Who is…
Phinehas
also known as: Phineas
Meaning: mouth of brass, or from old Egypt, the negro
This was the name of 2 Biblical men.
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Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the high priest (Exodus 6:25)
Phinehas is a grandnephew of Moses.
While yet a youth he distinguished himself at Shittim with his zeal against the immorality into which the Moabites had tempted the people (Numbers 25:1-9), and thus the plague on the sons of Israel was checked, having killed 24,000 of them.
He struck down a sinful couple (an Israelite and a Midianite) who came to the doorway of the tent of meeting. The man was Zimri the son of Salu, “a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites.” The woman was a Midianite princess named Cozbi, the daughter of King Zur, one of the 5 evil kings of Midian (Num. 25:14–18).
For his faithfulness on that occasion Phinehas received divine praise and a reward (Num. 25:10-13).
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the sons of Israel in My jealousy. therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; and it shall be for him and his seed after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’” —Numbers 25:10-13
He afterwards commanded the army that went out against the Midianites (Num. 31:6-8).
When representatives of the people were sent to express strong disapproval of the two and a half Israelite tribes who, just after crossing Jordan, built an altar and departed without giving any explanation, Phinehas was their leader, and addressed them in the words recorded in Joshua 22:16-20. Their explanation follows. This great altar was intended to be a witness to all ages that they still formed a part of Israel.
Phinehas later became the chief adviser in the war with the Benjamites. He is commemorated in Psalm 106:30-31. (See ED.)
The high priest Zadok is a descendant of Phinehas.
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Phinehas, a son of Eli, the high priest (1 Samuel 1:3; 2:12)
He and his brother Hophni were guilty of great crimes, for which destruction came on the house of Eli (1 Sam. 2:31).
He died in battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:4, 11); and his wife, on hearing of his death, gave birth to a son, whom she called “Ichabod,” and then she died (1 Sam. 4:19-22).
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