Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PEOR

(Heb. pĕʿôr)

A mountain of the Abarim range in northwestern Moab, also called Baal-peor because it was the focal point for the worship of a local manifestation of Baal (also known as Baal-peor or simply Peor). Many Israelites fell into apostasy by worshipping the god of this mountain (Num. 25:3, 5, 18; 31:16; Deut. 4:3; Josh. 22:17; Ps. 106:28). It was from this mountain that Balaam attempted to curse Israel.

It had generally been understood that Mt. Peor is located somewhere near Mt. Nebo (Jebel en-Nebu), since the biblical text indicates that Balaam could observe the camp of Israel at Shittim (on the Plain of Moab) from its summit (Num. 23:28; 24:2; 25:1), a vantage point that Nebo also provides. The proximity of these two mountains to each other is further supported by Deut. 34:1-6, which indicates that Moses died on or near Mt. Nebo, but was buried in an unknown location in the valley “opposite Beth-peor.” Egeria claimed she could see the prominence of Peor (Fogor) at a site called Agri Specula, located to the “left” of the mountain where the Byzantine church known as the Memorial of Moses stands, “toward the Dead Sea” (i.e., SW of Râs es-Siyagha, the western prominence of Mt. Nebo). Another possibility would be the Mushaqqar ridge immediately N of Siyagha. Indeed, at least two sites on this ridge (220131), Khirbet el-Meḥaṭṭa/Khirbet esh-Sheikj Jayil and Khirbet ʿAyûn Mûsā, have been proposed as candidates for Beth-peor, the cult center for Baal-peor.

Randall W. Younker

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PEOR

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)