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

2who invited the people to the sacrifices offered to their gods. The people ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped these gods. 3Since the Israelites joined in worshiping the god Baal of Peor, the Lord became angry with Israel. The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, and execute them in broad daylight in the Lord’s presence. This will turn the Lord’s anger away from Israel.” 5So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill the men who have joined in worshiping the god Baal of Peor.” 6One of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman to his brothers. He did this right in front of Moses and the whole community of Israel while they were crying at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

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 18:21“But choose capable men from all the people, men who fear God, men you can trust, men who hate corruption. Put them in charge of groups of 1,000, or 100, or 50, or 10 people.
• Exodus 22:20“Whoever sacrifices to any god except the Lord must be condemned and destroyed.
• Exodus 32:27He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Each of you put on your sword. Go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other, and kill your relatives, friends, and neighbors.”
• Deuteronomy 13:6Your own brother, son, or daughter, the wife you love, or your best friend may secretly tempt you, saying, “Let’s go worship other gods.” (Those gods may be gods that you and your ancestors never knew.
• Deuteronomy 17:3by worshiping and bowing down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this.
• 1 Kings 18:40Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let any of them escape.” The people seized them, and Elijah took them to the Kishon River and slaughtered them there.

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