Psalms 106:28-29
Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The phrase "sacrifices of the dead" isn't just a dismissive term for idols; it likely hints at the practice of deifying deceased rulers or heroes, and then offering them sacrifices as if they were still alive and in need. This wasn't just worshipping inanimate objects, but rather an attempt to commune with powerful, but ultimately lifeless, figures from the past.
The Psalmist recounts Israel's repeated faithlessness, focusing on their participation in the idolatrous worship of Baal of Peor, which involved sexual immorality and the consumption of sacrifices offered to lifeless idols. This sin, detailed in Numbers 25, led to a devastating plague and was a grave offense against God. The passage then highlights Phinehas's zealous act of justice, which appeased God's wrath and stopped the plague, emphasizing the consequences of national sin and the power of righteous intervention.
Have you ever felt completely tied down by something that drains your life? The Psalmist uses a powerful image to describe Israel's deep involvement with Baal-Peor. It wasn't just a casual encounter; it was a binding commitment.
A Binding Commitment
The phrase "yoked themselves" (or similar translations like "joined themselves") paints a vivid picture. In ancient times, oxen were yoked together to work, a symbol of being bound to a task or a master. When Israel "yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor," it signifies a profound, committed alliance. This wasn't just participating in a ritual; it was adopting a new allegiance, becoming bound to this false god.
The "Dead" in Worship
The text further describes this as "eating sacrifices offered to the dead." This points to several things:
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The name Baal-Peor itself carries a dark and shameful history. What does this specific idol represent, and why did Israel fall so disastrously into its worship?
The Scandal of Peor
The event described here is rooted in the story found in Numbers 25. While Israel was on the plains of Moab, near Mount Peor, they began to engage in illicit relations with Moabite women. This wasn't just casual immorality; it was part of the worship of Baal-Peor.
A Cult of Immorality and Idolatry
Scholars suggest that the worship of Baal-Peor involved licentious practices, possibly including sexual immorality as part of its rites. The "Baal" part of the name means "lord" or "master," and "Peor" likely refers to the mountain where this idol was worshipped. This cult offered a stark contrast to the holy, covenantal relationship Israel was called to have with Yahweh.
Balaam's Treacherous Counsel
This whole affair was a direct result of Balaam's wicked advice. When he couldn't curse Israel, he suggested to King Balak that Israel could be enticed into sin through their women, leading them into idolatry. This strategy tragically succeeded, showing how easily Israel could be led astray by forbidden desires and enticing practices.
Understand the original words
tsamad · Hebrew Verb
To be joined or attached to something, often used metaphorically to describe entering into a covenant or an illicit association with an idol or a false deity.
Baal · Hebrew Proper Noun
The chief deity of the Canaanite pantheon, frequently representing fertility and storm gods; biblically, it serves as the ultimate symbol of apostasy and false worship against Yahweh.
zebach · Hebrew Noun
Food items prepared for ritual purposes; in this context, it refers to pagan ritual feasts that signify spiritual alliance with dead idols or non-existent gods.
ka'as · Hebrew Verb
An emotional and judicial reaction from God caused by human sin, covenant-breaking, or rebellion; it reflects God’s holiness responding to injustice.
magephah · Hebrew Noun
A divine judgment or calamitous affliction, often manifesting as a widespread sickness or death, sent as a direct response to flagrant sin or rebellion against the covenant.
This verse points to a specific, scandalous event in Israel's history when they became entangled with Moabite idolatry and immorality. The worship of Baal-Peor, associated with licentiousness and 'sacrifices of the dead' (a contemptuous term for idols or offerings to the deceased), led to severe divine judgment, highlighting the destructive consequences of unfaithfulness to God.
c. 1400 BC— this verse
Israelites in Moab
While encamped in the plains of Moab, the Israelites began to engage in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices of their god, Baal-Peor.
c. 1400 BC
Widespread Idolatry and Immorality
The people of Israel succumbed to the enticement of Moabite women, participating in their idolatrous worship and sexual rites associated with Baal-Peor, leading to a devastating plague.
c. 1400 BC
Phinehas Intervenes
Enraged by the sin, Phinehas executed a prominent Israelite man and a Midianite woman in an act of zealous justice, which led to the plague being stayed.
c. 1400 BC
Divine Judgment and Restoration
Though a plague killed 24,000 Israelites, Phinehas's decisive action stopped the divine judgment, averting further national catastrophe and establishing his family in a covenant of priesthood.
This passage directly recounts the event of Israel joining themselves to Baal of Peor through illicit relations and idolatrous worship, providing the historical context for this psalm's lament.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12This passage warns against the practices associated with the worship of Baal-peor, such as divination and sacrifice to lifeless gods, highlighting the spiritual dangers Israel fell into.
1 Corinthians 10:7-8The Apostle Paul directly references the sin of Baal-peor as a cautionary example for New Testament believers, connecting their participation in idolatry and sexual immorality to the Israelites' downfall.
Leviticus 26:30This verse describes a consequence of idolatry where the people would offer sacrifices to their detestable things, and God would cast their dead bodies, mirroring the psalm's phrase 'sacrifices of the dead'.
Hosea 9:10Hosea echoes the shame and disgrace of Israel's encounter with Baal-peor, describing their dedication to shameful things and their resulting broken relationship with God.
clarkePsalms 106:28: "They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead."
They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor - The Vulgate, Septuagint, and others, have Belphegor; the Syriac and Arabic, the idol Phegor, or Phaaur; the ע ain in the word being pronounced as gh. Ate the sacrifices or the dead - מתים methim, of dead men. Most of the heathen idols were seen, who had been deified after their death; many of whom had been execrated during their life.
bensonPsalms 106:28: "They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead."
Psalm 106:28-30 . They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor — To wit, in worship, whereby they had a union and communion with him, as God’s people have with God in acts of his worship. And ate the sacrifices of the dead — Which were offered to idols, which he calls dead, in opposition to the true and living God, and by way of contempt, and to denote the stupidity of idolaters, who worshipped lifeles…
The phrase "sacrifices of the dead" isn't just a dismissive term for idols; it likely hints at the practice of deifying deceased rulers or heroes, and then offering them sacrifices as if they were still alive and in need. This wasn't just worshipping inanimate objects, but rather an attempt to commune with powerful, but ultimately lifeless, figures from the past.
The Psalmist recounts Israel's repeated faithlessness, focusing on their participation in the idolatrous worship of Baal of Peor, which involved sexual immorality and the consumption of sacrifices offered to lifeless idols. This sin, detailed in Numbers 25, led to a devastating plague and was a grave offense against God. The passage then highlights Phinehas's zealous act of justice, which appeased God's wrath and stopped the plague, emphasizing the consequences of national sin and the power of righteous intervention.
The Psalmist recounts Israel's repeated faithlessness, focusing on their participation in the idolatrous worship of Baal of Peor, which involved sexual immorality and the consumption of sacrifices offered to lifeless idols. This sin, detailed in Numbers 25, led to a devastating plague and was a grave offense against God. The passage then highlights Phinehas's zealous act of justice, which appeased God's wrath and stopped the plague, emphasizing the consequences of national sin and the power of righteous intervention.
"Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them." — The phrase "sacrifices of the dead" isn't just a dismissive term for idols; it likely hints at the practice of deifying deceased rulers or heroes, and then offering them sacrifices as if they were st…
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