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In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul warns the Corinthians to not grumble by reminding them of Numbers where those who grumbled to Moses were killed by a plague. He connects this to the “destroyer”, a divine agent who was thought to carry out this judgment.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Numbers 14:37
Septuagint
36 And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who came and murmured against it to the assembly so as to bring out evil words concerning the land, 37 the men that spoke evil reports against the land, even died of the plague before the Lord. 38 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh still lived of those men that went to spy out the land. 39 And Moses spoke these words to all the children of Israel; and the people mourned exceedingly.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
1 Corinthians 10:10
New Testament
8 And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and 23,000 died in a single day. 9 And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. 10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
Date: 55–57 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Turning to the New Testament writings, it is found that, consistent with LXX usage, the verb γογγύζω is used in Matthew and Luke in reference to a specific statement of discontent expressed directly and clearly to the object of discontent. In Matthew the laborers who worked the whole day, bearing the burden and heat of the day, complain to the master of the house because he paid them the same amount as those workers who only labored for one hour (Matthew 20:11). In Luke the Pharisees and scribes grumble against Jesus’ disciples, asking them why they are eating with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 5:30). The verb γογγύζω is used twice in 1 Corinthians 10:10, where the Apostle Paul warns the Corinthians not to murmur (μηδὲ γογγύζετε) as the Israelites murmured (ἐγόγγυσαν) and were destroyed by the destroyer. In this verse Paul makes reference to some or all of the events that occurred in Numbers 16:1–50. Here the murmuring of the Israelites is against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, a fact that parallels the murmuring of the Corinthians against Paul’s leadership ..."
David S. Hasselbrook, “Nuances of Meaning with Compound Words in the Septuagint: A Case Study of διαγογγύζω and εἰσακούω in Contexts of Grumbling,” in The Vocabulary of the Septuagint and Its Hellenistic Background, ed. Patrick Pouchelle Eberhard Bons and Daniela Scialabba (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019), 80–94.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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