Peor

Peor(Hebrew:פְּעוֹר‎,Modern:Peʿōr,Tiberian:Pŏʿōr,Biblical:Paġor) meaning "opening", may refer to:

• The name of a mountain peak, mentioned inNumbers23:28,to whichBalak,king ofMoabledBalaamin his fourth and final attempt to induce Balaam to pronounce a curse upon theIsraelitesas they were passing through Balak's Land to the Promised Land. Thetribes of Israelwere described as being visible from the peak, but Balaam refused to curse them, and continued to offer blessings (Numbers 24:1–9).
• A reference to a deity who was worshipped at that mountain peak (Belphegor) and, biblically, was the subject of theheresy of Peor.The deity, worshipped by theMoabites,is biblically referred to asBaal-peor(Num. 25:3,5, 18) and as the "house of peor" (בית פעור) (Deuteronomy3:29), generally meaningtheBaalof Peor.
• An alternative translation ofPhagor,a city of Judah mentioned in the Greek (Septuagint) version of the Book of Joshua (Joshua 15:59).
• InJohn Milton's"Paradise Lost",Peor is said to be the other name of the fallen angel Chemos, who" entic'd/Israel in Sittim on thir march from Nile/To do him wanton rites, which cost them woe "(Paradise Lost, I.412-14). His deeds are described in the first book of the epic, as Milton describesSatan'sfollowers who were banished from Heaven, and have pledged themselves as followers of the underworld.

Source

This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Easton, Matthew George(1897). "Peor".Easton's Bible Dictionary(New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.