Numbers 16:3-50

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:28

And Moses said, hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works ,.... To bring the people of Israel out of Egypt, to exchange the firstborn for the Levites, to make Aaron and his sons priests, to give the Levites to them, and to set Elizaphan over the Kohathites, things which these men found fault with, and questioned his authority for doing them: for I have not done them of my own mind ; or "not out of my heart" F17 כי לא מלבי "quod non de corde meo",... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:29

If these men die the common death of all men ,.... Or "as every man dies" F18 כמות כל האדם "ut moriuntur omnes homines", Pagninus; "reliqui homines", Junius & Tremellius; "alii homines", Piscator. , or the generality of men, who for the most part die of one disease or another, as a fever, and the like, or through old age: or if they be visited after the visitation of all men ; with such visitations as men in all ages for their sins are visited with, meaning public... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:30

But if the Lord make a new thing ,.... Or "create a creation", or "creature" F19 בריאה יברא "creationem, creaverit", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Fagius; "creaturam", Vatablus, Drusius. , what never was before, or put those persons to a death that none ever in the world died of yet; what that is he means is next expressed: and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them ; their persons, their wives, children and substance: and they go... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:31

And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these things ,.... As soon as he had finished his discourse, which was addressed to the congregation, and, according to Josephus F21 Antiqu. l. 4. c. 3. Sect. 2. , after a long prayer to God, which that writer gives at large; immediately so it was: that the ground clave asunder that was under them ; on which they stood, not from any natural cause, as by subterranean volcano, forcibly making their way and bursting the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:32

And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up ,.... Dathan and Abiram, their wives, sons, and little ones, that stood at the door of their tents with them, and all their goods, as follows: the earth, as if it was a living creature or a beast of prey, opened its mouth and swallowed them up, as such a creature does its prey: and their houses ; which may be meant both of their families or households, and of the tents they dwelt in, which were their houses; see Deuteronomy 1:6 , ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:33

They, and all that appertained unto them, went down alive into the pit ,.... The grave which the opening earth made for them, they and their families: and the earth closed upon them ; and covered them over; this it did of itself, as Aben Ezra remarks: this was a wonderful instance of almighty power, that it should open in such large fissures as to swallow up such a number of men, with their tents, goods, and cattle, and then close again so firmly, as not to have the least appearance... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:34

And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them ,.... Or because of it, as Aben Ezra; their cry was so loud, their shrieks so dreadful and piercing, that the Israelites about them fled to get out of the sound of them, as well as for their own safety. The Targum of Jonathan not only represents their cry as terrible, but gives the words they expressed at it;"and all Israel that were round about them fled, because of the terror of their voice, when they cried and said, the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:35

And there came out a fire from the Lord ,.... Flashes of lightning from the cloud in which he was: and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense ; not that it reduced them to ashes, but took away their lives, struck them dead at once, in like manner as Nadab and Abihu were, who though said to be devoured by the fire, yet their bodies remained, Leviticus 10:2 ; and is often the case of persons killed by lightning; though Josephus F1 Antiq. l. 4. c. 3. sect. 4. ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:36

And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... Immediately after these men were consumed by fire from him; out of the same cloud from whence that proceeded, he spoke: saying : as follows. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:37

Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest ,.... His eldest son, that was to succeed him as high priest, and who perhaps was upon the spot to see the issue of things; and who, rather than Aaron, is bid to do what follows, partly because Aaron was now officiating, burning incense, and that he might not be defiled with the dead bodies; and partly because it was more proper and decent for the son to do it than the father; and it may be also because it was for the further confirmation of the... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:28

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:29

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:30

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:31

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:32

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:33

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:34

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:35

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:36

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:37

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