Numbers 25:2

And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
called	וַתִּקְרֶ֣אןָ va.tik.Re.na	H7121	to call out to (i.e. properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural
people	לָעָ֔ם la.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
sacrifices	לְזִבְחֵ֖י le.ziv.Chei	H2077	properly · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
gods	אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ן 'e.lo.hei.Hen	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine plural
people	הָעָ֔ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
eat	וַיֹּ֣אכַל vai.Yo.khal	H398	to eat (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
down	וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֖וּ vai.yish.ta.cha.Vu	H7812	to depress · conjunction + verb, sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
gods	לֵֽאלֹהֵיהֶֽן Le.lo.hei.Hen	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine plural

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fello…
Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon…
Exodus 34:15-16 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and on…
Psalms 106:28 They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
Hosea 9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baal-p…
Joshua 22:17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of…
1 Kings 11:1-8 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and…
Revelation 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 stumblingblo…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 25:1-5

Here is, I. The sin of Israel, to which they were enticed by the daughters of Moab and Midian; they were guilty both of corporal and spiritual whoredoms, for Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor, Num 25:3. Not all, nor the most, but very many, were taken in this snare. Now concerning this observe, 1. That Balak, by the advice of Balaam, cast this stumbling-block before the children of Israel, Rev 2:14. Note, Those are our worst enemies that draw us to sin, for that is the greatest mischief any man can do us. If Balak had drawn out his armed men against them to fight them, Israel had bravely resisted, and no doubt had been more than conquerors; but now that he sends his beautiful women among…

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John Gill on Numbers 25:2

And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods,.... That is, the daughters of Moab and Midian, with whom the children of Israel carried on an unlawful correspondence, invited them, their gallants, to come and partake of the feasts which attended the sacrifices of their idols; for part of what was offered to idols a feast was kept with, to which great numbers were invited, and which was observed with all the circumstances of joy and pleasure imaginable, and which was very ensnaring, especially to young people; and the children of Israel being so much enamoured with the beauty of the Moabitish women, and so strong were their lusts and passions, that they could not refuse the invi…

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John Calvin on Numbers 25:1-2

And Israel abode in Shittim. From this narrative we learn assuredly that the people were no more able to bear prosperity than adversity. Heretofore, either worn out by fatigue, or rendered impatient by abstinence and famine, they had often rebelled against God; now, when they have entered a habitable land, and are resting in the midst of fruitful fields, they are incited by their more comfortable dwelling-places, and more pleasant mode of life, to lasciviousness, and the indulgence of filthy lusts. Moses relates how, when they had given way to their lust, they fell at the same time into whoredom and idolatry. We shall presently see that this arose from the counsel of Balaam, that the Moabite…

The Church Fathers

I might say that those who deny Christianity on oath at the tribunals or before they have been put on trial do not worship but only bow down to idols when they take "God" from the name of the Lord God and apply it to vain and lifeless wood. Thus the people who were defiled with the daughters of Moab bowed down to idols but did not worship them. Indeed, it is written in the text itself, "They invited them to the sacrifices of their idols, and the people ate of their sacrifices, and they bowed down to their idols, and performed the rites to Baal Peor." Observe that it does not say "and they worshiped their idols"; for it was not possible after such great signs and wonders in one moment of time to be persuaded by the women with whom they committed fornication to consider the idols gods.
— Origen of Alexandria, EXHORTATION TO MARTYRDOM 6

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Baal — Lord. (1.) The name appropriated to the principal male god of the Phoenicians. It is found in several places in the plural BAALIM (Judg. 2:11; 10:10; 1 Kings 18:18; Jer. 2:23; Hos. 2:17). Baal is…
Balaam — Lord of the people; foreigner or glutton, as interpreted by others, the son of Beor, was a man of some rank among the Midianites (Num. 31:8; comp. 16). He resided at Pethor (Deut. 23:4), in…
Phinehas — Mouth of brass, or from old Egypt, the negro. (1.) Son of Eleazar, the high priest (Ex. 6:25). While yet a youth he distinguished himself at Shittim by his zeal against the immorality into which the…
Alliance And Society With The Enemies Of God · Lead to idolatry — Lead to idolatry
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Israel seduced to idolatry, &c by advice of Balaam — Israel seduced to idolatry, &c by advice of Balaam
Idolatry · .Licentiousness of — .Licentiousness of
Midianites · With the moabites: Seduced Israel to idolatry — With the moabites: Seduced Israel to idolatry
Moabites · Are a snare to the Israelites — Are a snare to the Israelites

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Numbers 25:2

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 25:1-5

John Gill on Numbers 25:2

John Calvin on Numbers 25:1-2

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 25:2

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 25:1-5

John Gill on Numbers 25:2

John Calvin on Numbers 25:1-2

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 25:1-2

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 25:2

Rashi on Numbers 25:2