Numbers 16:22

Num 16:22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

Ver. 22. The God of the spirits.] The Former and Father of spirits, {Zec 12:1 Heb 12:9} "that giveth to all ζωην και πνοην, life and breath," {Act 17:25} in whose hand is the soul of all living, and the spirit of all flesh. {Job 12:10}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Num 16:22. The God of the spirits of all flesh — And this is no empty title here, but very emphatical. Thou art the Maker of spirits, destroy not thy own workmanship. O thou who art the preserver of men, and of their spirits, the Lord of spirits, (Job 12:10,) who, as thou mayest justly destroy this people, so thou canst preserve whom thou pleasest; the Father of spirits, the souls. Deal mercifully with thy own children: the Searcher of spirits, thou canst distinguish between those who have maliciously raised this tumult, and those whose ignorance and simple credulity hath made them a prey to crafty seducers. Of all flesh — Of all mankind: the word flesh is often put for men. One man — Korah, the ringleader of this division.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, of every creature.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh--The benevolent importunity of their prayer was the more remarkable that the intercession was made for their enemies.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 22. O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh] אל אלהי הרוחת לכל בשר El Elohey haruchoth lechol basar. This address sufficiently proves that these holy men believed that man is a being compounded of flesh and spirit, and that these principles are perfectly distinct. Either the materiality of the human soul is a human fable, or, if it be a true doctrine, these men did not pray under the influence of the Divine Spirit. In Nu 27:16 there is a similar form of expression: Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh. And in Job 12:10: In whose hand is the soul (נפש nephesh) of all living; and the spirit (רוח ruach) of all flesh of man. Are not these decisive proofs that the Old Testament teaches that there is an immortal spirit in man? "But does not רוח ruach signify wind or breath?" Sometimes it does, but certainly not here; for how absurd would it be to say, O God, the God of the breaths of all flesh!

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. the God of the spirits of all flesh] The God who made and sustains the life of every human being. In early days Jehovah was thought of as the particular deity of Israel alone. But by the time of the priestly writer the nation had long advanced to the deeper and truer conception of monotheism.

shall one man sin] i.e. Korah. The words very clearly imply that Dathan and Abiram do not belong to the narrative.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And they fell upon their faces,.... That is, Moses and Aaron, in order to deprecate the wrath of God, and beseech him to avert the threatened judgment; and so the Targum of Jonathan has it,"they bowed themselves in prayer upon their faces;"

and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh; the Maker of all men, as of their bodies, which are flesh, so of their souls or spirits, which are immaterial and immortal; hence he is called "the Father of spirits", Heb 12:9, who, as the Targum, puts the spirit in the bodies of men; or, as others, who knows the spirits of men; their thoughts, as Jarchi, the inward frames and dispositions of their minds; who knows who have sinned, and who not; and whether their sins proceed from weakness, and being misled, or whether from a malevolent disposition, presumption, and self-will:

shall one man sin: meaning Korah, who was the ringleader:

and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? who, through ignorance and weakness, and by artifice and imposition, are drawn in to join with him; the plea is much the same with that of Abraham, Gen 18:25.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

God, who givest life to all, and searchest the inmost recesses of the heart. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Of the spirits, i.e. of souls, as the word spirit in Scripture is oft used, as Psa 31:5; 77:3; Pro 17:22; Ecc 12:7; Luk 23:46; Act 7:59. And this is no empty title here, but very emphatical and argmmentative, thus, Thou art the Maker of spirits, Zec 12:1, destroy not thy own workmanship, Isa 64:8. O thou who art the preserver of men, and of their spirits; the Lord of spirits, Job 12:10; who as thou mayst justly destroy this people, so thou canst preserve whom thou pleasest: the Father of spirits, Heb 12:9; O deal mercifully with thy own children: the Searcher of spirits, thou canst distinguish between those who have maliciously raised this tumult, and those whose ignorance and simple credulity hath made them a prey to crafty seducers.

Of all flesh, i.e. of all mankind: the word flesh is put for men, as Gen 6:13; Job 12:10; Isa 40:5,6; Eze 20:48; 21:4,5.

One man, to wit, Korah, the ringleader of this sedition.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. They fell upon their faces — This posture denotes the earnestness of the intercession of these two men, against whom this vast conspiracy was directed. Here is an out-gleaming of that love which shone forth so gloriously from the cross of Jesus Christ, “Father, forgive them.”

The God of the spirits of all flesh — The appeal is not to the God of the covenant, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because Israel is now temporarily outside of the covenant, but to God the Creator. “It is of little consequence whether these words are to be understood as relating to all the animal kingdom, or to the human race alone; because Moses simply prayed that as God was the Creator and Architect of the world he would not destroy the men whom he had created, but rather have mercy upon the works of his own hands.” — Calvin.

One man sin — Literally, shall the one man sin, that is, Korah, the ringleader of the conspiracy. A degree of culpability attached to all who countenanced the plot; but many were swept in by the current of wicked feeling, not from hostility to Moses and Aaron, but from too great weakness to resist the prevailing sentiment. For these Moses intercedes.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh. rcBAkl tjoWrh yjeloa lae. The ruach is the spirit of life which the Creator has imparted unto perishable flesh, and made it live. In some sense it belongs to beasts as well as to men; (Ecc_3:19, Ecc_3:21) but in the common use of the word men only are thought of, as having received it by a special communication of a higher order. (Gen_2:7 1Co_15:45) Moses, therefore, really appeals to God, as the Author and Giver of that imperishable life-principle which is lodged in the mortal flesh of all men, not to destroy the works of his own hands, the creatures made in his own image. Here we have in its germ that idea of the universal fatherhood of God which remained undeveloped in Jewish thought until Judaism itself expanded into Christianity. (cf. Isa_63:16 Isa_64:8, 9 Act_17:26, Act_17:29) Shall one man sin. Rather, "the one man (vyaih) hath sinned," i.e., Korah, who had misled all the rest.

"The God of the spirits of all flesh.

This name of God reminds us of some of the relations in which God stands to us his creatures, who are immortal spirits in mortal flesh. We select three, and speak of him

I As PROPIETOR. "He formeth the spirit of man within him". (Zec_12:1) The verb used is applied to a potter or a smith, and reminds us that God has modeled the human spirit, with its varied powers, according to his own ideal. (Psa_33:15) Since he formed man in his own image, he is "the Father of spirits" in a sense in which he is not the Father of animals. Thus he is our Proprietor, who can say, "All souls are mine," who feels a deep interest in "the work of his own hands", (Psa_138:8) and who will use, according to his judgment, the spirits he has formed and variously endowed. See Moses" use of this truth in Num_27:15-17.

II As HEART-SEARCHER. Sin has broken into the natural relation of God to his creatures. He has to deal with them as sinners with various degrees of criminality. Hence need of discrimination which only the Creator and Searcher of hearts possesses. This truth used by Abraham (Gen_18:23-33) and by Moses and Aaron (verse 22). It is only the Heart-Searcher who can righteously adjust

(1) the direct punishment of sin, which falls only on the guilty, (Eze_18:1-32) and

(2) the indirect consequences, which may fall on the innocent, (Exo_34:7) as on Dathan"s children (verses 27, 32).

In this narrative we see

(1) conditional preservation (verse 24),

(2) diverse judgments (verses 32, 35, 49),

(3) bereavements and dishonour to the survivors. (Num_27:3) Faith in "God, the God of the spirits of all flesh," may keep us calm in the midst of judgments. (Isa_57:16)

III As THE SAVIOR. If God were not a Saviour there would soon be no "spirits of flesh" to be the God of. (Mal_3:6) But God"s salvation is for all flesh. (2Co_5:19 1Ti_2:6 1Jn_2:2) If God is our Saviour, then we may delight in his proprietorship of us. (Psa_119:94 Psa_116:12 Isa_43:1) And we can cheerfully accept any discipline which our Heart-Searcher sends; (Heb_12:5-10) for "the God of my life" is also "the God of my salvation. P.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The spirits - And this is no empty title here, but very emphatical. Thou art the maker of spirits, destroy not thy own workmanship! O thou who art the preserver of men, and of their spirits, the Lord of spirits, Job xii, 10, who as thou mayst justly destroy this people, so thou canst preserve whom thou pleasest: the father of spirits, the souls. Deal mercifully with thy own children: the searcher of spirits, thou canst distinguish between those who have maliciously railed this tumult, and those whose ignorance and simple credulity hath made them a prey to crafty seducers. Of all flesh - Of all mankind: the word flesh is often put for men. One man - Korah, the ringleader of this sedition.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

אל אלהי הרוחות O GOD, THE GOD OF THE SPIRITS [OF ALL FLESH] — i.e., “[O God] who knowest the thoughts of every man”. Thy nature is not like that of human beings: an earthly king against whom part of his country commits an offence, does not know who the sinner is, and therefore when he becomes angry he exacts punishment from all of them. But Thou — before Thee all human thoughts lie open and Thou knowest who is the sinner (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 7).

האיש אחד means, THE ONE MAN IS THE SINNER, and על כל העדה תקצוף YOU ARE ANGRY WITH ALL THE CONGREGATION?! Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, replied, “You have spoken well; I know and shall make known who has sinned and who has not sinned” (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 7).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

If one man sins. This refers to Korach, who congregated the entire congregation against Moshe and Aharon. Some hold the view that Almighty, the God of the spirits connotes that He has the power to search out a man’s spirit because He is his God, and He knows that one man alone, Korach, sinned, even if he caused others to sin.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.