Phinehas

Phinehas, also spelled Pinchas, is a figure in the Hebrew Bible. He is the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron, making him a Levite priest in the Israelite faith. In the Book of Numbers, Phinehas is noted for his zeal for the Lord when an Israelite man named Zimri and a Midianite woman named Cozbi engaged in flagrant idolatry and sexual immorality during a plague afflicting the people. Phinehas took a spear and killed them, and his act stopped the plague. For his zeal, God granted him and his descendants a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, described as the covenant of an everlasting priesthood for Phinehas and his seed throughout their generations.

In the biblical narrative, Phinehas is recorded as a priest who serves alongside his father Eleazar and his descendants. He is named in 1 Chronicles 23 and 24 in genealogical lists that establish the Levitical duties of the priestly lines, including the line of Phinehas.

In Psalm 106:30-31, Phinehas is referenced as an exemplar of zeal, with his action described as stopping the plague; his deeds are presented as justified judgment and as securing righteousness for generations to come.

Scholarly and rabbinic traditions expand on Phinehas's role, portraying him as a model of zeal for God and as an ancestral priest whose line continued through the priestly families. The name Phinehas has remained a given name in Jewish and Christian communities, often associated with faithfulness and priestly heritage.