Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - 1 Corinthians 10:8
(8) And fell in one day three and twenty thousand.—In Numbers 25:9 the statement is that twenty-four thousand perished. Various and ingenious attempts have been made to reconcile these two accounts of the actual numbers. The explanation most in harmony with the character of the writer, and the utterly unessential nature of the point historically, is, I venture to think, that either the Apostle quoted from memory a fact of no great importance, or else that he referred for his figures to some... read more
John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 10:1-33
(b) Food offered to Idols(iii) Historical Illustrations and Practical AdviceSt. Paul has been speaking of the need of earnestness and self-discipline, and the danger of failure; he now holds out the fate of the Israelites as a warning against self-confidence. The Corinthians were tempted to the very same sins for which Israel suffered.All of the Israelites received great blessings from God, types of the sacramental privileges Christians enjoy, yet most of them perished in the wilderness because... read more