Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh - El Elohey haruchoth lechol basar . This address sufficiently proves that these holy men believed that man is a being compounded of flesh and spirit, and that these principles are perfectly distinct. Either the materiality of the human soul is a human fable, or, if it be a true doctrine, these men did not pray under the influence of the Divine Spirit. In Numbers 27:16 there is a similar form of expression: Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh. And in Job 12:10 : In whose hand is the soul ( nephesh ) of all living; and the spirit ( ruach ) of all flesh of man. Are not these decisive proofs that the Old Testament teaches that there is an immortal spirit in man? "But does not ruach signify wind or breath?" Sometimes it does, but certainly not here; for how absurd would it be to say, O God, the God of the breaths of all flesh!
Other Adam Clarke entries containing Numbers 16:22:
Numbers 27:16
1 Chronicles 6:22
1 Peter 3:19
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