Numbers 25 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
c. 1406 BC, during the final year of the 40-year wilderness wanderings after the Exodus
Location
Shittim (Acacia Grove) in the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho
Audience
The Israelites encamped under Moses' leadership, preparing to enter the Promised Land
Situation
While camped at Shittim, Israelite men engage in sexual immorality with Moabite women and join in worshiping Baal of Peor, provoking God's anger and a plague.
Key Background
This incident follows the failed attempts of Moab's king Balak to curse Israel through the prophet Balaam (Numbers 22-24). Moab and Midian plotted to undermine Israel through seduction and idolatry rather than direct confrontation (Numbers 31:16). Phinehas' zeal in executing a blatant offender halts the plague, earning him a covenant of perpetual priesthood.
While was camped at the men started with Moabite women.
These women invited the men to the for their gods. The men ate with them and down to their gods.
So Israel to the of and Yahweh's against Israel.
Yahweh said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and them in before Yahweh, so that Yahweh's will turn away from Israel."
So Moses told Israel's "Each of you must kill the men under your authority who joined themselves to the Baal of Peor."
Right then, while the whole Israelite community was weeping at the entrance of the an Israelite man brought a right in front of Moses and the entire community — in plain sight of everyone.
When son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up from the middle of the community and grabbed a
He followed the Israelite man into the and drove the spear through both of them — through the Israelite man and into the woman's And the that had been hitting Israel stopped.
But those who had already died from the plague numbered
Yahweh said to Moses,
"Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Because he burned with the same that I have for them, I didn't wipe out the Israelites in my
"So announce this: I am giving him my of
"It will be a covenant of for him and his descendants after him, because he was fiercely loyal to his God and for the Israelites."
The name of the Israelite man who was killed — the one killed with the Midianite woman — was Zimri son of Salu, a of a
And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was daughter of Zur. Zur was the of a — one of the leading families in Midian.
Yahweh said to Moses,
the Midianites as and them down,"
"because they treated you as enemies when they you through the and through Cozbi — the daughter of a Midianite leader — the woman who was killed on the day of the plague that came because of