Phinehas (son of Eli)

Technical Profile

• Name Meaning: Likely Egyptian origin; commonly glossed “the dark one” or “Nubian,” indicating a non-Hebrew name in Israel’s priestly setting.
• Period/Era: Divided Kingdom (early pre-monarchic/tribal transition in 1 Samuel’s opening narratives).
• Main References: 1 Samuel 1:3; 2:34; 4:4, 11, 17, 19; 14:3.
• Key Connections: Son of Eli; brother of Hophni; husband of Phinehas’s wife (mother of Ichabod); associated with the priesthood at Shiloh and the ark of the covenant.

Who was Phinehas (son of Eli)?

Phinehas was a priest at Shiloh and one of Eli’s two sons.
He served in Israel’s central sanctuary context during conflict with the Philistines.
He is portrayed as part of a corrupt priestly household under judgment.
His death is linked to the ark’s capture and the collapse of Eli’s line.

Key Events & Achievements

• Ark taken to battle: He is named among those connected to bringing the ark from Shiloh to the battlefield (1 Sam. 4:4).
• Death in Israel’s defeat: He died on the day the Philistines captured the ark and killed Eli’s sons (1 Sam. 4:11, 17).
• Sign of dynastic judgment: His death fulfills the announced sign that both sons would die on the same day (1 Sam. 2:34).

Life Lesson & Legacy

Phinehas’s life is remembered mainly as a warning that priestly privilege without covenant faithfulness leads to the loss of office and honor.

Key Verse

“And the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” — 1 Samuel 4:10–11, ESV