6 Just then, while everyone was weeping in penitence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, an Israelite man, flaunting his behavior in front of Moses and the whole assembly, paraded a Midianite woman into his family tent. 7 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw what he was doing, grabbed his spear, 8 and followed them into the tent. With one thrust he drove the spear through the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, right through their private parts. That stopped the plague from continuing among the People of Israel. 9 But 24,000 had already died. 10 God spoke to Moses: 11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has stopped my anger against the People of Israel. Because he was as zealous for my honor as I myself am, I didn't kill all the People of Israel in my zeal. 12 So tell him that I am making a Covenant-of-Peace with him. 13 He and his descendants are joined in a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the People of Israel." 14 The name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the head of the Simeonite family.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 25:6-14
Commentary on Numbers 25:6-15
(Read Numbers 25:6-15)
Phinehas, in the courage of zeal and faith, executed vengeance on Zimri and Cozbi. This act can never be an example for private revenge, or religious persecution, or for irregular public vengeance.