Numbers 25:4

Numbers 25:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)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."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”

Context of Numbers 25:4

2The women from Moab took Israelite men to watch them as they offered sacrifices to the gods of Moab. The Israelite men joined with the Moabite women to eat at their feasts. They also worshipped the gods of Moab. 3The Israelites joined the Moabite women to worship their god, Baal of Peor. So the Lord became very angry with them. The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take hold of all the leaders of these people. Hang them up during the day so that they die and people see them. Do what I tell you, so that I will no longer be angry against the Israelites.’ 5Moses told the officers of the Israelites, ‘Each of you, kill the men who have worshipped the god, Baal of Peor.’ 6Moses and all the people were at the door of the Tent of Meeting. They were weeping. While they were there, an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman into his tent. Moses and all the people could see them.

Numbers 25:4 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה קַ֚ח אֶת־כָּל־רָאשֵׁ֣י הָעָ֔ם וְהוֹקַ֥ע אוֹתָ֛ם לַיהוָ֖ה נֶ֣גֶד הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ וְיָשֹׁ֛ב חֲר֥וֹן אַף־יְהוָ֖ה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• Takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• all the headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: leaderH7218
• of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• and hang them upיָקַעyâqa‛ · to dislocate/hangH3363
• beforeנֶ֫גֶדneged · beforeH5048
• against the sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
• that the fierceחָרוֹןchârôn chârôn · burning angerH2740
• angerאַף'aph · face: angerH639
• may be turned awayשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725
• from Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478

Cross-references for Numbers 25:4

• Exodus 18:21But you must also choose some other clever men to help you. They must be honest men who respect God. They must not want to take money from people. Choose these men to be officers with authority over groups of the people. They will be leaders of 1,000 people, or 100 people, or 50 people, or 10 people.
• Exodus 22:20You must completely destroy anyone who offers a sacrifice to a false god. You must only offer sacrifices to the Lord.
• Exodus 32:27Then Moses said to the Levites, ‘The Lord, Israel's God, says this: Each one of you must take his sword in his hand. You must go everywhere in the camp, from this side to the other side. You must kill everyone, even your brothers, your friends and your neighbours.’
• Deuteronomy 13:6Even someone in your own family may try to turn you away from the Lord. It may be your own brother, your son or your daughter. It may be your wife whom you love. It may be a friend that you like very much. They may say to you secretly, ‘We should worship other gods.’ Those are gods that you and your ancestors never knew about before.
• Deuteronomy 17:3He may have started to worship false gods that I have commanded you not to worship. Perhaps he worships the sun, the moon or the stars.
• 1 Kings 18:40Then Elijah said, ‘Take hold of Baal's prophets! Do not let any of them run away!’ So they caught them. Then Elijah took the prophets down to the Kishon Valley. There, he punished them with death.

Commentaries on Numbers 25:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Take all the heads of the people, etc. - Meaning the chiefs of those who had transgressed; as if he had said, "Assemble the chiefs and judges, institute an inquiry concerning the transgressors, and hang them who shall be found guilty before the Lord, as a matter required by his justice." Against the sun - in the most public manner, and in daylight. Dr. Kennicott has remarked that the Samaritan and Hebrew texts must be both taken together, to make the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Take - i. e., assemble the chiefs of the people to thee (compare the phrase “took men,” in Numbers 16:1). The offenders were to be first; slain by the hands of “the judges of Israel” Numbers 25:5, and afterward hung up “against the sun” (i. e., publicly, openly; compare 2 Samuel 12:12) as an aggravation of their punishment. This would be done by impaling the body or fastening it to a cross. Compare Deuteronomy 21:23 note, and 2 Samuel 21:9.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4As at Sinai, the Lord required quick justice (Exodus 32:27–28). execute them in broad daylight: They may have killed the guilty people and hung them on a pole. Then they would leave them in the sun so everyone could see and learn from their mistakes (see 2 Samuel 21:6, 9; compare 2 Samuel 12:12).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. The Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up--Israelite criminals, who were capitally punished, were first stoned or slain, and then gibbeted. The persons ordered here for execution were the principal delinquents in the Baal-peor outrage--the subordinate officers, rulers of tens or hundreds. before the Lord--for vindicating the honor of the true God. against the sun--that is, as a mark of public ignominy; but they were…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 25:4

• Anger
• Fellowship
• Israel
• Judgments

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Moses
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Balaam
• Hanging
• Phinehas
• Thrust
• Abel-Shittim
• Astrology

Commentaries on Numbers 25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings