Bible Commentaries

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

(a) With the women.

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

(b) Worshipped the idol of the Moabites, which was in the hill Peor.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD ^c against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.

(c) Openly in the sight of all.

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

(d) Let him execute those that are under his charge.

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, ^e who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

(e) Repenting that they had offended God.

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he ^f was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

(f) He was zealous to maintain my glory.

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 ^g atonement for the children of Israel.

(g) He has pacified God's wrath.

For they vex you with their ^h 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.

(h) Causing you to commit both corporal and spiritual fornication by Balaam's counsel, (Numbers 31:16) ; (Revelation 2:14).