Zimri was the Prince of the Tribe of Simeon

Tribe of Simeon

According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Simeon was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BC, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes...

 during the time of the Israelites in the desert. At Shittim

Shittim

Shittim may mean several different things:Botany*Shittim, the plural of Shittah, which is Hebrew for wood from the acacia tree, which appears in the BibleGeography*Abel-Shittim, later Abila , a place which appears in the Bible...

 (Num.

Book of Numbers

The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....

 25:6-15) he took part in the Heresy of Peor

Heresy of Peor

The heresy of Peor is an event related in the Torah at Numbers 25:1-15. Back references to the event occur in Numbers 25:18 and 31:16, Deuteronomy 4:3, Joshua 22:17, Hosea 9:10; Psalm 106:28...

, taking as a paramour a Midianite woman, Cozbi

Cozbi

Cozbi כזבי בת צור is a biblical character in . She was the daughter of Zur, a prominent Midianite, and was romantically involved with the Israelite Zimri, son of Salu...

. Zimri openly defied Moses before the people who were standing at the entrance of the Tabernacle by going in to the Midianite, but Phinehas

Phinehas

-Biblical figures:*Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the High Priest*Phinehas, son of the High Priest Eli. He was a priest at Shiloh, and died when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant-Other :*Pinchas, the 41st weekly Torah portion....

, grandson of Aaron

Aaron

In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...

, killed them both by impaling them on a spear.

The modern Phineas Priesthood

Phineas Priesthood

The Phineas Priesthood or Phineas Priests is a Christian Identity movement that opposes interracial intercourse, the mixing of races, homosexuality, and abortion. It is also marked by its anti-Semitism, anti-multiculturalism, and opposition to taxation...

 believe the story of Phinehas and Zimri provides divine mandate for the murder of race traitors; although the previous rebuke of Miriam in Num.

Book of Numbers

The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....

 12 for criticising Moses

Moses

Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...

 for marrying an Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

n woman confounds this reading.

According to a midrash

Midrash

The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....

, Zimri was the same person as Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

It is also interesting to mention that according to The Revelations of Saint Bridget

Bridget of Sweden

Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 23 July 1373; also Birgitta of Vadstena, Saint Birgitta , was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years...

, after his death, his soul was condemned to hell (Book 7, Chapter 19).