Zeal for God: Phinehas, the Maccabees and Paul’s past (10:1–3)

Says Paul prays for the Israelites’ salvation (10:1) and testifies “that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge” (10:2, BSB). He uses it of his own past: “extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” while he persecuted the church (Gal 1:13–14); “as to zeal, persecuting the church” (Phil 3:6); “just as zealous for God as any of you are today” (Acts 22:3). Phinehas “was zealous for his God” and received “a covenant of permanent priesthood” (Num 25:13).

First Maccabees (non-canonical) tells how Mattathias at Modin killed a Jew who came to sacrifice at the king’s command, and so “showed forth his zeal for the Law, just as Phinehas had done in the case of Zimri”; then he cried, “Let everyone that is zealous for the Law and that would maintain the covenant come forth after me!” (1 Macc 2:24–27). Dying, he tells his sons to “be zealous for the Law” and recalls that Phinehas, “for that he was zealous exceedingly, obtained the covenant of an everlasting priesthood” (2:50, 54). In Josephus, Mattathias calls on anyone “zealous for the laws of his country, and for the worship of God” to follow him (Ant. 12.271; Whiston 12.6.2). For Phinehas in Ps 106:31 and the Qumran “works of the Torah,” see the Romans 3 historical note.

This background shows how zeal for God and the law was spoken of; it does not decide what seeking “to establish their own” righteousness means (10:3), which the exegetical notes weigh.