Numbers 25:3

Numbers 25:3

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

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

b. YLT: And Israel is joined to Baal-Peor, and the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel.

c. Amplified Bible Classic: So Israel joined himself to [the god] Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

d. Septuagint: And Israel consecrated themselves to Beel-phegor; and the Lord was very angry with Israel.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: Israel became attached to Ball-peor, and the wrath of HASHEM flared up against Israel.

1. “And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor…”

a. [And] Israel [Strong: 3478 Yisrâʼêl, yis-raw-ale'; from H8280 and H410; he will rule as God; Jisraël, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity:—Israel.]

b. joined [Strong: 6775 tsâmad, tsaw-mad'; a primitive root; to link, i.e. gird; figuratively, to serve, (mentally) contrive:—fasten, frame, join (self).] [[Gesenius: to be fastened, i.e., to adhere, “he adhered to Baal-peor”, devoted himself to his worship].

c. [himself unto] Baal-peor [Strong: 1187 Baʻal Pᵉʻôwr, bah'-al peh-ore'; from H1168 and H6465; Baal of Peor; Baal-Peor, a Moabitish deity:—Baal-peor.]

1). Within the definition of joined is the concept of “to serve mentally”. This will surface later in the study in importance. Fornication, sexual immorality was an integral part of the worship of Baal-peor. Paul uses the same terminology in the New Testament to describe sexual immorality.

a). 1 Corinthians 6:15-17 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

6:16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

2). It is also clear from the actions of the participants that sexual immorality was part of the worship.

a). Numbers 25:6-9 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 the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

25:7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;

25:8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

2. “...and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.”

a. [and the] anger [Strong: 639 ʼaph, af; from H599; properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire:—anger(-gry), before, countenance, face, forebearing, forehead, (long-) suffering, nose, nostril, snout, × worthy, wrath.]

b. [of the] LORD [Strong: 3068 Yᵉhôvâh, yeh-ho-vaw'; from H1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God:—Jehovah, the Lord.]

c. [was] kindled [Strong: 2734 chârâh, khaw-raw'; a primitive root (compare H2787); to glow or grow warm; figuratively (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy:—be angry, burn, be displeased, × earnestly, fret self, grieve, be (wax) hot, be incensed, kindle, × very, be wroth.]

d. [against]  Israel [Strong: 3478 Yisrâʼêl, yis-raw-ale'; from H8280 and H410; he will rule as God; Jisraël, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity:—Israel.]

1). This incident is mentioned more than once in the New Testament.

a). Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

b). 1 Corinthians 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

2). Idolatry is spiritual fornication also. When the Apostle Paul was warning the Corinthians against fornication he said so. The individual who commits fornication is not only fornicating physically, but also spiritually.