Numbers 25

Baal Worship at Peor

1 While Israel lived in e Shittim, f the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 g These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses, h "Take all the chiefs of the people and i hang 1 them in the sun before the Lord, j that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel." 5 And Moses said to k the judges of Israel, l "Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor."

6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were m weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 n When Phinehas o the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, p those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

The Zeal of Phinehas

10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he q was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in r my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, s 'Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to t his descendants after him the covenant of u a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.'"

14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of v Zur, who was the tribal head of a father's house in Midian.

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 w "Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their x wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of y Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor."

  1. Cross References
    Numbers 33:49
    They camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.
    Joshua 2:1
    And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
    Joshua 3:1
    Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
    Micah 6:5
    O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.
  2. Cross References
    Numbers 31:16
    Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 34:15 - 16
    Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice.
    Joshua 22:17
    Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the Lord.
    Psalms 106:28
    Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
    Hosea 9:10
    Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved.
    1 Corinthians 10:20
    No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
  4. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 4:3
    Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, for the Lord your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor.
  5. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 21:23
    His body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
    2 Samuel 21:6
    Let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord." And the king said, "I will give them.
    Galatians 3:13
    Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree" -
  6. Cross References
    Numbers 25:11
    Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
    Deuteronomy 13:17
    None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers.
  7. Cross References
    Numbers 11:16
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.
    Exodus 18:21
    Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
    Exodus 18:25
    Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 32:27
    And he said to them, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.'
  9. Cross References
    Joel 2:17
    Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'
  10. Cross References
    Psalms 106:30
    Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed.
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 6:25
    Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their clans.
  12. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 4:3
    Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, for the Lord your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor.
    1 Corinthians 10:8
    We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.
  13. Cross References
    2 Corinthians 11:2
    For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
  14. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:16
    They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;...
    Deuteronomy 32:21
    They have made me jealous with what is no god; ...
    1 Kings 14:22
    And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the...
    Psalms 78:58
    For they provoked him to anger with their high ...
    Zephaniah 1:18
    Neither their silver nor their gold shall be ab...
    Zephaniah 3:8
    Therefore wait for me," declares the Lord, "for...
    1 Corinthians 10:22
    Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we s...
    Exodus 20:5
    You shall not bow down to them or serve them, f...
  15. Cross References
    Malachi 2:4 - 5
    So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts.
  16. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 6:4 - 15
    Eleazar fathered Phinehas, Phinehas fathered Abishua.
  17. Cross References
    Exodus 40:15
    And anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.
  18. Cross References
    Numbers 31:8
    They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.
    Joshua 13:21
    That is, all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.
  19. Cross References
    Numbers 31:2
    "Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."
    Numbers 31:7
    They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male.
  20. Cross References
    Numbers 31:16
    Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.
    Revelation 2:14
    But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.
  21. Cross References
    Numbers 23:28
    So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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