1 Corinthians 10:9

Neither let us tempt the Lord (mhde ekpeirazwmen ton Kurion). So the best MSS. instead of Christ. This compound occurs in LXX and in N.T. always about Christ (here and Matthew 4:7 ; Luke 4:12 ; Luke 10:25 ). Let us cease sorely (ek-) tempting the Lord by such conduct. And perished by the serpents (kai upo twn opewn apwllunto). Vivid imperfect middle (cf. aorist middle apwlonto in verse Luke 10 ), were perishing day by day. The story is told in Numbers 21:6 . The use of upo for agent with the intransitive middle of apollumi is regular. Note the Ionic uncontracted genitive plural opewn rather than opwn.