As everyone looked on, he entered a tent and blatantly engaged in intercourse with her. However, before they were able to do so, Zimri son of Salu, one of the leaders of the tribe of Simeon, 6 approached the crowd together with Cozbi daughter of Zur, one of the five Midianite kings. The nation congregated at the entrance to the Tabernacle, intending to follow Moses’ command. At the instruction of G‑d, Moses summoned the nations’ leaders and told them to judge the offenders and punish them with death, thus causing G‑d’s anger to subside. The Jews’ behavior aroused divine wrath, and they were beset by a plague that would ultimately leave 24,000 Jews (from the tribe of Simeon 5) dead. At the counsel of the evil prophet Balaam, the daughters of Moab and Midian enticed the Jews to sin with them, subsequently leading them to worship their god, known as Peor. The Jews were camped at Shittim, an area in the plains of Moab, at the banks of the Jordan River.

However, it was only at the end of this 40-year period, when the Jews were just months away from their destination, that he gained his fame. Phinehas was among the Israelites who left Egypt and survived the long desert journey to the Land of Israel. 1 The verse describes Phinehas’ mother as being “from among the daughters of Putiel.” 2 The Talmud explains this to mean that she was a descendant of both Joseph, son of Jacob and Jethro, father-in-law of Moses. Phinehas was the son of Elazar and grandson of Aaron the High Priest.

Who are the priests in the bible