Numbers 25:1-18 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

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Numbers 25. In this chapter fragments of two distinct narratives have been united. In the first (from JE), the Israelites sin with Moabite women, and the sin is punished by the judicial execution of the offenders. In the second (from P), the sin is committed with Midianite women, and is avenged by a plague. The first fragment lacks a conclusion, the second its beginning.

Numbers 25:1-5. (JE). Immorality with Moabite Women at Shittim. This was followed by participation in the idolatrous worship of the Moabite god Chemosh (Numbers 21:29), who was styled (Numbers 25:3 mg.) the Baal (or lord) of Peor (just as there was a Baal of Hermon, and a Baal of Lebanon). The carrying out of Moses'sentence (Numbers 25:5) is not recorded.

Numbers 25:6-18. (P). The Slaying of Zimri and Cozbi by Phinehas. This narrative begins abruptly; but it must be assumed that the people were suffering under, and bewailing (Numbers 25:6), a plague (Numbers 25:8) inflicted for intercourse or intermarriage with Midianite women, who had seduced the Israelites at the suggestion of Balaam (Numbers 31:16). Zimri aggravated his offence by bringing a Midianitess into the Israelite camp instead of visiting her at her own home. The story of Phinehas-' zeal in slaying the offenders is designed to support the exclusive claim to the priesthood of the descendants of Zadok (cf. Ezekiel 44:15 f.*), who traced their descent from Phinehas (1 Chronicles 6:1-15).

Numbers 25:9. twenty and four thousand. Paul, who alludes to the incident in 1 Corinthians 10:8, gives the number as three and twenty thousand (perhaps by a lapse of memory).

Numbers 25:11. he was jealous ... jealousy: i.e. his resentment adequately expressed the Divine resentment.

Numbers 25:12. covenant: here used with the meaning of promise, not compact (cf. Genesis 9:9; Genesis 9:11; Genesis 9:16; Jeremiah 31:31 f.).

Numbers 25:15. head of the people of: better, head of the clans of.

Numbers 25:18. the matter of Peor: the editor confuses the two distinct stories contained in Numbers 25:1-5 and Numbers 25:6-15; cf. Psalms 106:28-31.

Related Commentaries of Numbers 25:1

Numbers 25:1-18

1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

4 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 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

6 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 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 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 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

11 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 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:

13 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 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 chiefa house among the Simeonites.

15 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.

16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them:

18 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.