelites ate the food offered to idols and bowed down to worship those foreign gods. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
3 In this way, Israel attached themselves to the false god Baal of Peor. The Lord became extremely angry with Israel. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
4 The Lord told Moses, "Round up all the guilty leaders and execute them out in the open, in broad daylight, before the Lord. Then my fierce anger will turn away from Israel." 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 Moses told the judges of Israel. "Each of you must put to death the men under you. Kill those who took part in worshiping Baal of Peor." And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.
Phinehas Stops the Plague
Study note
While the whole community was weeping at the entrance of the tabernacle because of the plague, an Israelite man boldly brought a Midianite woman into the camp. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron the high priest, saw this and took immediate action. His zeal for God's honor stopped the plague, but not before 24,000 people had already died.
6 Then, the whole group was weeping at the tent of meeting entrance. An Israelite man boldly brought a Midianite woman to his family. He did this before Moses and everyone. 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 When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, saw what was happening, he jumped up from the crowd and grabbed a spear. 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 He followed the Israelite man into his tent and drove the spear through both of them -- the man and the woman. Immediately, the plague that had been killing Israelites stopped. 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 By then, 24,000 people had already died from the plague. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
God's Covenant with Phinehas
Study note
God praised Phinehas for his courage and gave him a special promise called a covenant of peace. This meant that Phinehas and his descendants would serve as priests forever. The names of the guilty man and woman are recorded: Zimri, a leader from the tribe of Simeon, and Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite chief.
10 The Lord told Moses, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, grandson of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. His passion for my honor matched my own. Because of his zeal, I did not wipe out all of Israel in my jealous anger." 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 "So announce to him that I am giving him my covenant of peace." Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
13 "He and his children will hold the covenant of a lasting priesthood. He was on fire for his God. He made things right between God and the people of Israel." 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 The Israelite man who was killed along with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu. He was a leader from the tribe of Simeon. 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 The Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi, daughter of Zur. Zur was a clan chief and leader of an important Midianite family. 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.
God Commands Action Against Midian
Study note
God told Moses that the Midianites had deliberately tricked Israel into sinning through the incident at Peor. Because of this deception, God commanded Israel to treat Midian as an enemy. This command would later be carried out in chapter 31.
16 The Lord told Moses, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17 "Attack the Midianites and treat them as enemies." Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
18 "They treated you as enemies first. They tricked you on purpose in the Peor incident. They also tricked you through Cozbi, the Midianite chief's daughter. She was killed on the day the plague broke out because of what happened at Peor." 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.