Neither murmur ye
Against the true apostles of Christ, and faithful ministers of
the word; nor against the laws and ordinances of Christ, or
providences of God; so some of the members of this church did, or
were inclined to do:
as some of them also murmured:
as against the Lord, so against Moses and Aaron. The people of
Israel were very prone unto, and often guilty of this sin; but
what the apostle here has respect unto, is either their murmuring
upon the report the spies made of the good land, in ( Numbers
14:1-5 ) , or that of Korah and his company against Moses and
Aaron, as principal officers, who were for setting all upon a
level; and of all the people against them, for the death of these
men, ( Numbers
16:1-35 ) ,
and were destroyed of the destroyer;
meaning either some judgment of God upon them, as the earth's
opening and swallowing up Korah and all that belonged unto him;
and the fire that came down from heaven, and consumed the two
hundred and fifty men that offered incense; and the plague which
swept away fourteen thousand and seven hundred of those that
murmured against Moses and Aaron, on the account of the death of
the said persons; and any other judgment by which the carcasses
of those fell in the wilderness, that murmured upon the report of
the spies; or else since angels were usually employed by God, in
inflicting such judgments, by the destroyer may be meant an
angel, such an one as smote the firstborn in Egypt, and bears the
same name, ( Hebrews
11:28 ) and as smote Israel with a pestilence upon David's
numbering the people, and was about to have destroyed Jerusalem,
had he not been restrained, ( 2 Samuel
24:15 2 Samuel
24:16 ) and as, smote an hundred fourscore and five thousand
in the camp of the Assyrians, in one night, ( 2 Kings
19:35 ) . So that though an angel may be intended, it is not
necessary, on account of the character given him, to understand
an evil angel; it is true indeed, that Satan is by the Jews
F1 T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 16. 2.
F2 T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 72. 1. Beracot,
fol. 51. 1.