Numbers 16:45

45 "Get away from the midst of this community, and I will finish them in an instant," but they fell on their faces.

Numbers 16:45 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 16:45

Get you up from among this congregation
That is, withdraw from them, and be separate, that they might not be involved in the same destruction with them, as well as that they might have no concern for them, or plead with the Lord in prayer on their account, but let him alone to destroy them, as follows:

that I may consume them in a moment;
as he was able to do, and had proposed to do it before, but they entreated him that he would not, ( Numbers 16:21 Numbers 16:22 ) ; as they again do:

and they fell upon their faces;
in prayer, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem; and so Aben Ezra observes, it was to pray to deprecate the wrath of God, and to implore his pardoning mercy for this sinful people; which shows what an excellent temper and disposition these men were of, to pray for them that had so despitefully used them as to charge them with murder, and were about to commit it on them; see ( Matthew 5:44 ) ( Luke 23:34 ) .

Numbers 16:45 In-Context

43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of assembly,

44 and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

45 "Get away from the midst of this community, and I will finish them in an instant," but they fell on their faces.

46 And Moses and Aaron said, "Take the censer, and put fire on it from the altar. Place incense [on it], and bring it quickly to the community, and make atonement for them, because wrath went out from the presence of Yahweh, and a plague has begun."

47 And so Aaron took [it] just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people; so he gave the incense and made atonement for the people.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "in a moment"