Baal Peor
בַּעַל פְּעוֹר/BAY-uhl PEE-or/
“Lord of Peor”
Summary
The Moabite deity worshiped on Mount Peor, whose licentious rites led Israel into grievous sin.
☩Israel's Sin at Peor
Baal-peor was the idol worshiped on Mount Peor near where Israel was encamped before entering Canaan. Through the counsel of Balaam, Moabite and Midianite women seduced the Israelites into idolatry and immorality. A plague struck Israel, killing 24,000, until Phinehas's zeal turned away God's wrath.
Key verses:Numbers 25:1-9Numbers 31:16Deuteronomy 4:3
☩Later References
The sin at Baal-peor became a byword for Israel's unfaithfulness. The psalmist recalls that they 'joined themselves to Baal-peor and ate the sacrifices of the dead.' Hosea uses it to describe Israel's earliest corruption.
Key verses:Psalm 106:28Hosea 9:10
Related Verses5 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Baal-peor," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Baalpeor," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).