Numbers 16:15 - Exposition

And Moses was very wroth. The bitter taunts of the Reubenites had just enough semblance of truth in them to make them very hard to bear, and especially the imputation of low personal ambition; but it is impossible to say that Moses did not err through anger. Respect not thou their offering. Cf. Genesis 4:4 . It is not quite clear what offering Moses meant, since they do not seem to have wished to offer incense. Probably it was equivalent to saying, Do not thou accept them when they approach thee; for such approach was always by sacrifice (cf. Psalms 109:7 ). I have not taken one ass from them. Cf. 1 Samuel 12:3 . The ass was the least valuable of the ordinary live stock of those days (cf. Exodus 20:17 ). The Septuagint has here οὐκ ἐπιθύμημα οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν εἴληφα , which is apparently an intentional paraphrase with a reference to the tenth commandment ( οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις κ . τ . λ .). Neither have I hurt one of them. As absolute ruler he might have made himself very burdensome to all, and very terrible to his personal enemies. Compare Samuel's description of the Eastern autocrat ( 1 Samuel 8:11-17 ).