A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Numbers · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV.
Verſ. 1. ANd Iſrael abode in Shittim.]
This was a place in the plains of Moab, called alſo Abel-ſhittim, chap. 3…. 49. where they continued till after Moſes death; for from this Shittim they removed when they went to paſſe over Jordan into the land of Canaan: and it is the rather noted here, as an aggravation of their ſinne, which in this place they fell into with the daughters of Moab, that when God had now brought them to the very borders of the promiſed land they ſhould there ſo ſhamefully ſinne againſt him.
And the people began to commit wheredome with the daughters of Moab.]
This is meant both of bodily and ſpirituall whoredome: and beſides, we muſt note firſt, that though it be ſaid generally that the people began to commit whoredome, yet the meaning is onelyonly that ſome or a great number of the people did ſo; for all that were guilty of this wickedneſſe were taken away, and onelyonly thoſe remained alive that did conſtantly cleave unto the Lord, Deut. 4. 3, 4. All the men that followed Baal Peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you: But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive every one of you this day; and ſecondly, that though the daughters of Moab be onelyonly here mentioned, yet under theſe the daughters of Midian are alſo comprehended: for it is evident that the Iſraelites did commit whoredome with the daughters of Midian, as we may ſee ver. 6. where it is ſaid that it was a Midianitiſh woman, with whom Zimri committed filthineſſe, and ver. 16, 17. Vex the Mid…anites, ſaith the Lord to Moſes, and ſmite them; for they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, &c.
Verſ. 2. And they called the people unto the ſacrifices of their gods, &c.]
This is added as the effect of their whoredome with the daughters of Moab, whereof he had ſpoken in the former verſe, to wit, that they were then invited by theſe daughters of Moab to their idolatrous feaſts, and ſo at length were drawn to open idolatry. Some indeed conceive that in theſe words Moſes ſheweth how they were drawn to commit whoredome with theſe daughters of Moab, to wit, that firſt under a ſhew of friendſhip they were invited by the Moabites to their idolatrous feaſts, and then being there allured by the wanton provocations of their young damſels, they committed filthineſſe with them, and ſo were inſnared and drawn further afterwards to fall down and worſhip their gods. But the order of the words is rather this, that firſt they committed bodily whoredome with the daughters of Moab (for that is principally intended, verſ. 1. and therefore S. Paul ſpeaks of this as that which was the firſt originall cauſe of all the evil that now befell them, 1. Cor. 10. 8. Neither let us commit fornication, as ſome of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thouſand) and then afterwards they were drawn by d…grees to the idolatry here mentioned. It ſeems therefore that the Moabites, under a pretence of peace and amity▪ got ſome opportunity to have their fair damſels allure ſome of the Iſraelites to uncleanneſſe, and then having intangled them in this ſinne, they called them unto the ſacrifices of their gods, that is, to the feaſts they made with their ſacrifices, and ſo they went and did eat with them, which was of it ſelf idolatry, they that eat of the ſacrifices being partakers of the altar, 1. Cor. 10. 8. and a ſinne which God had expreſſely given them warning of, to wit, that they ſhould take heed leſt the people ſacrificing unto their god, any one ſhould call them▪ and they ſhould eat of his ſacrifice, Exod. 34. 15. and then being thus farre fallen away, they were eaſily wonne to open idolatry, even to bow down to their gods and worſhip them. And all this the Moabites did by the counſel of Balaam, who knew there was no other way to endanger the Iſraelites, as it is evident chap. 31. 16. Behold, ſaith the Lord of the Midianitiſh women, theſe cauſed the children of Iſrael, through the counſel of Balaam, to commit a treſpaſſe againſt the Lord in the matter of Peor; and Rev. 2. 14. where it is ſaid that Balaam taught Balak to caſt a stumbling block before the children of Iſrael, to eat things ſacrificed to idols and to commit fornication.
Verſ. 3. And Iſrael joyned himſelf unto Baal-peor.]
This Baal-peor was an idol-god of the Moabites, ſo called from the mountain Peor, chap. 23. 28. where this idol was worſhipped. And to this idol Iſrael is ſaid to have joyned himſelf, in reference to that ſpirituall adultery they committed by worſhipping this idol; as for the ſame reaſon the Scripture uſeth a like expreſſion, Hoſ. 9. 10. where it is ſaid that the Iſraelites went to Baal-peor, and ſeparated them ſelves unto that ſhame.
And the anger of the Lord was kindled againſt Iſrael.]
Herein alſo is implyed the effect of Gods anger, to wit, that hereupon the plague brake in upon them, Pſal. 106. 29. whereby there fell in one day three and twenty thouſand.
Verſ. 4. And the Lord ſaid unto Moſes, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up, &c.]
Some Expoſitours underſtand this thus, That the Lord here enjoyneth Moſes to take all the heads of the people, that is, to gather together all the Heads and Rulers of the ſeverall tribes, and take them as aſſiſtants to him, and then to hang them up before the Lord, that is, them of the people of whom he had ſpoken in the foregoing verſe, that had joyned themſelves to Baal-peor; and indeed that which followeth in the next verſe doth ſingularly well agree with this expoſition, to wit, that hereupon Moſes ſaid unto the Judges of Iſrael, whom he had thus aſſembled together, Slay you every one his man, that is, the me… that are under your ſeverall juriſdictions, that were joyned unto Baal-peor. But the moſt received expoſition is, that the Lord here commanded Moſes that he ſhould take, that is, apprehend, all the heads of the people, to wit, that were guilty of this ſinne, and h…ng them up before the Lord, that is, as a ſacrifice to the Lord for the vindicating of his honour, and the appeaſing of his wrath (as thoſe of Sauls iſſue are ſaid like…iſe to have been hanged up before the Lord, 2. Sam. 21. 6. becauſe it was done for diverting of the Lords wrath when there was a famine in the land) and that againſt the ſunne, that is, openly in the ſight of all men, that as they had ſinned openly, ſo they might be puniſhed openly, for the terrour of others. Now this expoſition the words ſeem moſt plainly to intend, to wit, that firſt God commanded Moſes to take all the heads of the people, that were guilty of this ſinne, and hang them up before the Lord againſt the ſunne, ſo appointing them to be firſt puniſhed, and that with a more ſhamefull kind of death, becauſe their ſinne was greateſt, and that then afterwards Moſes gave a charge (as it follows in the next verſe) to the reſt of the Judges that had not defiled themſelves, that they ſhould ſlay amongſt thoſe that were ſeverally under their command all thoſe that were notoriouſly known to be guilty of theſe ſinnes.
Verſ. 6. And behold one of the children of Iſrael came and brought a Mid… anitiſh woman, &c.]
The greateſt difficulty in this paſſage of the ſtory is concerning the time when this Iſraelite, Zimri the ſonne of Salu, as is afterwards expreſſed, verſ. 14. did thus impudently bring this Midianitiſh woman to the camp of Iſrael to commit filthineſſe with her, and was there with her ſlain by Phinehas. Some conceive that this was done before Moſes and the other Judges had put in execution that charge which was given them, mentioned in the two foregoing verſes, for the hanging up of the heads of the people, and the ſlaying of thoſe in each tribe that were found guilty of thoſe horrible ſ…nes of fornication and idolatry with the daughters of Moab, which had provoked God to ſend ſuch a plague amongſt the people; and the reaſon they give for this is, becauſe it is hardly credible that this wretch would have dared to have done this after Moſes and the Judges had already with ſuch ſeverity puniſhed thoſe that were found guilty. But yet becauſe the plague was ſtayed immediately upon the killing of theſe wretches, verſ. 8. it is moſt probable that thoſe that were ſ…ain by the magiſtrate were ſlain before the plague was ſtayed: therefore others hold that this was done in the order as here it is recorded by Moſes, and that this was one of the great aggravations of his deſperate im pudency, that not onelyonly when the people were mourning becauſe of the wrath of God againſt them, but alſo when ſo many had been cut off for this ſinne he was not yet afraid, truſting it ſeems in his greatneſſe, becauſe he was a Prince of ſuch renown in the tribe of Simeon, but did openly carry his harlot into his tent with him, as if he deſired thereby to proclaim that he would not be afraid to ſatisfie his luſt, though Moſes and all Iſrael ſhould ſtand by and look on.
Verſ. 8. And he went af…er the man of Iſrael into the tent, &c.]
The originall word, here tranſlated the tent, is not that ordinarily uſed for a tent, but ſuch as ſignifieth a cave or hollow place; therefore ſome think that hereby is meant ſuch a tent as was made for fornication.
So the plague was ſtayed from the children of Iſrael.]
This plague ſeemeth to have been the peſtilence, which God ſent amongſt the people, Pſal. 106. 29. They provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them. Howbeit the word here in the originall is ſometimes uſed for ſlaughter by the ſword, as 1. Sam. 4. 17.
Verſ. 9. And thoſe that died in the plague were twenty and foure thouſand.]
The Apoſtle ſayes three and twenty thouſand, 1. Cor. 10. 8. It ſeems that one thouſand were hanged up and ſlain by the command of the civil magiſtrate, to appeaſe Gods wrath, and that the other three and twenty thouſand were taken away by the immediate hand of God; or one thouſand of the chief hanged, the reſt ſlain with the ſword.
Verſ. 12. Wherefore ſay Behold I give unto him my covenant of peace.]
That is, make this which I ſhall ſay unto thee publickly known▪ both for the encouragement of Phinehas, that he may not fear becauſe they were ſuch great ones whom he hath ſlain; and for the ſatisfaction of the people, that they may know he did it by the ſpeciall motion of my ſpirit, becauſe I the Lord have thus both approved and rewarded the fact: ſay, that is, make it known, that behold I give unto him my covenant of peace, where Gods covenant with Phinehas for the ſettling of the prieſthood in his poſterity is called a covenant of peace, firſt, becauſe they ſhould peaceably enjoy it; and ſecondly, becauſe the work of the prieſthood was to make peace betwixt the Lord and his people.
Verſ. 13. And he ſhall have it, and his ſeed after him, even the covenant of an everlaſting prieſthood.]
That is, a prieſthood that ſhall be continued to his ſeed as long as ever the Leviticall prieſthood ſhall continue. But the dignity of being high prieſt ſhould have come to him and his by deſcent, may ſome ſay, becauſe he was the ſonne of Eleazar Aarons eldeſt ſonne: I anſwer, though he was ſo, yet that it ſhould not be removed to another family for want of his iſſue, that was of Gods goodneſſe, and is here promiſed as the reward of his zeal. Indeed the greateſt doubt concerning this promiſe is, whether it were continued in his poſterity or no. Concerning which all that we find in the Scripture is this; firſt, that we find the poſterity of this Phinehas recorded unto the time of the Iſraelites captivity in Babylon, 1. Chron. 6. 4, 15. ſecondly, that if it be true which ſome hold, that in the dayes of the Judges the high prieſts office was wreſted from the ſonnes of Phinehas, the ſonne of Eleazar, and conferred upon Eli, who was of the ſtock of Ithamar; yet in the dayes of Solomon it was again taken from Abiathar, who was of Elies houſe, and ſettled upon Zadok, and ſo it came again into the line of Phinehas, and ſo continued unto the Babylonian captivity, 1. Kings 2. 25. and thirdly, that though it be no where expreſſely ſaid of what ſtock the high prieſts were after the Iſraelites return out of Babylon, yet we find that Eſra that great prieſt and ſcribe was of his line, Ezra 7. 1, &c. and it may be probably thought that the high prieſts ſtill continued in that line, unleſſe it were in thoſe times when there was nothing amongſt them but diſorder and confuſion. Neither indeed is there any cauſe why we ſhould underſtand this promiſe to be ſo abſolute, but in caſe of the ſinnes of his poſterity they might for a time be deprived of this dignity.
Verſ. 14. Zimri the ſonne of Salu, a prince of a chief houſe among the Simeonites.]
It is particularly expreſſed how great a man he was whom Phinehas ſlew, becauſe herein the zeal of Phinehas was notably diſcovered.
Verſ. 15. He was head over a people, and of a chief houſe in Midian.]
He is reckoned one of the five Kings of Midian, chap. 31. 8.
Verſ. 17. Vex the Medianites, and ſmite them, &c.]
Theſe words, ſmite them, imply a promiſe of victory. But why are they not to ſmite the Moabites as well as the Midianites? firſt, becauſe he had already forbidden Iſrael to diſtreſſe the Moabites, Deut. 2. 9. And the Lord ſaid unto me, Diſtreſſe not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battel: ſecondly, becauſe the Midianites had the chief hand in the miſchief, as ſeems probable, firſt, by Balaams ſtay amongſt them, wh…n Balak had left him in diſpleaſure; and ſecondly, by this parti…ular fact of Cozbi, who was a Kings daughter amongſt them, &c.