Numbers 16:48

48 and he stood betwixt the dead men and the living, and he prayed for the people, and the vengeance ceased. (and he stood there among the living and the dead, and made amends for the people, and then the plague ceased.)

Numbers 16:48 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 16:48

And he stood between the dead and the living
The plague beginning at one end of the camp, and so proceeded on, Aaron placed himself between that part of it wherein it had made havoc, and that wherein yet it was not come; the Targum of Jonathan is,

``he stood in prayer in the middle, and made a partition, with his censer, between the dead and living;''

in this he was a type of Christ, the Mediator between God and man, the living God and dead sinners; for though his atonement and intercession are not made for the dead in a corporeal sense, nor for those who have sinned, and sin unto death, the unpardonable sin, nor for men appointed unto death, but for the living in Jerusalem, or for those who are written in the Lamb's book of life; yet for those who are dead in sin, and as deserving of eternal death as others, whereby they are saved from everlasting ruin:

and the plague was stayed;
it proceeded no further than where Aaron stood and offered his incense, and made atonement: so the consequence of the atonement and intercession of Christ is, that the wrath of God sin deserves comes not upon those that have a share therein, the second death shall not seize upon them, nor they be hurt with it; for, being justified by the blood of Christ, and atonement for their sins being made by his sacrifice, they are saved from wrath to come.

Numbers 16:48 In-Context

46 Moses said to Aaron, Take thy censer, and when the fire is taken up from (off) the altar, cast thou incense above, and go thou forth soon to the people, that thou pray for them; for now wrath is gone out from the Lord, and the vengeance is fierce. (Moses said to Aaron, Take thy censer, and when thou hast taken fire from off the altar, cast thou incense on it, and quickly go forth to the people, and make amends for them; for anger hath now gone out from the Lord, and the plague hath begun.)

47 And when Aaron had done this, and had run to the midst of the multitude, which the burning wasted then, he offered incense; (And Aaron did this, and ran to the midst of the multitude, who were already dying from the plague, and he offered the incense;)

48 and he stood betwixt the dead men and the living, and he prayed for the people, and the vengeance ceased. (and he stood there among the living and the dead, and made amends for the people, and then the plague ceased.)

49 Soothly they that were slain were fourteen thousand of men and seven hundred, without them that perished in the dissension of Korah. (But fourteen thousand and seven hundred people died from the plague, besides those who had perished in the rebellion of Korah.)

50 And Aaron turned again to Moses, to the door of the tabernacle of the bond of peace, after that the perishing of men ceased. (And then Aaron returned to Moses, at the entrance to the Tabernacle of the Covenant, after that the plague had ceased.)