Phinehas declared, "This day we know that Jehovah is in the midst of us, because ye have not committed this trespass." Commentators explain that the most reliable sign of God's presence within a community is the moral and spiritual faithfulness of its people. As one scholar puts it, "The best sign of the Divine presence among men is the Divine likeness and holiness in men." Their innocence was the proof of God's active work among them.