John Calvin Commentary Numbers 14:36

"And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land," — Numbers 14:36 (ASV)

And the men, which Moses sent to search the land. I do not at all approve of the view that some take, that this is recorded by anticipation. For there is no question that Moses recounts the special punishment which was inflicted by God upon the treacherous spies.

He had previously dealt with the general punishment of the whole people. When he now relates that the ten men were struck by the plague, he intimates that God would begin with them, so as to manifest by this conspicuous and notable example how severely He was offended by their very disgraceful contempt for His grace.

Their sudden and unnatural death was, therefore, a kind of foreshadowing to all the others of the punishment which awaited them. For in the first place, the expression, “the plague,” is emphatic, as if to say that they would not die in the ordinary course of nature. Again, by “the sight of God,”⁷³ he means something more than if he had merely said, “before God.” For God was not merely an observer of their destruction, but in a strange and unusual manner He executed His terrible judgment, as if He had publicly ascended His judgment seat.

And this became more evident by His prolonging the lives of Caleb and Joshua, who were the only survivors of that generation until the end of the prescribed time. It is true, indeed, that the verbs⁷⁴ are in the past tense; but, since there is an evident πρόληψις, I have not hesitated to change the tense, which is a sufficiently common idiom of the language. In this way, the connection of the discourse is better preserved.

⁷³ It will be seen that C.’s own translation is, “coram Deo;” but the own translation is, “coram Deo;” but the V. renders the words, “in conspectu Domini.” renders the words, “in conspectu Domini.”

⁷⁴ A.V. concludes the denunciation of the Almighty at concludes the denunciation of the Almighty at ver. 35. . C. continues it to the end of continues it to the end of ver. 38; and hence arose the necessity for changing the tenses. Vatablus and the Geneva version agree with ; and hence arose the necessity for changing the tenses. Vatablus and the Geneva version agree with C.; Dathe with Dathe with A.V.