Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 10:8

"Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand." — 1 Corinthians 10:8 (ASV)

Paul then cites several OT incidents of what that lusting involved and warns against following the example of the Israelites. Many of them became idolaters, as the story about the worship of the golden calf indicates (Exodus 32:1–6). Israel ate a sacrificial meal in dedication to the calf and then got up to dance in ceremonial revelry (Exodus 32:6), just as the pagans danced before their gods. This may look back to Paul’s discussion in ch.8 about eating meat sacrificed to idols.

Paul’s next allusion is to Israel’s joining herself to Baal of Peor (Numbers 25:1–9), an act involving both spiritual and sexual unfaithfulness. This god of the Moabites was worshiped through the prostitution of virgins; idolatry and sexual immorality were joined together, and Paul warns against such acts (v.8). The NT says 23,000 died, whereas the OT reports 24,000 (Numbers 25:9). Paul is speaking about how many died in that one day; he does not include others who were killed subsequently, among them being the leaders in the rebellion, whom God ordered Moses to hang (Numbers 25:4).

Paul’s next example (v.9) is the murmuring of Israel against the Lord for bringing them out of Egypt, for which they were severely punished (Numbers 21:6). With the use of the plural pronoun “we,” Paul includes himself in cautioning the Corinthians against complaining like the Israelites and against testing the Lord to see what he will do.

The final example (v.10) relates to Israel’s grumbling against the Lord at Kadesh Barnea (Numbers 14:2) and their desire to have died in Egypt or in the desert. The “destroying angel” (GK 3904) was the angel of God (cf. Exodus 12:23), whom Paul indicates was sent to bring the plague spoken of in Nu 14:37. The incident referred to may also be the destruction of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16:30).