Until reading from the ת"נך Artscroll Stone Edition I never understood that the Midianite women were deliberately given to the Yisraeli men for the purpose of enticing them to idolatry and they willfully disobeyed the command of HaShem. This also helps me appreciate the actions of פינחס even more, knowing that his motivation was to sacrifice one for the sake of the many.

כל הכבוד for including some עברית – and for your integrity in switching from the Christian "Bible" to (lᵊ-ha•vᵊdilꞋ) the Jewish Bible.

The Artscroll Stone Edition (ASE) תנ"ך points out many such things that Christians have never realized. Still, reading and relating to the Bible requires reading and relating to the עברית. "Deliberately given" isn't how the עברית reads. The verb is קרא (called, as in wa-Yi•qᵊr•âꞋ). "Invited," as ASE renders it, is a reasonable xlation. To picture prostitutes lined up in their temple to lie with them – as Hollywood endlessly depicts – exaggerates to a caricature that lacks any connection to reality. In those days, Jewish women stayed home and polygyny was permitted. So only the guys answered the invitation. So, for their time, it exactly paralleled Christian evangelism of Jews – a church inviting young Jewish singles to a church dinner to be followed by a social. A Christian blessing is recited over the food (see "Meat Offered to an Idol" – simply search the page for a keyword – in our Web Café Archives). Social mixing naturally ensues ⇒ acculturation = apostasy. Young people fall in love ⇒ assimilation = apostasy. This is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, recorded instances of a•vod•âhꞋ zâr•âhꞋ—later Hellenist, now Christian—"evangelism."

From my own observation, I know that many Christians also project their own Christian perceptions onto פינחס – personally "hearing the Voice of the Lord" and then "following the leading of the [un]holy spirit," self-authorizing themselves to act on it. Expressed properly: vigilantism, "street justice." (This line of "reasoning" is one significant cause of religious hate crimes by those who identify themselves as Christians.) This, of course, was not what פינחס did. His action had been pre-authorized by the court – the Beit Din, and he was acting as an officer of the court.

Great observation. Keep up the good work.