16:26 And he said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked31 men, and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because32 of all their sins.”33
tn The word רָשָׁע (rasha’) has the sense of a guilty criminal. The word “wicked” sometimes gives the wrong connotation. These men were opposing the Lord, and so were condemned as criminals—they were guilty. The idea of “wickedness” therefore applies in that sense.
32
tn The preposition bet (בְּ) in this line is causal—“on account of their sins.”
33
sn The impression is that the people did not hear what the Lord said to Moses, but only what Moses said to the people as a result. They saw the brilliant cloud, and perhaps heard the sound of his voice, but the relaying of the instructions indicates they did not hear the actual instruction from the Lord himself.