"Veneration, Not Worship" Series Part 2: Explanation of Psalm 105:28

Explanation of Psalm 105:28

Continuing where we left off in Part 1 , we will next consider verse 28 as an explicit description of idolatry.    

 (105:28) They were joined also to Beelphegor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. And they provoked him with their devices; 29(105:29) and destruction, was multiplied among them.

The verse referenced, Psalm 105:28 (or Psalm 106:28 in most modern Bibles), refers to the Israelite sin of idolatry and apostasy in connection with Baal-Peor (Βεελφεγωρ, Beelphegor in the Greek Septuagint), a Moabite deity. This incident is recorded in Numbers 25:1-9, where the Israelites, while staying in Shittim, began to engage in immorality with Moabite women, who lured them into worshiping Baal-Peor. They participated in idolatrous sacrifices and feasts, provoking God's anger. As punishment, a plague struck Israel, killing 24,000 people. The plague only ended when Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, killed an Israelite man and a Midianite woman who were openly engaging in this sin. His act of zeal restored God's favor and stopped the destruction.

Who or What is Beelphegor (Baal-Peor)?

Baal-Peor (Beelphegor in the Septuagint) was a deity worshipped by the Moabites and Midianites, often associated with licentious rites and possibly linked to the underworld. The name Peor refers to a mountain or region where this god was worshipped. The term Baal (meaning "lord" or "master") indicates that he was a local deity, likely connected to fertility and sexual rites.

Jewish tradition (e.g., in the Talmud, Sanhedrin 64a) suggests that the worship of Baal-Peor involved highly degrading and obscene rituals, possibly including acts of defecation as a form of offering. However, this may be a polemical exaggeration. More broadly, it is believed that Baal-Peor’s worship involved sacred prostitution and fertility rites, meant to ensure agricultural prosperity and divine favor.

What is the "Sacrifice of the Dead"?

The phrase "they ate the sacrifices of the dead" likely refers to ritual meals offered to idols, particularly to the spirits of the dead, which was common in ancient pagan religions. In some Near Eastern and Canaanite cults, people offered food, drink, or even human sacrifices to deceased ancestors, deified heroes, or underworld deities.

This could also be related to the idea that idols were considered dead gods, meaning sacrifices to them were seen as offerings to lifeless, powerless entities (as in Psalm 115:4-8, which mocks idol worship). In the context of Numbers 25, it refers to sacrificial meals consumed in honor of Baal-Peor, which the Israelites partook in when they joined in Moabite worship.

Pagan Ritual Referenced in the Verse

The ritual in question seems to have involved:

1. Sexual Immorality – Israelite men engaged in sexual relations with Moabite women, likely as part of fertility rites.

2. Idolatrous Feasting – They participated in sacrificial meals dedicated to Baal-Peor, consuming food that had been offered to the deity.

3. Invocation of the Dead – Some scholars suggest that Baal-Peor may have had associations with necromantic practices, where the worshippers sought communion with the dead.

4. Baal Worship – This involved bowing down to the idol, burning incense, and possibly engaging in self-mutilation or other extreme practices (as seen in Canaanite worship of Baal in 1 Kings 18:28).

Divine Punishment

As a result of this idolatrous behavior, God sent a plague upon Israel, killing 24,000 people (Numbers 25:9). The plague only ceased when Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, executed an Israelite man and a Midianite woman engaging in an illicit act inside the camp (Numbers 25:6-8), demonstrating zeal for God's covenant.

Summary 

Psalm 105:28 (106:28) recalls this event as a warning against idolatry and moral corruption, showing how Israel repeatedly turned away from God despite His deliverance. The reference to "Beelphegor" and the "sacrifices of the dead" indicates a syncretistic and immoral form of worship that led Israel into grave sin. This verse aligns with the broader biblical condemnation of idolatry, especially when it involves debased rituals that degrade human dignity and defile the covenant relationship with God.