1 Corinthians 10:10 - Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Neither murmur ye. — The reference here is to Numbers 16:41-47, and the historical event alluded to — viz., the murmuring of the Israelites against their God-given leaders, Moses and Aaron — is analogous to the murmuring of the Corinthians against their Apostle, St. Paul. It is noticeable that St. Paul attributes the death of the people to the Destroyer — i.e., God’s messenger sent to destroy — while in Numbers they are said to have perished by the “plague.” Every pestilence that swept over nations to purify them was a messenger from God. Thus in Psalms 78:50 God is said to give “their life over to the pestilence,” which in Exodus 12:23 is spoken of as “the destroyer.”