Numbers 25:14 kjv
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.
Numbers 25:14 nkjv
Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father's house among the Simeonites.
Numbers 25:14 niv
The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.
Numbers 25:14 esv
The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites.
Numbers 25:14 nlt
The Israelite man killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon.
Numbers 25 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 25:1-3 | While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor... | Introduction to Baal-Peor apostasy |
| Num 25:4-5 | And the Lord said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel." And Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor." | God's command for judgment |
| Num 25:6 | And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. | Zimri's blatant sin |
| Num 25:7-8 | When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose... took a spear... went after the Israelite man into the tent and pierced both of them, the Israelite and the woman... Then the plague was stayed... | Phinehas's righteous zeal |
| Num 25:9 | Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. | Total plague fatalities |
| Num 25:10-13 | The Lord said to Moses, "Phinehas... has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel... Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace... it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood..." | Phinehas's eternal reward |
| Num 25:15 | The name of the Midianite woman who was struck down was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father's house in Midian. | Identification of the Midianite woman |
| Num 26:14 | The clans of Simeon: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminities; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites. These are the clans of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred. | Simeon's drastic population decrease (cf. Num 1:23) |
| Deut 4:3-4 | Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-Peor, for all the men who followed the Baal of Peor, the Lord your God destroyed them from among you. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today. | Moses reminds Israel of Peor judgment |
| Josh 22:17 | Is not the iniquity of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, though a plague came upon the congregation of the Lord...? | Peor remembered as a lasting national stain |
| Ps 106:28-31 | Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead... Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed; and that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever. | Recounts Peor; Phinehas's zeal recognized as righteousness |
| 1 Cor 10:6-8 | Now these things happened as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did... We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. | Warning against Israel's past sins (alludes to Peor) |
| Rev 2:14 | But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. | Balaam's counsel leading to Peor sin |
| Exod 34:15-16 | Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, you invite them and you eat of their sacrifices... and when they prostitute themselves to their gods and invite your sons to do the same. | Warning against intermarriage leading to idolatry |
| Lev 18:24-25, 29 | Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations whom I am driving out before you have become unclean... whoever does any of these abominations, those persons shall be cut off from among their people. | Purity laws, consequences of sexual immorality |
| Deut 7:3-4 | You shall not intermarry with them... For they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. | Command against intermarriage |
| Hos 9:10 | Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Baal-Peor and devoted themselves to the shameful thing, and became detestable like the thing they loved. | Prophet references Baal-Peor as a defiling act |
| Ezr 9:1-2 | For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this matter the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost. | Warning against foreign intermarriage & leadership responsibility |
| Prov 29:2 | When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. | Consequence of wicked leadership (like Zimri) |
| Mal 2:5-7 | My covenant with him was one of life and peace... He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge... | Contrasts with priests/leaders who do not uphold holiness (like Zimri, a prince, should have) |
| Heb 12:16 | See to it that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. | Warning against defiling impurity |
| 1 Pet 4:3-4 | For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. | Describes the very sins Zimri was committing |
Numbers 25 verses
Numbers 25 14 Meaning
Numbers 25:14 identifies the prominent Israelite man involved in the public sin at Peor. His name was Zimri, son of Salu, and he held a significant position as a "head of a father's house" (or "chief") within the tribe of Simeon. This verse, therefore, publicly names the high-ranking individual who defiantly engaged in sexual immorality with a Midianite woman, Cozbi (named in the subsequent verse, 25:15), in the presence of the entire congregation, during a time of divine plague due to similar sins. The detailing of his name and status underscores the gravity of his transgression, marking him as a specific example of the leaders' and people's spiritual corruption.
Numbers 25 14 Context
Numbers chapter 25 describes a catastrophic spiritual downfall of Israel while encamped at Shittim in the plains of Moab. Despite nearing the promised land, the Israelites succumbed to the allure of the Moabite and Midianite women, who invited them to partake in their idolatrous sacrifices to Baal of Peor. This led to a widespread apostasy, causing a severe plague to break out among the people, leading to the death of 24,000 Israelites. Moses was instructed to execute the guilty and the tribal leaders were told to oversee this judgment. Amidst this crisis, Zimri, a prominent leader, brazenly defied divine commands and publicly brought a Midianite woman into the camp, performing acts of egregious sexual immorality right before the eyes of Moses and the entire weeping congregation. This act of overt defiance and desecration of the sacred space of the camp, at a moment when God's wrath was manifest through the plague, provoked the immediate and decisive action of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. Phinehas, filled with divine zeal, pierced both Zimri and the Midianite woman, Cozbi, with a spear, thereby stopping the plague and averting further destruction upon Israel. Verse 14 specifically names Zimri and highlights his high status as a "head of a father's house" (or prince) of the Simeonites, emphasizing that the transgression was not merely that of a common individual, but of a tribal leader, compounding the offense. This chapter serves as a stark warning against idolatry, sexual immorality, and unholy alliances, emphasizing the importance of spiritual purity within the covenant community and the swift divine judgment upon those who flagrantly disregard God's laws, especially those in positions of influence.
Numbers 25 14 Word analysis
- The name: In ancient Israel, a person's name (שֵׁם, shēm) often carried significance beyond mere identification; it could reflect character, destiny, or public reputation. To be named in scripture, especially in such a negative context, served as a perpetual mark of infamy and a historical lesson.
- Israelite man: This phrase (אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵלִי, 'îsh yisra'elî) highlights that the person was a member of God's covenant people, distinguishing him from the foreign women and emphasizing the internal nature of the sin. It underscored his direct responsibility under the covenant.
- who was killed: The passive verb (הֻכָּה, hukkâ), "was struck down" or "was killed," indicates that the action was not self-inflicted but was a consequence. In this context, it refers to the righteous judgment executed by Phinehas, a divinely sanctioned act that stopped the plague.
- Midianite woman: This identifies the specific nationality and gender of his partner in sin (הַמִּדְיָנִית, hamMidyanît). The Midianites were instrumental in leading Israel into apostasy, and her status as a Midianite woman further accentuates the violation of purity and the danger of intermarriage with idolaters. Her specific identity (Cozbi, daughter of Zur, a Midianite chief) is revealed in verse 15, adding to the parallel of leadership roles in both perpetrator and accomplice.
- Zimri: (זִמְרִי, Zimrî) The personal name is crucial for pinning the sin directly on an individual, not just a collective. Zimri's public identity as the chief of a significant household magnified his guilt and made him a potent warning against such brazen sin in leadership.
- son of Salu: Providing his lineage emphasizes his family connections and perhaps the perceived honor of his ancestral house. His actions brought shame upon his lineage.
- head of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites: This precise description (נָשִׂיא בֵית־אָב לְשִׁמְעֹנִי, nāśî bêṯ-’āḇ ləšim‘ōnî) is profoundly significant. Nāśî often translates as "prince" or "chief," indicating a position of tribal authority and leadership, akin to a clan head. His status as a "head of a father's house" meant he was a person of considerable influence and responsibility, not an ordinary citizen. His public sin, therefore, was a more grievous offense, setting a deplorable example for his clan and tribe. The mention of the "Simeonites" is also critical: this tribe later experienced a drastic reduction in their census numbers (Num 26:14), believed to be directly related to their widespread involvement in the Peor apostasy (as indicated by Zimri's leadership role in this very public act).
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "The name of the Israelite man... was Zimri son of Salu": This phrase directly establishes the personal responsibility of the offender. It’s a formal naming, typical of legal or historically significant records in the Bible, to ensure that the individual is forever linked to their actions and the subsequent judgment. It underscores that God knows and names those who defy Him, especially those in leadership.
- "who was killed, who was killed with the Midianite woman": The repetition of "who was killed" (a figura etymologica of Hebrew usage often emphasizing certainty or consequence) powerfully stresses the decisive divine judgment. The mention of the Midianite woman specifically names the foreign agent of temptation and the forbidden relationship, linking the sexual immorality with foreign religious influence, which was the core issue at Peor. The direct, public execution was meant to cleanse the camp and avert further plague.
- "head of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites": This phrase accentuates Zimri’s high social and tribal standing. It transforms his sin from a private transgression into a profound failure of leadership, reflecting poorly on the entire tribe of Simeon and setting a terrible precedent. Such a public and prominent sin from a nāśî highlights the deep level of apostasy present, justifying the severe divine reaction. It also foreshadows the future diminishing of the tribe of Simeon's prominence.
Numbers 25 14 Bonus section
The immediate consequence of Zimri's actions and Phinehas's zealous response in Numbers 25 profoundly impacted the Simeonite tribe. In the first census recorded in Numbers 1, Simeon was the second largest tribe with 59,300 men of fighting age. However, in the second census recorded in Numbers 26:14, taken immediately after the Peor incident, Simeon's numbers plummet dramatically to 22,200, making them the smallest tribe. This significant decline is understood to be a direct result of their widespread involvement in the Baal of Peor apostasy, with Zimri, a tribal head, serving as a prime example of their tribal sin. This stark numerical decrease stands as a powerful testament to the severity of God's judgment and the devastating impact of corporate sin on a covenant people. This event also resonates with Jacob's prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi in Gen 49:5-7, where their violence would lead to their being "scattered in Israel." While primarily about their vengeful nature, it foreshadows Simeon's diminished future influence and unique allocation within Judah's territory (Josh 19:1), a contrast to other tribes receiving distinct, consolidated land. Thus, Zimri's identification serves as a direct link to the fulfilling of these ancestral pronouncements and a grim historical marker for the Simeonites.
Numbers 25 14 Commentary
Numbers 25:14 is a precise historical and legal statement embedded within a pivotal narrative of divine judgment and covenant faithfulness. By explicitly naming Zimri, identifying his lineage, and specifying his high tribal status as a "head of a father's house," the verse elevates his public act of defiant sin from a private failing to a catastrophic failure of leadership that had immediate and dire consequences for the entire nation. His prominence underscored the gravity of the rebellion against Yahweh's holiness and His laws concerning idolatry and sexual purity. This specificity serves multiple purposes: it highlights the severity of the sin, demonstrates the impartiality of divine judgment (no one, not even a chief, is above God's law), provides a lasting historical warning against compromising faith with pagan practices, and justifies Phinehas's extraordinary and zealous act of stopping the plague. The naming also implicitly connects Zimri's personal defilement to the wider decline of the Simeonite tribe.
- Practical Usage Examples:
- Leadership Responsibility: It illustrates that leaders bear a greater responsibility, and their sins, particularly those that are public and defiant, can have devastating consequences for those they lead.
- Dangers of Compromise: The verse vividly demonstrates the destructive outcome of compromising faith and purity with worldly or idolatrous influences, especially regarding intermingling with ungodly cultures.
- Consequences of Unrepented Sin: Zimri's example serves as a potent reminder of the swift and serious judgment that can come upon unrepentant, public sin within a community dedicated to God.