Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 25:3

And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

3. Baal-peor ] i.e. the deity who was considered the Lord of the place Peor. See on Num 23:28. Names of deities consisting of the name Baal with a local attribute are not uncommon in the O.T., and are found on Phoenician inscriptions. Thus there were many Baals ( Balm) in different parts of the country (cf. 1Sa 7:4, Hos 2:17).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Joined himself – i. e., by taking part in the sacrificial meals as described in the last verse. Compare Exo 34:15; 1Co 10:18. The worship of Baal was attended with the grossest impurity, and indeed partly consisted in it Hos 4:14; Hos 9:10.

Baal-peor – i. e., the Baal worshipped at Peer, the place mentioned in Num 23:28 (compare Baal-meon, Num 32:38). (The identification of this god with Chemosh in Num 21:29 is now given up.)

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 3. Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor] The same as the Priapus of the Romans, and worshipped with the same obscene rites as we have frequently had occasion to remark.

The joining to Baal-peor, mentioned here, was probably what St. Paul had in view when he said, 2Co 6:14: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. And this joining, though done even in a matrimonial way, was nevertheless fornication, (see Re 2:14), as no marriage between an Israelite and a Midianite could be legitimate, according to the law of God. See the propositions at the close of the preceding chapter.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Joined himself; the word implies a forsaking of God, to whom they were and should have been joined, and a turning to, embracing of, strict conjunction with, and fervent affection after, this false god. Compare Hos 9:10; 2Co 6:14. Baal-peor, called Baal, by the name common to many false gods, and especially to those that represented any of the heavenly bodies; and Peor, either from the hill Peor, where he was worshipped, Num 23:28, or rather from a verb signifying to open and uncover, either because of the obscene posture in which possibly the idol was set, as Priapus was, or because of the filthiness which was exercised in his worship.

Was kindled, i.e. discovered itself in a dreadful plague, Psa 106:29.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

3. Israel joined himself untoBaal-peorBaal was a general name for “lord,” andPeor for a “mount” in Moab. The real name of the idol wasChemosh, and his rites of worship were celebrated by the grossestobscenity. In participating in this festival, then, the Israelitescommitted the double offense of idolatry and licentiousness.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor,…. The name of an idol; one of the Baals, Baal being a general name for an idol; and, to distinguish this from other Baals or idols, it was called Peor, either from its opening its mouth in prophecy, as Ainsworth; or from some obscene posture and action used in the worship of it, being, as it is by many thought to be, the same with Priapus; or rather from the mountain Peor, where it was worshipped, as Jupiter is called Jupiter Olympius, Capitolinus, c. from the mountains where he had a temple, or was worshipped or from the name of some great personage, called Lord Peor, who was deified after his death; hence these Israelites are said to “eat the sacrifices of the dead”, Ps 106:28. Mr. Bedford t takes him to be Mizraim the son of Ham, the Osiris of the Egyptians, and the Priapus of other Heathens: and Father Calmet u is of opinion that he is the same with Orus, Osiris, and Adonis; and that Pe is only a prepositive article, and that Or is the name, and no other than Orus; but such a criticism the word will not bear: this idol, the chief god of the Moabites, was, in all probability, the same with Chemosh, who is expressly called the abomination of Moab, 1Ki 11:7 of whom

[See comments on Jer 48:7] so Chemosh and Peor are thought to be the same by our English poet w: to him the Israelites joined themselves, forsook the true God in a great measure, and were initiated into the rites of this deity, and constantly attended the worship of it, and cleaved unto it with their hearts and directions, and joined with their harlots in all parts of service performed unto it; [See comments on Ho 9:10],

and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel; for no sin is more provoking to God than idolatry, that being so directly opposite to his nature, honour, and glory, as well as to his will and worship; and hereby the end of Balaam and Balak was, in a great measure, answered, and Balaam obtained that by his evil counsel which he could not by all his conjuring; this was seen by the plague sent among them;

[See comments on Nu 24:14].

t Scripture Chronology, p. 267. u Dictionary, on word “Baal”. w “Next Chemos, the obscene dread of Moab’s sons, Peor his other name, —–” Milton, B. 1. l. 406, 412.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the anger of the Lord burned against the people, so that Jehovah commanded Moses to fetch the heads of the people, i.e., to assemble them together, and to “hang up” the men who had joined themselves to Baal-Peor “before the Lord against the sun,” that the anger of God might turn away from Israel. The burning of the wrath of God, which was to be turned away from the people by the punishment of the guilty, as enjoined upon Moses, consisted, as we may see from Num 25:8, Num 25:9, in a plague inflicted upon the nation, which carried off a great number of the people, a sudden death, as in Num 14:37; Num 17:11. , from , to be torn apart or torn away ( Ges., Winer), refers to the punishment of crucifixion, a mode of capital punishment which was adopted by most of the nations of antiquity (see Winer, bibl. R. W. i. p. 680), and was carried out sometimes by driving a stake into the body, and so impaling them ( ), the mode practised by the Assyrians and Persians ( Herod. iii. 159, and Layard’s Nineveh and its Remains, vol. ii. p. 374, and plate on p. 369), at other times by fastening them to a stake or nailing them to a cross ( ). In the instance before us, however, the idolaters were not impaled or crucified alive, but, as we may see from the word in Num 25:5, and in accordance with the custom frequently adopted by other nations (see Herzog’s Encyclopaedia), they were first of all put to death, and then impaled upon a stake or fastened upon a cross, so that the impaling or crucifixion was only an aggravation of the capital punishment, like the burning in Lev 20:14, and the hanging ( ) in Deu 21:22. The rendering adopted by the lxx and Vulgate is , suspendere , in this passage, and in 2Sa 21:6, 2Sa 21:9, (to expose to the sun), and crucifigere . , for Jehovah, as satisfaction for Him, i.e., to appease His wrath. ( them) does not refer to the heads of the nation, but to the guilty persons, upon whom the heads of the nation were to pronounce sentence.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

3. AndIsrael joined himself to Baal-peor. Moses amplifies their crime by this expression, that they bound themselves to the idol in an impious alliance; and thus he alludes to that holy union whereby God had connected Himself with the people, and accuses them of broken faith and wicked rebellion. Nevertheless, it is probable that the people were not impelled by superstition, but enticed by the wiles of the women to offer worship to idols which they despised. Yet we are told how God declared that they were “joined” to the idol, which they merely pretended to worship, in order to comply with the ungodly wishes of the women. Hence, therefore, this general instruction may be gathered, that when we turn aside from pure religion, we in a manner connect ourselves with idols, so as to coalesce in one body with them, and conspire to renounce the true God.

Baal was then the general name of almost all idols; but all epithet is added to the idol of the Moabites, taken from Mount Peor; nor does it appear that we need go in quest of any other etymology, since the name of this mountain has recently been mentioned. It was on the same principle as in Popery, when they name their Marys after particular places, (183) where the most famous statues are worshipped.

(183) “Comme qui diroit nostre Dame de Laurette, ou de Boulogne, ou de Cleri;” as one might say, our Lady of Loretto, or Bologna, or Cleri. — Fr.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

3. Baal-peor, to whom Israel (that is, multitudes of them) joined himself, literally, bound himself, was a Moabitish Priapus, whose image, shocking to modesty, was worshipped by women and virgins who prostituted themselves in his service.

Anger kindled Holiness must necessarily antagonize sin, and justice must punish the sinner in every case except where the ends of moral government are attained by the intervention of an atonement. Note, Jdg 2:14.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Num 25:3. Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor See the note on ch. Num 21:29. St. Jerome informs us, that Baal-peor was the same as the Greek and Roman Priapus; that this idol was like that of Priapus. That his worship consisted of gross obscenity and impurity there can be no question. See Hos 10:15 and Rev 2:14. Those who are inclined to know more respecting this idol, (who, with his ceremonies, was of too gross a sort to engage our further attention,) may consult Calmet’s Dissertation upon the subject. When it is said, Psa 106:28 that they joined themselves unto Baal-peor, and ate the offerings of the dead, it cannot be concluded from thence that Baal-peor was some dead prince idolized; for the dead, in this place, means no more than those dead idols, whom St. Paul calls, nothing in the world, 1Co 8:4 and who may be denominated dead, in opposition to the living God. See Vossius, de Idol. lib. 2: cap. 7.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

It is supposed, and with great appearance of truth, that commerce with the women formed a part of the idolatrous worship of the Moabites. So that while Israel was giving themselves up to their lust in the arms of the daughters of Moab; the bowing to the idols of Moab, was the sure consequence of it. Oh! what a state of sin is our nature reduced to by the fall. Is this Israel, whom the LORD hath so loved, so preserved, so taken care of, and so blessed and defended? And is this Israel now at Shittim, which was just over against the land of promise, and ready now to enter upon the possession of it. Hath the LORD indeed proved so faithful to Israel: and is Israel now manifesting himself so unfaithful to GOD. Reader! look into our own heart? Are you of the true Israel of GOD? And are you better than they? Remember the apostle’s solemn admonition on this very passage: let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 1Co 10:12 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Num 25:3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

Ver. 3. Joined himself to Baalpeor. ] Separated himself to that shame, Hos 9:10 that abominable and shameless service of Priapus, as Jerome and Isidore understand it, as Maachah the mother of Asa seems to have done, 1Ki 15:13 and other filthy persons, whose fashion was, as soon as their sacrifice was ended, to step aside into the grove of their god, and there, like brute beasts, promiscuously to satisfy their lusts, &c. Vah scelus infandum!

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)