Numbers 25:1 kjv
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
Numbers 25:1 nkjv
Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab.
Numbers 25:1 niv
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women,
Numbers 25:1 esv
While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.
Numbers 25:1 nlt
While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women.
Numbers 25 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Idolatry/Spiritual Harlotry | ||
| Exod 34:15 | "lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land... and go a whoring after their gods." | Warning against covenant with pagans and their gods. |
| Lev 17:7 | "And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring." | Prohibition against spiritual unfaithfulness to demons. |
| Judg 2:17 | "Yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods." | Israel's recurring sin of idol worship. |
| Psa 106:39 | "Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions." | Describing Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness. |
| Jer 3:6 | "Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain... and there played the harlot." | Judah's spiritual adultery mirroring Israel. |
| Hos 4:12 | "My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err." | Whoredom as a spirit leading to error. |
| Rev 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." | Links Balaam's counsel to idolatry and fornication. |
| Sexual Immorality | ||
| Exod 20:14 | "Thou shalt not commit adultery." | Seventh commandment. |
| Lev 18:24-25 | "Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things... for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you." | Warning against defiling practices of Canaanites. |
| Deut 23:17 | "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel." | Prohibits religious prostitution. |
| Prov 7:27 | "Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." | Warning about consequences of harlotry. |
| 1 Cor 6:18 | "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." | Call to flee sexual immorality. |
| Heb 13:4 | "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." | God judges the sexually immoral. |
| Consequences of Disobedience/Intermarriage | ||
| Deut 4:3 | "Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them." | Direct reference to the plague at Peor. |
| Josh 22:17 | "Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us... although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord?" | A reminder of Peor's devastating plague. |
| 1 Cor 10:8 | "Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand." | New Testament warning using Numbers 25 as example. |
| Psa 106:29 | "Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them." | The plague as a consequence of their sin. |
| Deut 7:3-4 | "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them... lest they turn away thy son from following me." | Prohibition against intermarriage to prevent apostasy. |
| Neh 13:26 | "Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him... but even him did outlandish women cause to sin." | Example of a king led astray by foreign women. |
| God's Holiness and Jealousy | ||
| Exod 34:14 | "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." | God's jealous nature against idolatry. |
| Deut 6:15 | "For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you, lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee." | God's anger at His people's idolatry. |
| Zech 8:14 | "For as I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not." | God's steadfast judgment for rebellion. |
Numbers 25 verses
Numbers 25 1 Meaning
Numbers 25:1 states that while the Israelites were settled in Shittim, on the plains of Moab, the men began to engage in sexual immorality with the Moabite women. This act of "whoredom" encompassed not only physical fornication but also spiritual infidelity, as such encounters often led to participation in the idolatrous cults of the local people, particularly the worship of Baal-peor, as revealed in the subsequent verses. This verse marks the beginning of a grave transgression that provoked God's wrath and resulted in a devastating plague.
Numbers 25 1 Context
Numbers 25:1 immediately follows the account of Balaam's unsuccessful attempts to curse Israel, which God repeatedly turned into blessings. Despite God's protection against external adversaries, Israel was vulnerable to internal moral decay. The scene takes place in Shittim (Acacia Groves), located on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, and on the threshold of the promised land of Canaan. This was Israel's last encampment before crossing into Canaan, a period of rest and anticipation that became a critical test of their covenant faithfulness. The narrative vividly illustrates that Israel's greatest danger often came from within, through compromise with pagan practices rather than from external enemies. The initial sin described here, sexual immorality with Moabite women, directly led to the worship of Baal-peor, demonstrating the intimate connection between physical idolatry and spiritual apostasy in the eyes of the divine Law.
Numbers 25 1 Word analysis
- While Israel abode:
- Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yisra'el): The name designates the people of God, the nation chosen and separated by God through the covenant. Their actions here directly contradict their identity as God's holy people.
- abode (יָשַׁב, yashaḇ): Means "to sit," "dwell," "remain." This implies a period of settlement, a respite from their desert journey, making their susceptibility to temptation all the more significant. They were "at ease" which led to moral laxity.
- in Shittim:
- Shittim (שִׁטִּים, Shittim): A literal place name, meaning "acacia trees." It was their final camping ground before crossing the Jordan, signifying a crucial threshold. Geographically, it was strategically significant but also exposed them to the immediate cultural influences of Moab. Its name subtly evokes a relaxing environment where caution might be lowered.
- the people began to commit whoredom:
- the people (הָעָם, haʿam): Refers to the collective body of Israel, indicating a widespread moral breakdown.
- began (הֵחֵל, hēḥēl): Marks the inception of the problem, not an isolated incident. It suggests a gradual initiation or first instance of a burgeoning corruption.
- to commit whoredom (לִזְנוֹת, liznōṯ): This is a crucial term. While it literally refers to engaging in prostitution or illicit sexual relations, in biblical Hebrew, zanah (the root of liznōṯ) is very frequently used metaphorically for spiritual unfaithfulness, particularly apostasy and idolatry against God. The immediate consequence (Baal-peor worship in v. 2-3) confirms this dual meaning: the sexual sin was directly linked to, or a gateway for, spiritual defilement. It highlights that the physical act was an expression of deep spiritual disloyalty.
- with the daughters of Moab:
- daughters of Moab (בְּנוֹת מוֹאָב, b’nōṯ Môʾāv): The women of Moab, Israel's immediate neighbors. Moabites were known for their idolatrous practices, including fertility cults where sexual acts were part of their worship. Their allure acted as a conduit for the corruption of Israel's spiritual purity and monotheistic devotion. This signifies a breaking of the divinely mandated separation from the surrounding pagan cultures.
Numbers 25 1 Bonus section
The narrative in Numbers 25 is often interpreted as a "backdoor" strategy by Balaam, after he was prevented from cursing Israel directly by God (Num 22-24). While not explicitly stated in Num 25:1, Revelation 2:14 suggests that Balaam "taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication." This indicates that Balaam's final, more insidious counsel to Balak was to entice Israel through moral and spiritual seduction rather than direct confrontation, a tactic that proved tragically successful. The Moabite women facilitated not merely carnal lust but entanglement in cultic sexual rites associated with Baal-peor, representing a direct challenge to the exclusive worship of Yahweh. The swift and decisive action of Phinehas (v. 7-8) underscores God's demand for purity and zeal in maintaining the covenant, without which Israel would forfeit its holiness and promised inheritance.
Numbers 25 1 Commentary
Numbers 25:1 records a pivotal moment of Israel's moral and spiritual collapse, setting the stage for one of the most severe divine judgments in their wilderness journey. Coming on the heels of God turning Balaam's curses into blessings, this verse highlights the ironic truth that external enemies failed where internal corruption succeeded. While physically at rest in Shittim, preparing to enter the Promised Land, Israel fell into spiritual complacency. The phrase "began to commit whoredom" encompasses both literal sexual sin and, critically, spiritual infidelity (idolatry). The "daughters of Moab" were not just objects of physical desire but conduits for the introduction of pagan religious practices, especially the worship of Baal-peor. This narrative serves as a stark warning: physical temptation, often disguised as hospitality or cultural interaction, can swiftly lead to spiritual compromise and apostasy from God. It underscores the sanctity of God's covenant, which demanded absolute loyalty and separation from the defiling practices of surrounding nations. The sin at Peor, beginning with this "whoredom," profoundly grieved God and resulted in a devastating plague, reminding future generations of the grave consequences of unfaithfulness to God.