to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Numbers 16:41–end
Here is, I. A new rebellion raised the very next day against Moses and Aaron. Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and wonder, O earth! Was there ever such an instance of the incurable corruption of sinners? On the morrow (Num 16:41) the body of the people mutinied. 1. Though they were so lately terrified by the sight of the punishment of the rebels. The shrieks of those sinking sinners, those sinners against their own souls, were yet sounding in their ears, the smell of the fire yet remained, and the gaping earth was scarcely thoroughly closed, and yet the same sins were re-acted and all these warnings slighted. 2. Though they were so lately saved from sharing in the same punishment, and the…
the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord--What a strange exhibition of popular prejudice and passion--to blame the leaders for saving the rebels! Yet Moses and Aaron interceded for the people--the high priest perilling his own life in doing good to that perverse race.
John Gill on Numbers 16:44
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... Out of the cloud:
saying; as follows.
John Calvin on Numbers 16:42-44
And it came to pass when the congregation. From the fact that Moses and Aaron were protected by the covering of the cloud, we gather how uncontrollable was the rage of the people. For, although the glory of God only stood over the tabernacle, so that Moses and Aaron were still exposed to stoning, and any other acts of violence, yet it so dazzled the eyes of these wicked men, that they could not touch the holy persons. Nor can we doubt but that they betook themselves to the sanctuary, because, in the extremity of their danger, the only hope that remained to them was in the help of God. When, therefore, they had fled to this sacred asylum, God received them under the shadow of His wings. Thus…
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: "Depart from the midst of this congregation, and I will destroy them at once." And they fell upon their face. In Sodom, indeed, at the very least, ten were required, through whom those who dwelt in the Pentapolis of the Sodomites could scarcely, if perhaps, be saved; but now even two, if however such be found as Moses was and Aaron, are able to suffice for the whole nation of the Israelites to be saved. What then shall we say is more in these two? What so great a virtue, what merit, whereby six hundred thousand and more are delivered from the destruction of the ravager? I think that in Moses the Law is signified, which teaches men the knowledge and the love of God, and that in Aaron consists the form of supplicating God and of beseeching him. If therefore it should happen at some time that God is angry with us or with the whole people, and if now the sentence of vengeance goes forth from the Lord, but the Law of God returns into our heart, admonishing us and teaching us to turn to repentance, to make satisfaction for our offenses, to supplicate for our faults—the anger will cease at once, the indignation will subside, the Lord will be appeased, as though Moses and Aaron were interceding for us and supplicating for the whole people. But if at some time the indignation of God arises and a fierce correction comes for our sins, and yet our hearts are hardened, so that we do not turn to the Lord nor humble ourselves in his sight, so as by the confession of supplications to soften his emotion and his anger, but on the contrary we say: God has no care for the life of mortals, nor do these things pertain to God, he has long since forsaken us, nor do such matters come to his knowledge—if we think such things in our hearts and these proceed from our mouth, it is certain that Moses and Aaron are not in us, namely the knowledge of the Law and the fruits of repentance, through whom we might be able to escape the destruction of the impending doom. This, I think, happened also to that people who lived before us, when "they all turned aside, together they became unprofitable, and there was none who did goodness, there was not even one." For if there had been, God would never at all have forsaken them. But let us too fear, lest perchance something similar be found in us; for I fear that sentence in which our Lord and Savior,…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Aaron — The eldest son of Amram and Jochebed, a daughter of Levi (Ex. 6:20). Some explain the name as meaning mountaineer, others mountain of strength, illuminator. He was born in Egypt three years before…
Korah — Ice, hail. (1.) The third son of Esau, by Aholibamah (Gen. 36:14; 1 Chr. 1:35). (2.) A Levite, the son of Izhar, the brother of Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron (Ex. 6:21). The institution of the…
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Plague sent — Plague sent
High Priest, The · Typified Christ in: Interceding — Typified Christ in: Interceding
Plague · .After complaining about the — .After complaining about the
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 16:41–end
Punishment of the Murmuring Congregation. - The judgment upon the company of Korah had filled the people round about with terror and dismay, but it had produced no change of heart in the congregation that had risen up against its leaders. The next morning the whole congregation began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, and to charge them with having slain the people of Jehovah. They referred to Korah and his company, but especially to the 250 chiefs of renown, whom they regarded as the kernel of the nation, and called "the people of Jehovah." They would have made Moses and Aaron responsible for their death, because in their opinion it was they who had brought the judgment upon their leaders;…
In reply, the Lord’s glorious presence reappeared and threatened to destroy the people of Israel (cp. 16:19-20). Once again, Moses and Aaron intervened by falling face down on the ground.
Rashi on Numbers 16:34
נסו לקולם [AND ALL ISRAEL …] FLED AWAY AT THEIR VOICE — i.e. on account of the sound that broke out because of their being swallowed up.
