NUMBERS CHAPTER 25 The Israelites whoredom and idolatry: God commands the guilty to be put to death, NUMBERS 25:1. A plague: Phinehas's zeal; for which God promises him the priesthood, NUMBERS 25:6. God commands the Midianites to be slain for this their treachery in drawing the people to sin, NUMBER... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY CALLED THE PEOPLE: this may be noted, either, 1. As the consequent of their whoredom, an invitation to further society in their sacred feasts; or rather, 2. As the cause or occasion of their whoredom, the Hebrew _vau_ here signifying _for_, as it oft doth. The Moabites being now neighbours to... [ Continue Reading ]
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 HOSEA 9:10 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14. _Baal-peor_, called _Baal_, by the name common to many fals... [ Continue Reading ]
The sense is, either, 1. TAKE, to wit. to thyself and thy assistance, ALL THE HEADS, i.e. the judges, as they are called NUMBERS 25:5, or rulers, OF THE PEOPLE; and in their presence, and by their help, HANG THEM, i.e. the people, now mentioned, to wit, such of them as were guilty, as was said NUMBE... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY ONE HIS MEN, i.e. those under his charge; for as these seventy were chosen to assist Moses in the government, so doubtless the care and management of the people was distributed among them by just and equal proportions.... [ Continue Reading ]
This was done, either, 1. Before God's command to Moses, and by him to the judges, NUMBERS 25:4,5, such transpositions and disorders being not unusual in sacred story. Or rather, 2. In the order it is related, to wit, when Moses had given the charge to the judges, and, as it may seem, before the ex... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
INTO THE TENT, or _brothel house_; for since they gave way to such lewd practices, no doubt they singled out convenient places for their wickedness. THRUST BOTH OF THEM THROUGH; which is no warrant for private persons to take upon them the execution of justice upon any, though the greatest malefacto... [ Continue Reading ]
OBJECT. They were but 23,000, 1 CORINTHIANS 10:8. ANSW. The odd thousand here added were slain by the judges according to the order of Moses, the rest by the immediate hand of God, but both sorts died of the _plague_, the word being used, as oft it is, for the sword, or hand, or stroke of God.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WAS ZEALOUS, fervent and resolute and valiant, FOR MY SAKE, for my satisfaction and vindication.... [ Continue Reading ]
i.e. _The covenant of an everlasting priesthood_, as it is expounded, NUMBERS 25:13, which is called a covenant of peace, partly with respect to the happy effect of this heroical action of his, whereby he made peace between God and his people; and partly with regard to the principal end and use of t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HIS SEED AFTER HIM. QUEST. What advantage had he by this promise, seeing the thing here promised was due to him by birth? ANSW. 1. The same blessing may be ofttimes promised, as the kingdom was to David; and the renewing of this promise might seem convenient here, To signify that bloodshed was... [ Continue Reading ]
A PRINCE: this is added as a proof of Phinehas's zeal, that he durst venture upon so great a person, who was likely to have many avengers of his blood. OF A CHIEF HOUSE, Heb. _of the house of his father_. Every tribe was divided into great households, called _the houses of their fathers_, NUMBERS 1:... [ Continue Reading ]
ZUR; one of the kings or princes or Midian, NUMBERS 31:8 JOSHUA 13:21. OF A CHIEF HOUSE, or, and over her _father's house_.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
And why not the Moabites, who were as guilty, NUMBERS 25:1 ? ANSW. 1. Because God will reserve to himself a liberty of punishing or sparing, according to his own good pleasure. 2. God had a kindness for the Moabites for Lot's sake, DEUTERONOMY 2:9. 3. God punished the Moabites in another manner,... [ Continue Reading ]
For under pretence of kindred, and friendship, and leagues, yea, and marriages, which they offered to them, instead of that war which the Israelites expected from them, they sought only an opportunity to insinuate themselves into their familiarity, and execute their hellish plot of bringing that cur... [ Continue Reading ]