pinchas

Pinchas is a male given name of Hebrew origin, with variants such as Phineas, Pinchas, and Pinhas. The exact etymology is not definitively established in ancient sources, but the name is best known from the biblical figure Phinehas (Pinchas), the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, who becomes a priest in the Aaronide line.

In the biblical narrative, Pinchas is noted for an act of zeal that ends a plague among the Israelites. During an episode of idolatry involving an Israelite man and a Midianite woman, Pinchas killed them with a spear, an act that the text presents as halting the plague. In reward, God grants him a covenant of priesthood for him and his descendants and a covenant of peace, thereby securing the hereditary priesthood for Pinchas’s line.

Pinchas is the namesake of Parashat Pinchas, one of the weekly Torah portions (Numbers 25:10–30:1). The portion covers the conclusion of the plague narrative, as well as subsequent census and territorial allocations.

In Jewish interpretation, Pinchas’s act has been discussed in terms of zeal for holiness, ethics, and the boundaries of righteous action. Rabbinic and medieval commentators offer a range of perspectives on the episode, balancing praise for sanctity with caution about vigilantism.

In modern usage, Pinchas remains a common given name in Jewish communities and beyond. Notable bearers include Pinchas Zukerman, an Israeli-Canadian violinist and conductor.