And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. Ver. 1. _To commit whoredom._] By the wicked counsel of Balaam, who knew well, that no one means hath more enriched hell than beautiful faces, and therefore taught Balak to lay this stumblingblock befor... [ Continue Reading ]
And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. Ver. 2. _Unto the sacrifices of their gods._] Unto their idol feasts; for _Sine cerere et libero friget Venus._ Gluttony is the gallery that lechery walketh through. _ And bowed down... [ Continue Reading ]
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 t... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel._ Ver. 4. _Take all the heads._] The chieftains: their greatness might not bear them out. _Potentes potenter torquebunt... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. Ver. 5. _Unto the judges of Israel._]. Those of them that had not defiled themselves; else with what face could they punish others? or look upon those, that before their faces had been hanged up agai... [ Continue Reading ]
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 all the congregation of the children of Israel, who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Ver. 6. _In the sight of Moses._]... [ Continue Reading ]
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; Ver. 7. _He rose up._] A heroical act, by an extraordinary motion: as was also that of Ehud; and therefore is not to be made a rule of practice, as B... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 8. _And thrust both of them through._] So they died in the flagrancy of their lust; as did likewise one... [ Continue Reading ]
_And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand._ Ver. 9. _Twenty and four thousand._] Twenty and three thousand, saith St Paul, 1Co 10:8 insisting only in the special punishment of the people, who were provoked to sin by that other thousand, their princes, Num 25:4 and all to show... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he shall have it, and his seed after him, [even] the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel._ Ver. 13. _Because he was zealous for his God._] Enraged, as a jealous man, with a holy hatred of sin, and inflamed... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, [even] that was slain with the Midianitish woman, [was] Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. Ver. 14. _A prince of a chief house._] Whom yet Phineas spared not; as neither did John Baptist spare Herod; nor Nathan David... [ Continue Reading ]
_Vex the Midianites, and smite them:_ Ver. 17. _Vex the Midianites._] As more malicious and mischievous than the Moabites; as appears, (1.) By their detaining of Balaam, when the Moabites dismissed him in great displeasure; (2.) By the wickedness of their women, who by Cozbi may seem to have been _... [ Continue Reading ]
For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake. Ver. 18. _For they vex you with their wiles._] Not with their wars; they... [ Continue Reading ]