“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.”
King James Version (KJV)
25:9 Twenty four thousand - St. Paul says twenty three thousand, #1Cor 10:8|. The odd thousand here added were slain by the Judges according to the order of Moses, the rest by the immediate hand of God, but both sorts died of the plague, the word being used, as often it is, for the sword, or hand, or stroke of God.
25:12 My covenant of peace - That is, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, as it is expounded, #Nu 25:13|, which is called a covenant of peace, partly with respect to the happy effect of this heroical action of his, whereby he made peace between God and his people; and partly with regard to the principal end of the priestly office, which was constantly to do that which Phinehas now did, even to meditate between God and men, to obtain and preserve his own and Israel's peace and reconciliation with God, by offering up sacrifices and incense, and prayers, to God on their behalf, as also by turning them away from iniquity, which is the only peace - breaker, and by teaching and pressing the observation of that law, which is the only bond of their peace.
25:13 At everlasting priesthood - To continue as long as the law and common - wealth of the Jews did. But this promise was conditional, and therefore might be made void, by the miscarriages of Phinehas's sons, as it seems it was, and thereupon a like promise was made to Eli of the line of Ithamar, that he and his should walk before the Lord, namely, in the office of high - priest, for ever, which also for his and their sins was made void, #1Sam 2:30|. And the the priesthood returned to Phinehas's line in the time of Solomon, #1Kings 2:26|,27,34.