Phinehas at Peor

While Israel abode in Shittim, the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab, who called them unto the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to these gods, and Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor, causing the anger of the Lord to be kindled against Israel (Numbers 25:1-3). The Lord instructed Moses to take the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord against the sun to turn away His fierce anger. Moses commanded the judges of Israel to slay every one of his men that were joined unto Baalpeor (Numbers 25:4-5).

During this time, one of the children of Israel brought a Midianitish woman into his brethren's sight, in the presence of Moses and the congregation who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle. When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand (Numbers 25:6-7). He followed the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. The text does not say how the man and woman initially met. By this act, the plague that had been among the children of Israel was stayed (Numbers 25:8).

The man who was slain was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. The woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, who was head over a people and of a chief house in Midian (Numbers 25:14-15). The Lord spoke unto Moses, stating that Phinehas had turned His wrath away from the children of Israel because he was zealous for his God. The text does not say exactly how many hours or days the plague lasted, but those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand (Numbers 25:9-11).