Numbers 25:18
in Numbers 25For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
for they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.
KJV
For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor’s sake.
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This verse in Numbers 25
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Vex the Midianites, and smite them
on Numbers 25:17-18
The war is ordered against Midian while verse 1 named the daughters of Moab, and verse 18 gives the ground as the wiles by which they beguiled Israel in the matter of Peor. Moab is handled another way, since Deuteronomy 23:3-6 shuts the Moabite out of the congregation and names the hiring of Balaam in the same breath. The order given here is carried out in Numbers 31, and verse 16 of that chapter is where the counsel is finally traced to Balaam.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
For they vex you with their wiles,....
Note, Whatever draws us to sin should be a vexation to us, as a thorn in the flesh. The mischief which the Midianites did to Israel by enticing them to whoredom must be remembered and punished with as much severity as that which the Amalekites did in fighting with them when they came out of Egypt, Exod. xvii.
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| צֹרְרִ֥ים | tzorerim | [are] opposers | H6887 → | 54 times |
| הֵם֙ | hem | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| לָכֶ֔ם | lakhem | <to> <the> you | ||
| בְּנִכְלֵיהֶ֛ם | benikhleihem | by deceitfulness<es> their | H5231 → | |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נִכְּל֥וּ | nikelu | they have dealt deceptively | H5230 → | |
| לָכֶ֖ם | lakhem | to <the> you | ||
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| דְּבַר־ | devar- | [the] matter of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| פְּע֑וֹר | peor | Peor | H6465 → | 5 times |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| דְּבַ֞ר | devar | [the] matter of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| כָּזְבִּ֨י | kazebi | Cozbi | H3579 → | |
| בַת־ | vat- | [the] daughter of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| נְשִׂ֤יא | nesi' | [the] leader of | H5387 → | 134 times |
| מִדְיָן֙ | midyan | Midian | H4080 → | 59 times |
| אֲחֹתָ֔ם | ʾachotam | sister their | H269 → | 114 times |
| הַמֻּכָּ֥ה | hamukah | who was struck down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| בְיוֹם־ | veyom- | on [the] day of | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַמַּגֵּפָ֖ה | hamagefah | the plague | H4046 → | 25 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| דְּבַר־ | devar- | [the] matter of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| פְּעֽוֹר׃ | peor | Peor | H6465 → | 5 times |
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
צֹרְרִ֥ים[are] opposers
tzorerimH6887 →54 times
הֵם֙they
hemH1992 →553 times
לָכֶ֔ם<to> <the> you
lakhem
בְּנִכְלֵיהֶ֛םby deceitfulness<es> their
benikhleihemH5231 →
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
נִכְּל֥וּthey have dealt deceptively
nikeluH5230 →
לָכֶ֖םto <the> you
lakhem
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
דְּבַר־[the] matter of
devar-H1697 →1440 times
פְּע֑וֹרPeor
peorH6465 →5 times
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
דְּבַ֞ר[the] matter of
devarH1697 →1440 times
כָּזְבִּ֨יCozbi
kazebiH3579 →
בַת־[the] daughter of
vat-H1323 →588 times
נְשִׂ֤יא[the] leader of
nesi'H5387 →134 times
מִדְיָן֙Midian
midyanH4080 →59 times
אֲחֹתָ֔םsister their
ʾachotamH269 →114 times
הַמֻּכָּ֥הwho was struck down
hamukahH5221 →499 times
בְיוֹם־on [the] day of
veyom-H3117 →2304 times
הַמַּגֵּפָ֖הthe plague
hamagefahH4046 →25 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
דְּבַר־[the] matter of
devar-H1697 →1440 times
פְּעֽוֹר׃Peor
peorH6465 →5 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Corinthians 11:3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
it leads to
- Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.
- Galatians 1:6
I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
- Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.
- 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- Colossians 2:4
I say this so that no one will deceive you by smooth rhetoric.
- Colossians 2:8
Through
Revelation 2:14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food…
it leads to
- Numbers 31:16
“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.
- 2 Peter 2:15
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
- Numbers 31:16
Through
Genesis 3:13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 11:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Numbers

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
