1 Corinthians 10:9,10

The sins condemned in 1 Corinthians 10:7-8 are sins of sensuality; these, of unbelief (Ed [1445]) which takes two forms: of presumption, daring God's judgments; or of despair, doubting His goodness. The whole wilderness history, with its crucial events of Massah and Meribah, is represented as a “trying of the Lord” in Psalms 95:8 ff. (cf. Numbers 14:22), a δοκιμασία (Hebrews 3:7-12); this process culminated in the insolence of Numbers 21:4 f., which was punished by the infliction of the “fiery serpents”. The like sin, of presuming on the Divine forbearance, the Cor [1446] would commit if they trifled with idolatry (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:22) and “sinned wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth” (Hebrews 10:26; Romans 6:1); cf. Deuteronomy 6:16 (Matthew 4:7), Psalms 78:17 ff., for this trait of the Israelite character. ἐκ - πειράζω is to try thoroughly, to the utmost as though one would see how far God's indulgence will go. The graphic impf [1447], ἀπώλλυντο, “lay a-perishing,” transports us to the scene of misery resulting from this experiment upon God! ὑπὸ of agent after ἀπόλλυμι a cl [1448] idiom, h.l. for N.T. elsewhere construed with dat [1449], or ἐν and dat [1450], of cause or ground of destruction (1 Corinthians 8:11; Romans 14:15, etc.). The “murmuring” also occurred repeatedly in the wilderness; but P. alludes specifically to the rebellion of Korah and its punishment the only instance of violent death overtaking this sin (Numbers 16:41). The ὀλοθρευτὴς in such supernatural chastisement is conceived as the “destroying angel” (2 Samuel 24:16; Isaiah 37:36), called ὁ ὀλοθρεύων in Exodus 12:23; Hebrews 11:28 (cf. Wis 18:25); in later Jewish theology, Sammael, or the Angel of Death (Weber, Altsyn. Théologie, p. 244). The O.T. analogy suggests that P. had in view the murmurings of jealous partisans and unworthy teachers at Cor [1451] (1Co 1:12, 1 Corinthians 3:6 1 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Corinthians 4:18 ff.); at this point he reverts to the impv [1452] of 2nd. pers [1453], γογγύζετε. τινες (quidam), used throughout of the Israelite offenders, may mean many or few, anything short of “all” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4); cf., 1 Corinthians 10:5, also 1 Corinthians 9:22; 1 Corinthians 8:7; Romans 3:3.

[1445] T. C. Edwards' Commentary on the First Ep. to the Corinthians. 2

[1446] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[1447]mpf. imperfect tense.

[1448] classical.

[1449] dative case.

[1450] dative case.

[1451] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[1452] imperative mood.

[1453]ers. grammatical person, or personal.