Numbers 25:2-3

25:2 These women invited ¹  the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods. ²  25:3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, ³  the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel.

Deuteronomy 12:2

12:2 You must by all means destroy ⁴  all the places where the nations you are about to dispossess worship their gods – on the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 12:2

12:2 You must by all means destroy ⁶  all the places where the nations you are about to dispossess worship their gods – on the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. ⁷ 

Deuteronomy 11:15

11:15 I will provide pasture ⁸  for your livestock and you will eat your fill.”

Jeremiah 48:35

48:35 I will put an end in Moab

to those who make offerings at her places of worship. ⁹ 

I will put an end to those who sacrifice to other gods.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ¹⁰ 

[25:2]  ¹ tn The verb simply says “they called,” but it is a feminine plural. And so the women who engaged in immoral acts with Hebrew men invited them to their temple ritual.

[25:2]  ² sn What Israel experienced here was some of the debased ritual practices of the Canaanite people. The act of prostrating themselves before the pagan deities was probably participation in a fertility ritual, nothing short of cultic prostitution. This was a blatant disregard of the covenant and the Law. If something were not done, the nation would have destroyed itself.

[25:3]  ³ tn The verb is “yoked” to Baal-peor. The word is unusual, and may suggest the physical, ritual participation described below. It certainly shows that they acknowledge the reality of the local god.

[12:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “destroying you must destroy”; KJV “Ye shall utterly (surely ASV) destroy”; NRSV “must demolish completely.” The Hebrew infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by the words “by all means.”

[12:2]  ⁵ sn Every leafy tree. This expression refers to evergreens which, because they keep their foliage throughout the year, provided apt symbolism for nature cults such as those practiced in Canaan. The deity particularly in view is Asherah, wife of the great god El, who was considered the goddess of fertility and whose worship frequently took place at shrines near or among clusters (groves) of such trees (see also Deut 7:5). See J. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:569-70; J. DeMoor, TDOT 1:438-44.

[12:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “destroying you must destroy”; KJV “Ye shall utterly (surely ASV) destroy”; NRSV “must demolish completely.” The Hebrew infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by the words “by all means.”

[12:2]  ⁷ sn Every leafy tree. This expression refers to evergreens which, because they keep their foliage throughout the year, provided apt symbolism for nature cults such as those practiced in Canaan. The deity particularly in view is Asherah, wife of the great god El, who was considered the goddess of fertility and whose worship frequently took place at shrines near or among clusters (groves) of such trees (see also Deut 7:5). See J. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:569-70; J. DeMoor, TDOT 1:438-44.

[11:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “grass in your field.”

[48:35]  ⁹ tn Heb “high place[s].” For the meaning and significance of this term see the study note on 7:31.

[48:35]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”