Lexical Summary Baal Peor: Baal of Peor Original Word: בַּעַל פְּעוֹר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Baal-peor From Ba'al and p'owr; Baal of Peor; Baal-Peor, a Moabitish deity -- Baal-peor. see HEBREW Ba'al see HEBREW p'owr NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom Baal and Peor Definition "Baal of Peor," a Moabite god NASB Translation Baal of Peor (2), Baal-peor (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs בַּ֫עַל מְּעוֺר proper name, masculine Numbers 25:3,5; Deuteronomy 4:3 (twice in verse); Psalm 106:28; Hosea 9:10, Baal of Peor (VB) i.e. worshipped at מְּעוֺר q. v.; or Baal-P. (whence Peor as proper name, of a location); compare Di Numbers 25:3 BaudStud. ii. 233 BaeRel 14, 210. Topical Lexicon Name and Setting Baal Peor (“lord of Peor”) designates both a Canaanite–Moabite fertility deity and the location on Mount Peor where his cult was practiced east of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho. The site lay within Moab’s territory, near the plains where Israel camped before crossing into Canaan (Numbers 25:1; Numbers 33:48–49). Occurrences in Scripture 1. Numbers 25:3, 25:5 Each passage recalls the same historical crisis: Israel’s seduction into idolatry and immorality at Baal Peor shortly before entering the promised land. Historical Background After Balaam’s failed attempts to curse Israel (Numbers 22–24), Moabite and Midianite women enticed Israelite men to attend sacrificial feasts to Baal Peor, involving ritual prostitution and the eating of idol-meats (Numbers 25:1–2; Revelation 2:14). The incident provoked divine wrath, and “the anger of the LORD burned against them” (Numbers 25:3). A plague killed twenty-four thousand until Phinehas’s zealous act halted the judgment (Numbers 25:7–9). Nature of the Cult Baal worship featured: Peor (“open, gape”) may hint at obscene rituals. Hosea later labels the god “shame” (Hosea 9:10), underscoring the moral degradation of the cult. Israel’s Apostasy and Its Aftermath The judicial purge commanded by Moses—“Each of you must kill any of your men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor” (Numbers 25:5)—and Phinehas’s spear (Numbers 25:7–8) checked the contagion of idolatry, preserved the nation’s purity, and secured the covenant of perpetual priesthood for Phinehas’s line (Numbers 25:10–13). Moses later used the episode as a warning: “the LORD your God destroyed from among you all who followed the Baal of Peor” (Deuteronomy 4:3). Prophetic and Poetic References Psalm 106:28–29 recounts the incident to illustrate Israel’s recurrent unfaithfulness, while Hosea 9:10 invokes Baal Peor to rebuke the northern kingdom’s later plunge into similar idolatry: “They became as vile as the thing they loved”. Theological Significance 1. Holiness of God: The severity of the plague and executions reveals God’s uncompromising demand for exclusive worship. Lessons for Ministry Today • Guard against syncretism: Cultural accommodations that dilute biblical truth replicate Baal Peor’s compromise. Baal Peor thus serves as a sobering memorial: God’s people must abhor idolatry, preserve covenant purity, and remain wholly devoted to the Lord who redeemed them. Forms and Transliterations פְּע֑וֹר פְּע֔וֹר פְּע֗וֹר פְּעֽוֹר׃ פעור פעור׃ pə‘ōwr pə·‘ō·wr peorLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 25:3 HEB: יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְבַ֣עַל פְּע֑וֹר וַיִּֽחַר־ אַ֥ף NAS: joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD KJV: joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger INT: joined Israel to Baal was kindled and the anger Numbers 25:5 Deuteronomy 4:3 Deuteronomy 4:3 Psalm 106:28 Hosea 9:10 6 Occurrences |
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