John Gill Commentary 1 Corinthians 10:10

"Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer." — 1 Corinthians 10:10 (ASV)

Neither murmur you
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 to, and often guilty of this sin; but what the apostle here has respect to, 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 by the destroyer ;
meaning either some judgment of God upon them, as the earth's opening and swallowing up Korah and all that belonged to 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 a one as smote the firstborn in Egypt, and bears the same name, (Hebrews 11:28) .

Such an angel also 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 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

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FOOTNOTES:

• F1: called (tyxvmh) , "the destroyer"; and Samuel, the same with Satan, is called "the angel of death"; to which the allusion is in (Hebrews 2:14) and evil angels are frequently styled (hlbx ykalm) , "destroying angels" ^F2 ; as distinct from ministering ones, and to which some think the apostle here refers.
• F2: T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 72. 1. Beracot, fol. 51. 1.