Numbers — Chapter 25
While Israel was staying at Shittim, the peopleathe people Or certain men among them, regarded as informally representing the people. profaned themselves by whoringbby whoring I.e., by acting faithlessly. Or “by consorting.” In contrast to others “by having sexual relations.” with the Moabite women,
who invited the people to the sacrifices for their god. The people partook of them and worshiped that god.
Thus Israel attached itself to Baal-peor, and GOD was incensed with Israel.
GOD said to Moses, “Take all the ringleaderscringleaders Lit. “heads of the people.” and have them publiclydpublicly Lit. “facing the sun.” impaled before GOD, so that GOD’s wrath may turn away from Israel.”
So Moses said to Israel’s officials, “Each of you slay those of your meneyour men I.e., those under your command when the militia is mustered. who attached themselves to Baal-peor.”
Just then a certain Israelite man came and brought a Midianite woman over to his companions, in the sight of Moses and of the whole Israelite community who were weeping at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
When Phinehas, son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he left the assembly and, taking a spear in his hand,
he followed the Israelite man into the chamber and stabbed both of them, the Israelite man and the woman, through the belly. Then the plague against the Israelites was checked.
Those who died of the plague numbered twenty-four thousand.
GOD spoke to Moses, saying,
“Phinehas, son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites by displaying among them his passion for Me, so that I did not wipe out the Israelite people in My passion.
Say, therefore, ‘I grant him My pact of friendship.
It shall be for him and his descendants after him a pact of priesthood for all time, because he took impassioned action for his God, thus making expiation for the Israelites.’”
The name of the Israelite man who was killed, the one who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, chieftain of a Simeonite ancestral house.
The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur; he was the tribal head of an ancestral house in Midian.
GOD spoke to Moses, saying,
“Assail the Midianites and defeat them—
for they assailed you by the trickery they practiced against you—because of the affair of Peor and because of the affair of their kinswoman Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite chieftain, who was killed at the time of the plague on account of Peor.”