New American Standard Bible 2020
Numbers 25:4
4And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and 1execute them 2in broad daylight before the Lord, 3so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”
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
2For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3So Israel became followers of Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry with Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who have become followers of Baal of Peor.” 6Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
Read all of Numbers 25Numbers 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
- And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- Takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- the leadersרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: leaderH7218
- of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- executeיָקַעyâqa‛ · to dislocate/hangH3363
- in broadנֶ֫גֶדneged · beforeH5048
- daylightשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
- so that the fierceחָרוֹןchârôn chârôn · burning angerH2740
- angerאַף'aph · face: angerH639
- may turnשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725
- awayשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725
- from Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
Cross-references for Numbers 25:4
- Exodus 18:21Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Exodus 22:20“He who sacrifices to any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be utterly destroyed.
- Exodus 32:27And he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Every man of you put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’”
- Deuteronomy 13:6“If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is like your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known,
- Deuteronomy 17:3and that person has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun, the moon, or any of the heavenly lights, which I have commanded not to do,
- 1 Kings 18:40Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, 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
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Numbers 25:4 Lit display them (dead) with broken limbs ↩
- 2. Numbers 25:4 Lit in front of the sun ↩
- 3. Numbers 25:4 Deut 13:17 ↩
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
New American Standard Bible 2020 — © 1960–2020 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries