Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 17:12
And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
12. we expire, we perish, we all perish ] This and the following verse form a transition to ch. 18, in which the Levites guard the Tent, lest any layman should perish by approaching it, as Korah and his company had attempted to do.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A new section should begin with these verses. They are connected retrospectively with Num. 16; and form the immediate introduction to Num. 18. The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague. Presumption passed by reaction into despair. Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord? Was there any escape from death, except by keeping aloof from His presence? The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.] gavaenu signifies not so much to die simply, as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing, which, producing suffocation, ends at last in death. See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people. At first, every person might come near to God, for all, they thought, were sufficiently holy, and every way qualified to minister in holy things. Now, no one, in their apprehension, can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed, Nu 17:13. In both cases they were wrong; some there were who might approach, others there were who might not. God had put the difference. His decision should have been final with them; but sinners are ever running into extremes.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Words of consternation arising, partly, from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments; partly, from the threatening of death upon ally succeeding murmurings; partly, from the sense of their own guilt and weakness, which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages, and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12, 13. Behold, we die, we perishanexclamation of fear, both from the remembrance of former judgments,and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the children of Israel spake unto Moses,…. The princes of the tribes, who had seen the miracle of the rod, and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place, and for what purpose, which gave them a sensible concern: these, and as many as were acquainted with it, addressed Moses upon it, as follows:
saying, behold, we die, we perish, we all perish; which being expressed without the copulative, and in different words, show that they were spoken quick and in haste, and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in, and the sense they had of their sin and danger, fearing they should all die and perish, as many had already; it has respect, as some think, to punishments past and future, so the Targum of Jonathan,
“some of us have been consumed by flaming fire, and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost, and, lo, we are accounted as if all of us would perish.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
12. And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses. It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of God’s power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity; but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy, and consternation. It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God, and, in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety, so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger. But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God; whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them. Hence it arose that the Israelites, stunned as it were by God’s severity, which they deemed excessive, deplored their wretched lot; for, inasmuch as they had no sense of God’s goodness, the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine. They exclaim, therefore, that they are destroyed, because God so severely avenges His polluted worship; as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious. No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance; but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it, because it first engenders bitterness and indignation, and at length drives them to despair, Howsoever formidable, then, may be God’s severity, let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy, so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments which we have deserved. In short, this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made, since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them, that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation. For this is the meaning of the words, “Shall we be consumed with dying?” as if it were not the case that God, on the contrary, was preserving them from death, when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12, 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses . . . The special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension, but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague, or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them. The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter, in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary, and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His people.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. We all perish This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah: such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu, of the ten faithless spies, the engulfing of a part of Korah’s conspirators, and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle, and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14,700 of Israel at once.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The People Recognise that None But Aaron’s House May Enter the Tabernacle. They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live ( Num 17:12-13 )
Num 17:12-13
‘And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, all of us are undone. Every one who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, dies. Shall we perish all of us?” ’
The people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes, in contrast with the living rod of Aaron, and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past. They must have asked themselves, what did this signify? Terror took hold of them, and spread. Their rod had come back dead. They panicked. Was this an omen, an indication of their coming fate, that Yahweh was handing them over to death? They understood the message that was given, that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die, that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death, as Moses had already warned (Num 1:51; Num 1:53). But they feared that death was upon them, as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly. Were they then doomed? Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate? Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was, but for the reader, held in suspense, the answer is given in Num 18:2. The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sons.
So once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone. God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there. For all others to enter would be to perish. Note the threefold stress, ‘perish — undone — all undone’ indicating how distressed they were. The repetition of ‘comes near’ indicates coming very close. To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death, just as the rods were dead. They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish.
This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites. They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died. None must ever again make the same mistake. The same would happen to any who made the attempt. Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner Sanctuary.
For us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life, and bud and produce fruit. We must receive eternal life, through Jesus Christ (Joh 5:24; Joh 10:28; 1Jn 5:12-13; 2Co 5:17), and only then we can live before Him. For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Heb 10:19-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1Pe 2:9).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
we perish, we all perish. Figure of speech Epizeuxis (App-6), to enhance the alarm of the People.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Behold: Num 26:11, Psa 90:7, Pro 19:3, Isa 57:16, Heb 12:5
we die: Gawanoo, “we expire:” it signifies not so much to die simply, as to feel an extreme difficulty in breathing, which producing suffocation, ends at last in death. See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people, in thus rebelling against the authority of those whom Jehovah had appointed to be their rulers.
Reciprocal: Gen 4:14 – that Exo 12:33 – We be all Num 16:34 – Lest Num 21:5 – spake 1Sa 6:20 – General 2Sa 6:9 – afraid 1Ki 13:33 – whosoever 1Ch 13:12 – afraid of God Psa 73:19 – they are Isa 33:14 – sinners Jer 30:21 – and I Lam 3:39 – a man Eze 37:11 – Our bones Amo 6:10 – Hold Act 5:5 – great Act 5:13 – of Rom 8:15 – the spirit Heb 8:4 – he should
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 17:12-13. Behold we die, we perish Words of consternation, arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments, from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings, and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness, which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages, and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves. Near Nearer than he should do; an error which we may easily commit. Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice, till all the people be cut off?
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17:12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, {f} we die, we perish, we all perish.
(f) The Chaldea text describes their complaining in this way; “We die by the sword, the earth swallows us up, the pestilence consumes us.”