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Phinehas

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Phinehas was a zealous biblical priest who halted a plague by executing an idolatrous Israelite and Midianite woman, embodying righteous fury and covenant loyalty.

Detailed Definition
Phinehas’ zeal for God’s holiness earned him an everlasting priesthood covenant. In poetry, Phinehas embodies righteous fury, the cost of purity, and the controversial legacy of violent zeal as divine service.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Numbers 25:6–13, Phinehas’s zeal inspires heroic poetry about covenant defense; 18th-century verse depicts Phinehas’s spear as act of atonement stopping plague; Contemporary poems grapple with Phinehas’s violence as complex legacy; In liturgical laments, Phinehas receives covenant of peace for his zeal; Some devotional works contrast Phinehas’s action with Christ’s nonviolent atonement; Educational poems cite Phinehas to teach about priesthood and zeal.
Additional Notes
Phinehas, grandson of Aaron, is commended for his zeal in stopping Israelite idolatry (Numbers 25); his violent act brings plague to a halt and earns him a “covenant of peace”; his legacy is complex—celebrated for zeal yet troubling in its violence—offering rich ground for poems on righteousness, extremism, and divine sanction.
Also Known As
Phinehas son of Eleazar Phinehas the Zealous
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