Beth-peor

About Beth-peor

Beth-peor, meaning "house of Peor" or "temple of Peor" in Hebrew, was a place located east of the Jordan River, in the land of Moab. It is mentioned in the context of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness and the events leading up to their entry into the Promised Land.

In Deu.3.29, Beth-peor is mentioned as the place where the Israelites camped before Moses delivered his final discourses to the people. The text specifies that they stayed in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

Deu.4.46 again refers to Beth-peor as the location where Moses spoke to the Israelites, giving them the statutes and judgments that they were to observe in the land they were about to enter.

The most significant event associated with Beth-peor is the death and burial of Moses. In Deu.34.6, it is recorded that Moses died in the land of Moab and was buried in a valley opposite Beth-peor. However, the exact location of his grave remains unknown, as the text states that "no one knows his grave to this day."

In Joshua 13:20, Beth-peor is mentioned as part of the territory allotted to the tribe of Reuben, along with other cities in the plains of Moab.

The name Beth-peor suggests that the place was associated with the worship of the Moabite god Peor. This connection is further supported by the events recorded in Numbers 25, where the Israelites engaged in idolatry and sexual immorality with the Moabites, worshipping Baal of Peor. As a result, a plague struck the Israelites, and Moses was commanded to execute the leaders of the people.

The location of Beth-peor is not precisely known, but it was likely situated in the vicinity of Mount Nebo, from where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death (Deu.34.1-4).

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.