Phinehas
According to the Hebrew Bible, Phinehas (also spelled Phineas, /ˈfɪniəs/; Hebrew: פִּינְחָס, Modern: Pīnḥas, Tiberian: Pīnəḥās, Ancient Greek: Φινεες[1] Phinees, Latin: Phinees)[2] was a priest during the Israelites' Exodus journey. The grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, the High Priests (Exodus 6:25), he distinguished himself as a youth at Shittim with his zeal against the heresy of Peor.
Displeased with the immorality with which the Moabites and Midianites had successfully tempted the Israelites (Numbers 25:1–9) to inter-marry and to worship Baal-peor, Phinehas personally executed an Israelite man and a Midianite woman while they were together in the man's tent, running a javelin or spear through the man and the belly of the woman, bringing to an end the plague sent by Yahweh to punish the Israelites for sexually intermingling with the Midianites.
Phinehas is commended by Yahweh in Numbers 25:10–13, as well as King David in Psalm 106 (Psalms 106:28–31) for having stopped Israel's fall into idolatrous practices brought in by Midianite women, as well as for stopping the desecration of Yahweh's sanctuary. After the entry to the land of Israel and the death of his father, he was appointed the third High Priest of Israel, and served at the sanctuary of Bethel (Judges 20:28).[3]
Name
[edit]The name "Phinehas" probably comes from the Egyptian name Pa-nehasi (pꜣ-nḥsj).[4][5] According to the Oxford Companion to the Bible, "the Bible also uses Egyptian and Nubian names for the land and its people. ... For the Egyptians used to these color variations, the term for their southern neighbors was Neḥesi, 'southerner', which eventually also came to mean 'the black' or 'the Nubian'. This Egyptian root (nḥsj, with the preformative pʾ as a definite article) appears in Exodus 6.25 as the personal name of Aaron's grandson, Phinehas (= Pa-neḥas)".[6] The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament interprets the name to mean "the bronze-colored one".[7]
Heresy of Peor
[edit]
The account appears immediately after the story of Balaam, who had been hired by the Moabite chieftain, Balak, to curse the Israelites. Balaam failed to do so, as Yahweh put words in his mouth of blessing for Israel, instead (the first prayer said by Jews as part of their daily prayer service comes from this exact text). Having failed to curse them, Balaam left for his own country. The Book of Numbers asserts a direct connection between Balaam and the events at Peor, stating that the Moabites "caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor".[8]
Moses gave orders to kill all the idolaters, yet Zimri, the son of the Israelite prince Salu from the Tribe of Simeon, openly defied Moses and publicly showed his opinion to those standing at the Tabernacle entrance with Moses by going in to Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite prince Sur. In a moment of great strength born of holy zeal, Phinehas went after them and ran them through with a spear. He thus "stayed the plague" that had broken out among the people, and by which twenty-four thousand of them had already perished.[9]
Yahweh noticed that Phinehas showed loyalty and bravery for him. Yahweh decided not to destroy all of the children of Israel in anger because Phinehas had made atonement for their sins. Yahweh declared that Phinehas, and his sons' sons for all eternity, would receive divine recognition for this; a covenant of peace and the covenant of an everlasting hereditary priesthood.[10]
The Christian book of Revelation mirrors this sentiment.[11] Revelation describes Jesus as speaking to one of seven Christian churches: "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality."
Giving a more elaborated version of events, the 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus asserts that Balaam sent for Balak and the princes of Midian and told them that, if they wished to bring evil upon Israel, they would have to make the Israelites sin. Balaam advised that they send the most beautiful women to seduce the Israelites to idolatry. This strategy succeeded, and soon many of the Israelites had been seduced.[12]
Later activities
[edit]Phinehas later led a 12,000-strong Israelite army against the Midianites to avenge this occasion. Among those slain in the expedition were five Midianite kings, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, and also Balaam, son of Beor.[13] According to the Israelite roll-calls, the Israelites did not lose a man in the expedition.
Phinehas son of Eleazar appears again in the book of Joshua. When the tribes of Reuben and Gad, together with the half-tribe of Manasseh, depart to take possession of their lands beyond the Jordan, they build a great altar on the other side; the remainder of the Israelites mistake this for a separatist move to set up a new religious centre, and send Phinehas to investigate.[14]
According to Joshua 24:33, Phinehas owned land in the mountains of Ephraim, where he buried his father.[15]
In addition to these episodes, Phinehas appears as the chief adviser in the war with the Benjamites. He is commemorated in Psalms 106:28–31. According to some rabbinical commentators, Phineas sinned due to his not availing his servitude of Torah instruction to the masses at the time leading up to the Battle of Gibeah.[16] In addition, he also failed to address the needs of relieving Jephthah of his vow to sacrifice his daughter.[17] As consequence, the high priesthood was taken from him and temporarily given to the offspring of Ithamar, essentially Eli and his sons.[18]Rabbanic Literature also asserts:The first judge of any importance after Gideon was Jeph¬ thah. He, too, fell short of being the ideal Jewish ruler. His father had married a woman of another tribe, an un¬ usual occurrence in a time when a woman who left her tribe was held in contempt.106 Jephthah, the offspring of this union, had to bear the consequences of his mother’s irregu¬ lar conduct. So many annoyances were put upon him that he was forced to leave his home and settle in a heathen dis¬ trict.107 At first Jephthah refused to accept the rulership which the people offered him in an assembly at Mizpah, for he had not forgotten the wrongs to which he had been subjected. In the end, however, he yielded, and placed himself at the head of the people in the war against Getal, the king of the Ammonites. At his departure, he vowed before God to sacrifice to Him whatsoever came forth out of the doors of his house to meet him when he returned a victor from the war. God was angry and said : “ So Jephthah has vowed to offer unto me the first thing that shall meet him ! If a dog were the first to meet him, would a dog be sacrificed to me ? Now shall the vow of Jephthah be visited on his first-born, on his own offspring, yea, his prayer shall be visited on his only daugther.But I assuredly shall deliver my people, not for Jephthah’s sake, but for the sake of the prayers of Israel.”
The first to meet him after his successful campaign was his daughter She'ilah. Overwhelmed by anguish, the father cried out : “ Rightly was the name She'ilah, the one who is demanded, given to thee, that thou shouldst be offered up as a sacrifice. Who shall set my heart in the balance and my soul as the weight, that I may stand and see whether that which happened to me is joy or sorrow? But because I opened my mouth to the Lord, and uttered a vow, I cannot take it back.” Then She'ilah spoke, saying : “ Why dost thou grieve for my death, since the people was delivered? Dost thou not remember what happened in the days of our forefathers, when the father offered his son as a burnt offering, and the son did not refuse, but consented gladly, and the offerer and the offered were both full of joy? There¬ fore, do as thou hast spoken. But before I die I will ask a favor of thee. Grant me that I may go with my compan¬ ions upon the mountains, sojourn among the hills, and tread upon the rocks to shed my tears and deposit there the grief for my lost youth. The trees of the field shall weep for me, and the beasts of the field mourn for me. I do not grieve for my death, nor because I have to yield up my life, but because when my father vowed his heedless vow, he did not have me in mind. I fear, therefore, that I may not be an acceptable sacrifice, and that my death shall be for nothing.” She'ilah and her companions went forth and told her case to the sages of the people, but none of them could give her any help. Then she went up to Mount Telag, where the Lord appeared to her at night, saying unto her : “ I have closed the mouth of the sages of my people in this genera* tion, that they cannot answer the daughter of Jephthah a word ; that my vow be fulfilled and nothing of what I have thought remain undone. I know her to be wiser than her father, and all the wise men, and now her soul shall be ac¬ cepted at her request, and her death shall be very precious before My face all the time.” Sheilah began to bewail her fate in these words : “ Hearken, ye mountains, to my lamen¬ tations, and ye hills, to the tears of my eyes, and ye rocks, testify to the weeping of my soul. My words will go up to heaven, and my tears will be written in the firmament. I have not been granted the joy of wedding, nor was the wreath of my betrothal completed. I have not been decked with ornaments, nor have I been scented with myrrh and with aromatic perfumes. I have not been anointed with the oil that was prepared for me. Alas, O mother, it was in vain thou didst give birth to me, the grave was destined to be my bridal chamber. The oil thou didst prepare for me will be spilled, and the white garments my mother sewed for me, the moth will eat them ; the bridal wreath my nurse wound for me will wither, and my garments in blue and purple, the worms will destroy them, and my companions will all their days lament over me. And now, ye trees, in¬ cline your branches and weep over my youth ; ye beasts of the forest, come and trample upon my virginity, for my years are cut off, and the days of my life grow old in darkness.” Her lamentations were of as little avail as her arguments with her father. In vain she sought to prove to him from the Torah that the law speaks only of animal sacrifices, never of human sacrifices. In vain she cited the example of Jacob, who had vowed to give God a tenth of all the posses¬ sions he owned, and yet did not attempt later to sacrifice one of his sons. Jephthah was inexorable. All he would yield was a respite during which his daughter might visit various scholars, who were to decide whether he was bound by his vow. According to the Torah his vow was entirely invalid. He was not even obliged to pay his daughter’s value in money. But the scholars of his time had forgotten this Halakah, and they decided that he must keep his vow. The forgetfulness of the scholars was of God, ordained as a punishment upon Jephthah for having slaughtered thousands of Ephraim. One man there was living at the time who, if he had been questioned about the case, would have been able to give a decision. This was the high priest Phinehas. But he said proudly : “ What ! I, a high priest, the son of a high priest, should humiliate myself and go to an ignoramus ! ” Jeph¬ thah on the other hand said : “ What ! I, the chief of the tribes of Israel, the first prince of the land, should humiliate myself and go to one of the rank and file ! ” So only the rivalry between Jephthah and Phinehas caused the loss of a young life. Their punishment did not miss them. Jeph¬ thah died a horrible death. Limb by limb his body was dis¬ membered. As for the high priest, the holy spirit departed from him, and he had to give up his priestly dignity.[19] Likewise the story of Phinehas is A warning that those who pride themselves on their Torah knowledge should not withold it from teaching Torah to those Jews who were never taught to live the Torah in their daily lives..Yes, this story serves as a warning against pride and the withholding of Torah knowledge. Phinehas lost his high-priestly dignity due to his haughty behavior towards Jephthah. The rabbis place blame on Phinehas for not preventing Jephthah from fulfilling his misguided vow. This incident highlights the importance of sharing Torah knowledge, even with those less educated.The Midrash teaches that both Phinehas and Jephthah were punished for their pride. Phinehas lost the divine spirit that had previously rested upon him, while Jephthah became ill and lost many of his limbs. This outcome emphasizes the severe consequences of allowing arrogance to prevent the sharing of crucial Torah knowledge.This cautionary tale reminds us that those well-versed in Torah have a responsibility to teach and guide others, regardless of their perceived status or knowledge level. It underscores the importance of humility and the obligation to share wisdom with all Jews, especially those who may lack a strong foundation in Torah observance.[20]
According to 1 Chronicles 6:35–38, his relation to Zadok is the following: Phinehas begat Abishua, Abishua begat Bukki, Bukki begat Uzzi, Uzzi begat Zerahiah, Zerahiah begat Meraioth, Meraioth begat Amariah, Amariah begat Ahitub, and Ahitub begat Zadok.[21]
According to 1 Maccabees, he is an ancestor of Matitiyahu.[22][23]
Patrilineal ancestry
[edit]| Patrilineal descent |
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In Jewish culture
[edit]Pinechas is the name of the 41st weekly Parashah or portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the eighth in the book of Numbers. The beginning of this parashah tells the judgement of Phinehas son of Eleazar; the end of the previous parashah tells of his zealous act.
The Hebrew expression "One who acts like Zimri and asks for a reward as if he were Phinehas" (עושה מעשה זמרי ומבקש שכר כפנחס) refers to hypocrites who ask for undeserved rewards and honors. It derives from the Babylonian Talmud (Sotah, Ch.22, p. 2), where it is attributed to the Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus (see Hebrew Wikipedia עושה מעשה זמרי ומבקש שכר כפנחס).
In some traditions (for example in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan)[24] Phinehas is identified with Elijah. This identification apparently arose during the first century A.D.[25]
Phinehas | |
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| Righteous, High Priest of Israel | |
| Honored in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 1 July, 1 March (Roman Catholic Church) 12 March (Eastern Orthodox Church) |
Veneration
[edit]The Roman Catholic Church commemorates him as a saint on 1 July and 1 March.[26] The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him as a saint on 12 March (25 March on the New Calendar).[27][28]
References
[edit]- ^ "Read the Bible text :: academic-bible.com". www.academic-bible.com. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "Vulgate - Douay-Rheims - Knox Bible side by side". catholicbible.online. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ Baruchi Unna A. (2015), 'The Story of the Zeal of Phinehas and Congregational Weeping at Bethel', Vetus Testamentum 65, pp. 505–515.
- ^ Brown–Driver–Briggs' Hebrew and English Lexicon
- ^ Spencer, John R. (1992). "Phinehas". In David Noel Friedman, ed. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Volume 5, p. 346.
- ^ Metzger, Bruce M.; Coogan, Michael D. (1993). Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-19-504645-8.
- ^ Archer, Gleason; Harris, R. Laird; Waltke, Bruce (2003). Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago. p. 473.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Numbers 31:16
- ^ Numbers 25
- ^ Numbers 25:12–13
- ^ cf. Rev 2:14
- ^ Flavius Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews, Book IV, Chapter VI, Paragraphs 6–12
- ^ Olson, Dennis T. (2012). "Numbers 31. War against the Midianites: Judgment for Past Sin, Foretaste of a Future Conquest". Numbers. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. pp. 176–180. ISBN 9780664238827.
- ^ Assis, Elie."For it shall be a witness between us: a literary reading of Josh 22," Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament 18 (2004), 216–17.
- ^ Ben-Yosef, Sefi (1980). "Awarta". In David Grossman (ed.). Israel Guide - The Northern Valleys, Mount Carmel and Samaria (A useful encyclopedia for the knowledge of the country) (in Hebrew). Vol. 8. Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House. pp. 345–347. OCLC 745203905.
According to Jewish tradition,...the place is called Giv'at Phinehas (the hill of Phinehas) and it is where the High Priest Eleazar ben Aaron was buried (Joshua 24:33)
- ^ Yalkut Shimoni, 19,19
- ^ Genesis rabbah, 60,3
- ^ Louis Ginzberg The Legends of the Jews Vol 4 p.46
- ^ Louis Ginzberg The Legends of the Jews
- ^ Responce of Rabbi Dov Stein Chabbad 10 December 2024
- ^ Alter, Robert. The David Story (New York: W. W. Norton, 2000), 15.
- ^ "Web.genealogie". Archived from the original on 2008-01-24. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- ^ T. Stanford Mommaerts (2005-04-11). "Ancient Genealogy chart - Ansbertus".
- ^ Richard Bauckham (2007-11-01). The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History, and Theology in the Gospel of John. Baker Publishing Group. pp. 210–11. ISBN 978-1-4412-0079-2.
- ^ Martin Hengel (1989). "Zeal for the Law in Connection with the Tradition of Phineas". The Zealots: Investigations into the Jewish Freedom Movement in the Period from Herod I until 70 A.D. Translated by David Smith. Edinburgh: T & T Clark Ltd. p. 168. ISBN 0-567-09372-7.
- ^ Zeno. "Lexikoneintrag zu »Phinees, S.«. Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon, Band 4. Augsburg ..." www.zeno.org (in German). Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron". www.oca.org. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "Праведный Финее́с, первосвященник Израильский". azbyka.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-07-24.
Sources
[edit]- Easton, Matthew George (1897). . Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.
External links
[edit]- "Phinehas" at Jewish Encyclopedia
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