Numbers Chapter 25 — The Incident at Peor
Israel falls into idolatry and immorality with the Moabites and Midianites, leading to a deadly plague that is stopped by the intervention of Phinehas.
1Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab;
2for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods.
3Israel joined himself to Baal Peor, and the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.
4The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to the LORD before the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.”
5Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Everyone kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor.”
6Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
7When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the middle of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand.
8He went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.
9Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
11“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace.
13It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”
14Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers’ house among the Simeonites.
15The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur. He was head of the people of a fathers’ house in Midian.
16The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
17“Harass the Midianites, and strike them;
18for they harassed you with their wiles, wherein they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the incident regarding Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Numbers 25:3
“Israel joined himself to Baal Peor, and the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.”
This verse establishes the central conflict of the chapter: Israel's shift from worshipping God to idolatry.
Numbers 25:12
“Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace.’”
This marks God's reward to Phinehas for his actions in restoring holiness to the camp.
Chapter Summary
While staying at Shittim, the Israelites begin to worship the gods of Moab, specifically joining themselves to Baal Peor. This betrayal provokes the Lord's anger, resulting in a devastating plague and a command for Moses to execute the leaders involved. The situation escalates when Zimri, a Simeonite prince, openly brings a Midianite woman named Cozbi into the camp in the sight of the grieving congregation. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, intervenes by following the couple and killing them with a spear, which immediately halts the plague. A total of 24,000 people die in the outbreak. In response to his zeal, God grants Phinehas a covenant of peace and an everlasting priesthood for his descendants. The chapter concludes with God commanding Israel to strike the Midianites for their role in the deception at Peor and the tragedy that followed.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Israelites committed idolatry by worshipping the Moabite god Baal and participating in sacrificial meals and immoral behavior with Moabite and Midianite women.
According to the text, 24,000 Israelites died as a result of the plague brought about by their idolatry at Peor.
Phinehas was the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron the priest. He is noted for stopping the plague by executing an Israelite man and a Midianite woman who were defying the Lord's commands.
Study Note
The location Shittim, where these events occurred, was the Israelites' final campsite before they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land.
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