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Phinehas Sent a Sorcerer Into the Sky After Balaam

Balaam could not be killed by any weapon, so Phinehas handed the Danite a sword with a serpent cut into both sides of the blade.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. Zimri Stood Up in the Middle of the Assembly
  2. Twelve Thousand Men and a Priest Carrying Trumpets
  3. Balaam Went Up Through Five Layers of Air
  4. The Charge Sheet Phinehas Read Him
  5. The Sword With a Serpent on Both Sides
Phinehas Sent a Sorcerer Into the Sky After Balaam Click for full size

Zimri Stood Up in the Middle of the Assembly

Phinehas walked into a tent at Shittim with a javelin and came out having killed two people with one thrust. One was Zimri, head of the tribe of Simeon. The other was Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite prince named Zur.

It had been building for weeks. Balaam had failed to curse Israel and had gone to Balak with a better idea: send the daughters of Midian and Moab into the camp, let the young men fall in love, and then let the women name their price. Give up the God of Israel. Eat at our altars. Bow where we bow. It worked from the edges inward. When Moses called the people together and told them to turn back, Zimri got to his feet in front of everyone and called Moses a tyrant, and said he would worship what he liked and marry whom he liked, and went to the tent with the woman while the assembly watched.

Phinehas ended it with the javelin. The plague that had already started stopped where he stood. It had taken twenty-four thousand.

Twelve Thousand Men and a Priest Carrying Trumpets

The order came to Moses to collect the debt from Midian before he died. A thousand men from each tribe, twelve thousand armed and chosen, and Phinehas going out with them. He did not carry a sword. He carried the Urim and Thummim, to be asked when nobody knew what to do next, and the jubilee trumpets, to move the whole host with a note.

They came at Midian from three sides and killed every male. Five kings went down with their armies: Evi, Rekem, Hur, Reba, and Zur, whose daughter had died on the floor of Zimri's tent. Some say that Zur was Balak himself.

Balaam was there.

Balaam Went Up Through Five Layers of Air

He saw Phinehas coming for him across the field and he did the one thing no soldier could answer. He spoke, and his two sons, Jannes and Jambres, who had learned everything he knew, spoke with him, and Balaam rose off the ground and kept rising.

Phinehas turned to the army and shouted, "Is there any man here who can fly after that villain?"

One man answered. Zaliah of the tribe of Dan was a sorcerer himself, trained on the same arts Balaam had spent a lifetime perfecting, and Phinehas sent him up. He was fast. He was not fast enough. Balaam found a road in the air that Zaliah could not get onto, and went up through five separate layers of the sky, and at the top of the fifth he was gone. The battle went out of the sky as fast as it had gone into it. Zaliah hung there with nothing above him but cloud, turning, not knowing which way to look.

Down on the ground Phinehas said a word over the sky, and the clouds pulled apart like a curtain, and there Balaam was. Zaliah closed on him, took him, and brought him down through all five layers to stand in front of the priest.

The Charge Sheet Phinehas Read Him

Balaam started talking before his feet were settled. Spare me. Let me live and I swear that as long as I have breath I will never curse your people again. Not one word. Not ever.

Phinehas did not answer the offer. He answered the man.

"Are you not Laban the Aramean, who tried to destroy our father Jacob? Then you went down into Egypt to destroy his children. When they came out of Egypt you set Amalek on them in the wilderness. Then you came yourself to curse them, and when you saw that your work would not prosper and that God would not listen to you, you gave Balak the counsel about his daughters, and twenty-four thousand of us are in the ground because of it. Your life cannot be spared."

Then Phinehas gave Zaliah an instruction that mattered more than it sounds. Do not kill him with the holy Name. A death like that is too good for a sinner of this size.

The Sword With a Serpent on Both Sides

Zaliah tried. He struck and the blade turned. He struck again with another weapon and it did nothing. Balaam stood there under the swords of an army he had emptied a nation into, and no edge in the camp would bite him. Whatever he had wrapped around himself, he had wrapped it well.

Phinehas went and got a different sword. On both sides of the blade a serpent was cut into the steel, and words with it. He put it in Zaliah's hand.

"Kill him with the thing he belongs to," Phinehas said. "By this he dies."

Zaliah went in once more, and this time the sword found him, and the man who had taught kings how to break Israel from the inside died on the ground at the edge of a burning Midianite town, with a snake looking up at him from the metal.

PhinehasBalaamDeathAdam EveMagic
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From the tradition

Sources

4 sources

The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

Targum Jonathan on Numbers 31Targum Jonathan

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, trans. J. W. Etheridge, London, 1862 · Public Domain

The war against Midian in the Targum's version of (Numbers 31) is a supernatural thriller. Twelve thousand Israelite soldiers went out with Phinehas carrying "the Urim and Thummim consecrated to inquire for them, and the Jubilee trumpets in his hand." He was not just a warrior, he was a walking oracle and signal corps in one person.

The Targum identifies one of the five Midianite kings as Balak himself: "Zur, who is Balak." The king who had hired Bileam to curse Israel was hiding among Midian's royalty all along.

The death of Bileam is the Targum's most spectacular battle scene. When Bileam saw Phinehas pursuing him, "he made use of his magical arts and flew in the air of the heavens." The sorcerer literally took flight. But Phinehas "forthwith pronounced the Great and Holy Name and flew after him, and seized him by his head." A midair chase and capture, powered by the divine Name against dark magic. Bileam begged for his life, swearing never to curse Israel again. Phinehas's response was devastating: "Are you not Laban the Aramean who sought to destroy Jacob our father, who went down into Egypt to destroy his children, who sent Amalek against them after the Exodus, and who now gave the evil counsel to Balak?" Phinehas recited Bileam's entire criminal history across generations, then killed him.

Moses was furious that the soldiers spared the Midianite women, "These are they who caused the offence of the sons of Israel, by the counsel of Bileam." The Targum then describes a remarkable virginity test. Young girls were made to "stand before the Crown of Holiness", the priestly tiara. And their faces were examined: "She who is not a virgin will be pallid in the face, but she who is a virgin child will blush in the face, like fire."

The returning soldiers reported that not a single man was lost in battle, then described the restraint they showed. They entered Midianite chambers, saw beautiful women, took only their jewelry, "but in all this we abstained from lifting our eyes upon themselves, or gazing on one of them, lest we should sin and die the death which the wicked die in the world to come." They asked that this restraint "be had in memorial for us in the day of the great judgment."

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Legends of the Jews 6:106Legends of the Jews

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909) · Public Domain

Our story today takes us into the realm of magic, betrayal, and a desperate attempt to outrun destiny. It’s a wild ride, so buckle up.

We know him from the Torah, where he’s hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites. But, as Ginzberg tells us in Legends of the Jews, Balaam's story doesn't end with his failed attempts to curse Israel. Oh no, it gets much more dramatic.

Balaam, caught red-handed, tries to escape the wrath of Phinehas, a zealous priest and leader of the Israelite army. How does he do it? He takes to the skies! Yes, you read that right. Balaam uses his mastery of sorcery, aided by his equally wizardly sons, Jannes and Jambres (names that echo through magical lore), to literally fly away.

Picture the scene: Phinehas and his army watching in disbelief as Balaam ascends. Phinehas, never one to back down from a challenge, shouts, "Is there any one among us who is able to fly after this villain?"

Enter Zaliah, a Danite and, according to the tale, a "past master in the art of sorcery." He answers the call and gives chase, soaring into the air after Balaam. It’s like a wizarding duel, but with higher stakes.

But Balaam is slippery. He’s not just flying; he's weaving through different "layers of air," whatever that means! He manages to lose Zaliah, vanishing from sight. Poor Zaliah is left stranded, unsure of what to do next.

That's when Phinehas steps in, using his own magical abilities. He dispels the clouds concealing Balaam, revealing him to Zaliah. Now exposed, Balaam is forced to descend and face Phinehas.

Balaam, desperate, pleads for his life, promising never to curse Israel again. But Phinehas isn’t buying it. He launches into a scathing indictment of Balaam's past transgressions. "Art not thou the Aramean Laban who tried to destroy our father Jacob?" Phinehas asks, reminding him of his long history of animosity toward the Israelites. He recounts Balaam's involvement with Amalek and his disastrous advice to Balak, which led to the sin with the daughters of Moab and the death of twenty-four thousand Israelites. According to this account, Balaam's wickedness stretched far and wide.

Phinehas condemns him: "In vain therefore dost thou plead that thy life be spared."

He orders Zaliah to execute Balaam, but with a crucial caveat: "be sure not to kill him through the holy name of God, as it does not befit so great a sinner to meet his death in such a way." Even in meting out justice, there's a concern for the sacred.

But it's not so simple. Balaam's magic protects him from ordinary weapons. Zaliah's initial attempts to kill him fail. He’s seemingly invincible.

Finally, Phinehas provides the solution: a sword engraved with a serpent on both sides, accompanied by the cryptic words, "Kill him with that to which he belongs, through this he will die." This, my friends, is poetic justice at its finest. Balaam, the master of dark arts, will be defeated by a weapon imbued with the very symbolism of his wickedness. And with this sword, Zaliah finally ends Balaam's life.

What are we to make of this fantastical tale? It’s more than just a story of good versus evil. It's a reminder that actions have consequences and that even the most powerful magic cannot ultimately shield someone from the repercussions of their choices. Balaam's story, as retold in Legends of the Jews, becomes a potent symbol of the futility of trying to escape accountability, no matter how high you fly.

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Antiquities IV.4Antiquities of the Jews (Josephus)

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Antiquities of the Jews, trans. William Whiston · Public Domain

Balaam could not curse Israel. So he taught their enemies how to make Israel curse itself.

Before leaving, the prophet gave Balak and the Midianite princes a final piece of advice: send your most beautiful daughters to the Israelite camp. Let the young men fall in love. And when they are desperate enough to do anything to keep these women, have the women demand one thing, that the Hebrews abandon the God of Israel and worship the gods of Midian. This, Balaam said, was the only way to provoke God's anger against His own people.

It worked. The Midianite women entered the camp, and the Hebrew men were overwhelmed. The women consented to stay, on one condition. They told the young men that their God was foreign and exclusive, that everyone else worshipped the local gods, and that if they truly loved them, they would do the same. One by one, the men gave in. They ate forbidden food. They bowed before foreign altars. The corruption swept through the entire army like a plague.

Even Zimri, the head of the tribe of Simeon, openly took a Midianite woman named Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite prince Sur. When Moses addressed the assembly and urged repentance, Zimri stood up and mocked him to his face. He called Moses a tyrant and declared his right to worship whatever gods he chose and marry whomever he pleased.

The people were paralyzed. Moses would not escalate. But Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, a young man of extraordinary courage, refused to let defiance become precedent. He walked into Zimri's tent and killed both Zimri and Cozbi with a single javelin thrust (Numbers 25:7-8). Other young men who shared his conviction followed his example, striking down the worst offenders. A divine plague consumed the rest. Twenty-four thousand Israelites died. Phinehas's act of zealotry stopped the destruction. And earned him an eternal covenant of peace from God.

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Ben Sira 50:25Ben Sira

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Wisdom of Ben Sira, Cambridge University Press (1899) · CC-BY

Incense fills the air, music swells, and then Simon the High Priest appears. He's just completed the sacred service, and the sight is so breathtaking, so imbued with holiness, that the entire congregation bows down. Twice.

That's the scene Ben Sira paints for us in chapter 50 of his book. "And they bowed down again a second time, the people all of them, before him." (Ben Sira 50:21).

It’s about what that moment means.

Ben Sira then launches into a blessing. "Now bless ye the Lord, the God of Israel, which doeth wonderously in the land." (Ben Sira 50:22). It’s a call to recognize the divine hand in everything, from the miracle of birth – "That bringeth up man from the womb; And maketh him according to his will" (Ben Sira 50:23) – to the potential for peace among us: "May he give you wisdom of heart; And may there be peace among you." (Ben Sira 50:24).

And speaking of peace, there's a special blessing reserved for Simon. Ben Sira asks that God's mercy remain steadfast with him and that God confirm the covenant of Phinehas. "May his mercy stand fast with Simon; And may he confirm to him the covenant of Phinehas, Which he executed unto him and unto his seed, As the days of heaven." (Ben Sira 50:25).

Now, who was Phinehas? He was a priest known for his zealousness in defending God's honor. Because of this, God made a covenant with him, promising him and his descendants a lasting priesthood, as we see in (Numbers 25:10-13). Ben Sira is essentially asking that Simon inherit that same divine promise, that his service and his lineage be blessed for generations to come.

But the passage takes a sharp turn. Just as we're basking in this beautiful scene of piety and blessing, Ben Sira throws us a curveball: "Two nations my soul abhorreth; And the third is no people." (Ben Sira 50:26). Whoa! Who is he talking about?

Unfortunately, the text doesn't explicitly say. And the identity of these hated nations has been debated for centuries. Some scholars suggest they might be the Edomites and Philistines, historical enemies of Israel. Others propose they represent groups that threatened Jewish identity or religious practice during Ben Sira's time. The ambiguity is frustrating, but it serves as a stark reminder that even in moments of great spiritual uplift, the realities of conflict and division are never far away.

Ben Sira 50 is a interplay of awe, blessing, and a touch of…well, let’s call it righteous indignation. It's about striving for peace while acknowledging the existence of conflict. It's about recognizing the divine in the everyday while never losing sight of the challenges that lie ahead.

And perhaps, most importantly, it's a reminder that even in the face of division, we can still choose to bow down in reverence and seek blessings for ourselves and for the world.

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