1 Corinthians 10:8

1 Corinthians 10:8

Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

a. NLT: And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.

b. NIV: We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

c. YLT: neither may we commit whoredom, as certain of them did commit whoredom, and there fell in one day twenty-three thousand;

d. Amplified Bible Classic: We must not gratify evil desire and indulge in immorality as some of them did—and twenty-three thousand [suddenly] fell dead in a single day!

e. Worrell Translation: Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand

1. “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed…”

a. neither [3366 * mede] [Strong: from 3361 and 1161; but not, not even; in a continued negation, nor:--neither, nor (yet), (no) not (once, so much as).]

b. let us commit fornication [4203 * porneuo] [Strong: from 4204; to act the harlot, i.e. (literally) indulge unlawful lust (of either sex), or (figuratively) practise idolatry:--commit (fornication).]

c. as [2531 * kathos] [Strong: from 2596 and 5613; just (or inasmuch) as, that:--according to, (according, even) as, how, when.]

d. some [5100 * tis] [Strong: an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).]

e. of them [846 * autos] [Strong: from the particle au (perhaps akin to the base of 109 through the idea of a baffling wind) (backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative 1438) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons:--her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which.]

f. committed [4203 * porneuo] [Strong: from 4204; to act the harlot, i.e. (literally) indulge unlawful lust (of either sex), or (figuratively) practise idolatry:--commit (fornication).]

2. “…and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.”

a. and [2532 * kai] [Strong: apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

b. fell [4098 * pipt;  a reduplicated and contracted form of peto] [Strong: (which occurs only as an alternate in certain tenses); probably akin to 4072 through the idea of alighting; to fall (literally or figuratively):--fail, fall (down), light on.]

c. in [1722 * en] [Strong: a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519 and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.]

d. one 3391 * mia] [Strong: mia] [Strong: irregular feminine of 1520; one or first:--a (certain), + agree, first, one, X other.]

e. day [2250 * hemera; feminine (with 5610 implied) of a derivative of hemai (to sit; akin to the base of 1476)] [Strong: meaning tame, i.e. gentle; day, i.e. (literally) the time space between dawn and dark, or the whole 24 hours (but several days were usually reckoned by the Jews as inclusive of the parts of both extremes); figuratively, a period (always defined more or less clearly by the context):--age, + alway, (mid-)day (by day, (-ly)), + for ever, judgment, (day) time, while, years.]

f. three [5140 * treis; or neuter tria] [Strong: a primary (plural) number; "three":--three.]

g. and twenty [1501 * eikosi] [Strong: of uncertain affinity; a score:--twenty.]

h. thousand [5505 * chilias] [Strong: from 5507; one thousand ("chiliad"):--thousand.]

1). This is speaking of the events of Numbers 25 when a total of 24,000 men died, either from the hand of the Judges (Numbers 25:5), or from the plague. The text in Numbers 25:9 says 24 thousand died while the text in 1 Corinthians 10:8 says 23 thousand. The explanation is that 1,000 were slain by the judges at the command of Moses and the other 23,000 were slain by a plague or 1,000 died by a plague and 23,000 were slain by the command of Moses.

a). Numbers 25:1-9 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

25:2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

25:3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

25:4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.

25:5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

25:6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

25:7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;

25:8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

25:9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.