intolerable. And the occasion of its growing worse was of that
nature, as made it likely the calamity would never cease, but
last for a long time; for the men, believing already that nothing
is done without the providence of God, would have it that these
things came thus to pass not without God's favor to Moses; they
therefore laid the blame upon him that God was so angry, and that
this happened not so much because of the wickedness of those that
were punished, as because Moses procured the punishment; and that
these men had been destroyed without any sin of theirs, only
because they were zealous about the Divine worship; as also, that
he who had been the cause of this diminution of the people, by
destroying so many men, and those the most excellent of them all,
besides his escaping any punishment himself, had now given the
priesthood to his brother so firmly, that nobody could any longer
dispute it with him; for no one else, to be sure, could now put
in for it, since he must have seen those that first did so to
have miserably perished. Nay, besides this, the kindred of those
that were destroyed made great entreaties to the multitude to
abate the arrogance of Moses, because it would be safest for them
so to do.

2. Now Moses, upon his hearing for a good while that the people
were tumultuous, was afraid that they would attempt some other
innovation, and that some great and sad calamity would be the
consequence. He called the multitude to a congregation, and
patiently heard what apology they had to make for themselves,
without opposing them, and this lest he should imbitter the
multitude: he only desired the heads of the tribes to bring their
rods, (3) with the names of their tribes inscribed upon them, and
that he should receive the priesthood in whose rod God should