DawahBible

CONTRADICTION · NUMERICAL

Plague Death Toll

Numbers 25:1,91 Corinthians 10:8

The Tension
PASSAGE ANumbers 25:1,9
...those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
PASSAGE B1 Corinthians 10:8
...and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
Analysis

Accurate figures matter for credibility. If one text says 24,000 died and another says 23,000, which is correct? Such a basic discrepancy undermines trust. If numbers differ, can we rely on other details? This inconsistency questions claims of perfect preservation.

Perspectives

THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE

They say Paul cites a partial figure (one day’s death count), while Numbers gives a total. Both figures describe aspects of the same event.

THE ISLAMIC POSITION

Muslims argue that a divine text would give consistent numbers. The differing counts suggest human error, challenging biblical inerrancy and contrasting with the Quran’s precision.

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TOPIC

Plague Death Toll