Readings
- Numbers 25:10–30:1
- 1Kings 18:46–19:21: It fits well with the aftermath of the judgment that followed Israel’s chasing after the false god Ba’al of Peor with the women of Moab.
- John 2:13–25
Highlights
| Tribe | Numbers 1–2 | Numbers 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reuben | 46,500 | 43,730 | -2,770 |
| Shimon (Simeon) | 59,300 | 22,200 | -37,100 |
| Gad | 45,650 | 40,500 | -5,150 |
| Yehudah (Judah) | 74,600 | 76,500 | 1,900 |
| Issachar | 54,400 | 64,300 | 9,900 |
| Zebulun | 57,400 | 60,500 | 3,100 |
| Yosef: Ephraim | 40,500 | 32,500 | -8,000 |
| Yosef: Manasseh | 32,200 | 52,700 | 20,500 |
| Ben Yamin (Benjamin) | 35,400 | 45,600 | 10,200 |
| Dan | 62,700 | 64,400 | 1,700 |
| Asher | 41,500 | 53,400 | 11,900 |
| Naphtali | 53,400 | 45,400 | -8,000 |
| Total | 603,550 | 601,730 | -1,820 |
| Levi | 22,300 | 23,000 | 700 |
Simeon suffers a dramatic drop in numbers, probably as a result of judgment from the incident in Numbers 25.1
Hebrew hints
פִּינְחָס Pinkhas/Pinchas (Phinehas, H6372): The name has two main derivations in lexicons.
- from Egyptian Pe-nehasi
- apparently from H6310 and a variation of H5175: “mouth of a serpent” (Strong’s Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary of the Old Testament)
- פֶּה peh (H6310), from H6284, the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech)
- נָחָשׁ nachash (H5175) from H5172 (נָחַשׁ nachash, to hiss), a snake (from its hiss)
laborious work = מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדַת melechet ’avodat
- work = מְלָאכָה melaʾkhah (H4399): work, business, task, assignment
- laborious = עֲבֹדַת ʿavodat (עבדה, H5656): service, worship
- מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדַת is used in:
- Ex. 36:1, 3
- Lev. 23:7-8, 21, 25, 35-36
- “you shall not do any laborious work”
- “you shall not do any laborious work of any kind” (first day of Sukkot)
- Num. 28:18, 25-26; 29:1, 12, 35
- “you shall not do any laborious work”
- 1Chron. 9:13; 28:13, 20; 2Chron. 24:12
Resources for kids
Hallel Fellowship has curated a list of Yeshua-friendly coloring page sites that can help you help your children grasp Torah studies at their own pace in an entertaining, yet respectful way.
Pinchas-related studies
Path to spiritual maturity: How to align our thoughts, emotions, actions with God’s words (Numbers 9 and 27)
Yosef (Joseph), Moshe (Moses), Eliyahu (Elijah), Kefa (Peter), Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ), the five daughters of Zelophehad. This study of the Torah reading פִּינְחָס Pinchas (“Phinehas,” Numbers 25:10–30:1) and parallel passages explores some of the many examples on how to answer the call the biblical call to be “alefs”/”alphas” — leaders who wield power with humility and obedience to God, not domineering self-interest. We’ll see patterns of God’s sovereignty over earthly powers, the importance of aligning our hearts (thoughts and emotions) and actions with His Word, and the dangers of deception and self-serving motives, even in religious giving….
How God guides us to pursue real change by standing up for what’s right (Numbers 25–26)
People are looking at what is going on in American culture and government right now and see a repeat of what was going on in pre-Nazi Germany. Some are advocating for preparing to fight, and some look for guidance from priest Phinehas’ bold action in Torah reading פִּינְחָס Pinchas (Numbers 25–29) to stop iniquity in the house of God.
However, a look at the actions Pinchas actually took leading up to that moment reveals what was behind the extreme restraint exercised by the founders of the U.S., drawing from David’s example when persecuted by Saul. These lessons teach followers of…
Why the Messiah has so much zeal for the LORD’s house. And why we should too (Numbers 25; John 2)
Passion to safeguard the ways of the LORD for future generation links the Torah reading פינחס Pinchas (Numbers 25:10–30:1) with its parallel passages about the final days of the First Temple (Jeremiah 1:1–2:3) and the anger from Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ) about the turning of the Second Temple into a “den of robbers” (John 2:13–22). Those accounts underscore that God has a passionate love for His people and doesn’t want them to succumb to the disastrous ends of their passions.
How to know if there’s a leader worth following (Numbers 25–29)
A peaceful transfer of power is worthless if the former leaders and the new leaders ignore God’s commandments. The only leaders who are worth following are those who inquire of God and lead the way He wants. That’s a key lesson of the Torah reading פינחס Pinchas (“Phinehas,” Numbers 25:10-30:1).
When we look for leaders, we need to see if they have the humility of Moses and Jeremiah or if they have the arrogance of the rebellious leaders who Moses and Jeremiah confronted.
Why the Sabbath is an important first step in learning how to worship God (Numbers 25:10-30:1)
Selfless love. Righteousness. Mercy. These teach us how to be strong in our walk through life, how to keep from wandering from the path that the God of Israel has shown as the way life works best. These three show us what the point of our journey through life. They are the key lessons from the LORD’s appointments with humanity, further explained in the Torah reading פינחס Pinchas (“Phinehas,” Numbers 25:10-30:1). Discover why chief among those appointments and the entry point for new believers is the weekly Shabbat (Sabbath).
Another key lesson in Pinchas is about the man after whom…
Numbers 25:10–30:1: Righteousness apart from the law
When one is said to be “above the law,” that’s taken to mean the person flouts authority, in the sense second-century Roman jurist Ulpian meant when he wrote that sovereigns aren’t bound by laws.
There are plenty of scofflaws and tyrants recorded in the Bible. But an undercurrent in Heaven’s testimony from beginning to end is that true followers of the Creator are those who have so much trust (i.e., faith) in the instructions they’ve internalized that their actions follow the “spirit of the Law,” rather than the “letter of the Law.”
That’s what we see in the shocking actions recounted in…
Num. 25:10–30:1: Zeal for God’s house consumed Pinchas, Eliyahu and Messiah Yeshua
I used to find Yeshua’s actions in clearing the Temple of commerce very odd and seemingly out of character compared to the common teaching that Yeshua was always “meek and mild.” But the Yeshua (Jesus) in Scripture often shows His zealous side, which matches very well with the zealousness of Pinchas and Eliyahu (Elijah) and even His cousin Yokhanan (John the Baptist).
As we’ll see in this study of Torah reading פינחס Pinchas (“Phinehas,” Numbers 25:10–30:1), sages of Israel saw a thread of connection between Melchizedek, Pinchas and Eliyahu. And the author of Hebrews connected the same thread to Messiah Yeshua Himself.
Numbers 25:10-29:40: A ‘snake’ again becomes an icon of salvation
Serpents are quiet, cunning, quick to act when a threat is imminent. A serpent bought a curse on mankind (Genesis 3) and we now meet a “serpent” who boldly and decisively saved his people from those who would deceive them to destruction. Later, Eliyahu (Elijah) also learned that God’s preferred way to communicate with His people is not through thunder and lightning but a “still small voice.”
The Torah reading פינחס Pinchas (“Phinehas,” Numbers 25:10–29:40) starts with the culmination of the events in the prior portion (parashah). The culmination of Israel “playing the harlot” with idolatry ended when Pinchas (Phineas), Aaron’s…
Numbers 25:10–30:1: Losing your first love
Adultery is seen as no big deal in today’s society. Consider, though, how the hurt person in the relationship feels. That’s why Israel’s running after false gods and treating YHWH with contempt or apathy is compared to adultery many times in Scripture. This kind of unfaithfulness and rebuilding of the relationship between Creator and created is the subtext of the Torah reading פינחס Pinchas (“Phinehas”).
Did Eliyahu understand what God wanted? (1st Kings 19)
Just as God didn’t let the prophet Eliyahu (Elijah) quit from the mission, God doesn’t want us to become discouraged and quit our tasks.
Eliyahu of YHWH challenges Ahab and Yezebel of Ba’al and Asherah (1st Kings 18)
The clash on Mt. Carmel between Eliyahu (Elijah) and the priests of Ba’al was part of bigger clash between a rebellious king of the northern kingdom, Ahab, and his foreign queen, Yezebel (Jezebel), and her false gods.
Among the prophets of the north who Eliyahu saves from the purge of YHWH’s servants was ObidaYah (Obidaiah), possibly the same one who wrote a short book of the Bible.
Messiah in offerings on Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles (Numbers 29)
Learn how to see Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) in the qorbanot (offerings, sacrifices) presented in the Tabernacle on the moedim (appointed times, festivals) of Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing Trumpets), Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Tabernacles).
Meaning behind monthly, Passover and Pentecost offerings (Numbers 28:11–31)
Learn how to see Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) in the qorbanot (offerings, sacrifices) presented at the Tabernacle of Israel on each Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), Pesakh (Passover) and Shavu’ot (Pentecost).
Messiah in daily and Sabbath offerings (Numbers 28:1-10)
Learn how to see Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) in the tamid (continual, morning and evening) and Shabbat (Sabbath) offerings.
Accounting for light and righteousness in Israel (Numbers 26–27)
After various plagues and judgments over the 40 years of wandering in wilderness, God called for Israel to be counted again. It was also time to divide the Promised Land among the 12 tribes, based on the wisdom of God’s light and righteousness.
Perpetual priesthood of peace and mercy for wayward Israel (Numbers 25)
Have you been “dragged away and enticed” by something that seems irresistibly appealing? Feel like God could never take you back? A false prophet enticed Israel away from God with sex, but God’s ambassador was there to mend the relationship.
Does אלף ’elef mean ‘thousand’ or ‘clan’ in Exodus and Numbers?
Some have asserted that the huge numbers of people listed in various places in Exodus and Numbers are impossible or unlikely for a number of real-world reasons. Those include lack of mention of such big numbers in Egyptian and other secular accounts, archaeological estimates of populations at the time, food supply and other logistics for such huge numbers during the Exodus, number of years Israel was in Egypt, smaller numbers mentioned in the Bible hundreds of years later, trepidation of Israel to invade the Land despite having huge army, etc. Rather than exegesis — a critical examination of a text from the text — this is eisegesis — a critical examination of a text from considerations outside the text. What follows is a close study of the numbers listed in Numbers 1 (cf. Ex. 12:37 and 38:26), the pattern for which is used in following chapters and elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. The plain reading of the text is that the Hebrew word אלף ’elef (Strong’s lexicon No. 505) means “thousand,” rather than “clan,” “chief,” or “group.”
- W.H. Jr. Bellinger, Leviticus, Numbers, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series; Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012), 280. ↩︎
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