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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Numbers 25:6-15

Here is a remarkable contest between wickedness and righteousness, which shall be most bold and resolute; and righteousness carries the day, as no doubt it will at last. I. Never was vice more daring than it was in Zimri, a prince of a chief house in the tribe of Simeon. Such a degree of impudence in wickedness had he arrived at that he publicly appeared leading a Midianitish harlot (and a harlot of quality too like himself, a daughter of a chief house in Midian) in the sight of Moses, and all... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:7

And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it ,.... Saw the man pass by in this impudent manner, and his whore with him; his spirit was stirred up, he was filled and fired with zeal for the glory of God, and with an holy indignation against the sin and sinner, and with a just concern for the honour of the righteous law of God; and, to prevent others from falling into the same sin, led by the public example of so great a personage, as it appears afterwards this... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:8

And he went after the man of Israel into the tent ,.... Into which he went with his harlot; the word here used is different from what is commonly used for a tent: Aben Ezra observes that in the Kedarene or Arabic language there is a word near to it, which Bochart, putting the article "al" to it, says F1 "conclave est camerati operis, quo lectus circumdatur", Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 4. c. 8. Colossians 1092 . Vid. Schultens Animadv. Philolog. in Job. p. 183. , is "alkobba", from whence... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:9

And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. The apostle says 23,000 1 Corinthians 10:8 . Moses includes those that were hanged against the sun, in the time of the plague, as well as those that were taken off by it, even all that died on this account; the apostle only those that "fell", which cannot with propriety be said of those that were hanged, who might be 1000 and so their numbers agree; but of this and other ways of removing this difficulty See Gill on 1... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:10

And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... Out of the cloud, or out of the tabernacle, at the door of which Moses now was, Numbers 25:6 , this was after so many had died of the plague, and after the fact of Phinehas, by which it was stopped: saying; as follows. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:11

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest ,.... His descent and genealogy is observed as before, partly to show that he was not a private person, but a man of public authority that did the above fact; perhaps one of the judges that Moses ordered to slay every man his man, and therefore what he did by the order of the supreme magistrate; and partly to show that he was heir apparent to the office of high priest, who in course was to succeed in it; nor should this action of his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:12

Wherefore say ,.... Moses is bid to tell what follows to Phinehas himself, for his comfort and encouragement, and to the people of Israel, that they might take notice of it, and give him honour and respect, as one highly esteemed by the Lord: behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace ; not only hereby assuring him that he had nothing to fear from the brethren and relations of the person he had slain, as Aben Ezra; but that he should enjoy all peace and happiness, external, internal,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:13

And he shall have it, and his seed after him ,.... The covenant, and all the blessings of it; so the covenant stands fast with Christ, and all his spiritual seed, Psalm 89:28 , even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood ; or this may be read in connection with the preceding words, and the sense be, and he and his shall have the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, beside the covenant of peace before promised to him: the Aaronic priesthood is called everlasting, because it was to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:14

Now the name of the Israelite that was slain ,.... By Phinehas, as before related: even that was slain with the Midianitish woman ; who was slain also, both together with one thrust: was Zimri, the son of Sela, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites ; or a prince of his father's house, or family; there were five families of the Simeonites, and this man was a prince of one of them, see Numbers 26:12 though Josephus F8 Antiqu. l. 4. c. 6. sect. 10. , and so the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 25:15

And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur ,.... One of the five kings of Midian, Numbers 31:8 and so the Samaritan Chronicle says F11 Apud Hottinger, ut supra. (Smergma Oriental, l. 1. c. 8. p. 448.) , it was the daughter of a king that came to a prince of the tribe of Simeon, and enticed him to eat of her food, and worship her idols. The Targum of Jonathan says she was called Selonae, the daughter of Balak, chief of the nation of Moab, whose... read more

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