1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people begun to commit whoredome with the daughters of Moab.
2 And they called the people vnto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eate, and bowed downe to their gods.
3 And Israel ioyned himselfe vnto Baal-Peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
4 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them vp before the Lord against the Sunne, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.
5 And Moses said vnto the Iudges of Israel, Slay ye euery one his men, that were ioyned vnto Baal-Peor.
6 ¶ And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought vnto his brethren a Midianitish woman, in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the Congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
7 And when Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar, the sonne of Aaron the Priest saw it, hee rose vp from amongst the Congregation, and tooke a iauelin in his hand.
8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them thorow, the man of Israel, and the woman, thorow her belly: So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
9 And those that died in the plague, were twentie and foure thousand.
10 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
11 Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar, the sonne of Aaron the Priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, (while hee was zealous for my sake among them) that I consumed not the children of Israel in my ielousie.
12 Wherefore say, Behold, I giue vnto him my Couenant of peace.
13 And he shall haue it, and his seed after him, euen the Couenant of an euerlasting Priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slaine, euen that was slaine with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri the sonne of Salu, a Prince of a chiefe house among the Simeonites.
15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slaine, was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, hee was head ouer a people, and of a chiefe house in Midian.
16 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
17 Uexe the Midianites, and smite them:
18 For they vexe you with their wiles, wherewith they haue beguiled you, in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a Prince of Midian their sister, which was slaine in the day of the plague, for Peors sake.
The Israelites enticed by the daughters of Moab and Midian. (1-5) Phinehas puts Zimri and Cozbi to death. (6-15) The Midianites to be punished. (16-18)1-5 The friendship of the wicked is more dangerous than their enmity; for none can prevail against God's people if they are not overcome by their inbred lusts; nor can any enchantment hurt them, but the enticements of worldly interests and pleasures. Here is the sin of Israel, to which they are enticed by the daughters of Moab and Midian. Those are our worst enemies who draw us to sin, for that is the greatest mischief any man can do us. Israel's sin did that which all Balaam's enchantments could not do; it set God against them. Diseases are the fruits of God's anger, and the just punishments of prevailing sins; one infection follows the other. Ringleaders in sin ought to be made examples of justice.
6-15 Phinehas, in the courage of zeal and faith, executed vengeance on Zimri and Cozbi. This act can never be an example for private revenge, or religious persecution, or for irregular public vengeance.
16-18 We read not that any Midianites died of the plague; God punished them with the sword of an enemy, not with the rod of a father. We must set ourselves against whatever is an occasion of sin to us, #Mt 5:29,30|. Whatever draws us to sin, should be a vexation to us, as a thorn in the flesh. And none will be more surely and severely punished than those who, after Satan's example, and with his subtlety, tempt others to sin.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.