Cozbi

Biblical Account

Cozbi is a Midianite woman who appears only in Numbers 25. While Israel was encamped at Shittim before entering Canaan, the people committed whoredom with the women of Moab and bowed down to their god, the Baal of Peor (Numbers 25:1–3). As a result, a plague broke out among the people.

While the people were weeping before the tabernacle of the congregation, Zimri the son of Salu, the leader of a family within the tribe of Simeon, brought Cozbi into the camp and went into his tent. Seeing this, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, took a javelin, followed them in, and thrust both of them through, and the plague was stayed (Numbers 25:6–8). Those who died in the plague numbered twenty-four thousand (Numbers 25:9).

The text identifies Cozbi as "the daughter of Zur," who "was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian" (Numbers 25:15). God then declares that the Midianites had beguiled Israel "in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi... their sister," and commands Israel to vex the Midianites and smite them (Numbers 25:16–18). Her father Zur appears again later as one of the five kings of Midian slain in Israel's war against Midian (Numbers 31:8).

Significance Within Scripture

The story of Cozbi is presented as the climax of an episode in which Israel broke its covenant with God through pagan idolatry and sexual immorality. The text characterizes the public involvement of a Midianite leader's daughter with an Israelite leader as Midianite "wiles," and Numbers 31:16 records that this seduction originated in the counsel of Balaam. Phinehas's action led to the promise of a "covenant of peace" and an everlasting priesthood (Numbers 25:12–13), and Psalm 106:30–31 also recalls the event.

The New Testament does not mention Cozbi by name. However, Paul appears to have this incident in mind in 1 Corinthians 10:8, where he warns that through fornication twenty-three thousand fell in one day, and Revelation 2:14 notes that Balaam taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel.

Interpretation and Issues

• Meaning of the name: Some suggest that the name "Cozbi" sounds similar to a Hebrew word meaning "to deceive," but this is uncertain.
• Cozbi's role: Sermons and popular commentaries sometimes portray Cozbi as a seductress deliberately sent by Midian or as a priestess of a pagan shrine. The text, however, states only that she was a chief's daughter and that she was used in Midian's deception; it records no cultic office. Because the Hebrew word translated as Zimri's "tent" occurs only here in the Bible, some scholars take it to refer to a cultic tent, but this remains conjecture.
• Rabbinic tradition: Jewish tradition includes commentary that adds details about Zimri and Cozbi not found in the text, but this material is distinct from the biblical record.
• Questions about violence: Traditionally, Phinehas's zeal has been highly esteemed as loyalty to God. Today, some argue that the incident should be read within the context of the covenant community and the concept of holiness in its own time, while others ask how its violence should be understood. The fact that Moses' wife Zipporah was also a Midianite is sometimes raised in this connection.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Cozbi is rarely the subject of a sermon in her own right. She is usually mentioned in sermons dealing with the Baal-peor incident, the zeal of Phinehas, or the counsel of Balaam, and is presented as an example in teaching that warns against sexual temptation and idolatry.