Midrasch zu Könige II 5:7

(Bamidbar 11:1) "And the people were ['vayehi'] as seekers of a pretext": "vayehi" connotes return to a previous condition, i.e., they were perverse to begin with, and they reverted to their original perversity. "And the people": "the people" connotes the wicked ones, as in (Shemot 17:4) "What can I do to this people?", (Bamidbar 14:4) "How long will this people provoke Me?" (Jeremiah 13:10) "this evil people who refuse to hear My words." And when He calls them "My people," this connotes the upright ones, as in (Shemot 7:16) "Send My people and let them serve Me," (Michah 6:3) "My people, what (wrong) did I do to you, and how did I tire you? Testify against Me!", (Ibid. 5) "My people, remember now, etc." And the people were kemithonenim": "mithonenim" connotes "grumblers," seekers of a pretest to abandon the L-rd, as in the instance of Yoram the son of Achav, viz. (II Kings 5:7) "Know now and see that he seeks a pretext (mithaneh) against me," and in the instance of Samson, viz. (Judges 14:4) "for he was seeking a pretext (toanah) against the Philistines." R. Eliezer says: "kemithonenim" connotes "blows," as in (Proverbs 26:22) "The words of the grumbler are like blows," and in (Devarim 1:23) "And you 'grumbled' in your tents." What is "blows" (in our context)? They were as strikers of blows, but a "knife" descended from heaven and split their innards, viz. (Proverbs, Ibid.) "and they descend to the recesses of the stomach." R. Yehudah says: "kemithonenim" connotes those who afflict themselves, as in (Devarim 26:19) "I did not eat in my mourning (be'oni) of it." Rebbi says: "kemithonenim ra [evil]": "evil" (in this context) is idolatry, as in (Devarim 31:29) "for you will do evil in the eyes of the L-rd." "in the ears of the L-rd": We are hereby taught that Israel deliberately intended to have Him hear (their words). R. Shimon says: An analogy: A man is cursing the king, when the king passes by. They tell him: Hush! the king might hear! And he says: Who told you that I don't want him to hear! So, (in this instance) Israel wanted the L-rd to hear. He heard and His wrath burned in them. "and the fire of the L-rd burned in them": Fire descended from heaven and "rained blows" upon them until they could not tell the difference between the living and the dead. But whom did the fire strike first? — "and it (the fire) devoured 'biktzei' of the camp." Some say (this refers to) the proselytes, who were muktzim ("cast off") in the end ("katzeh") of the camp. R. Shimon b. Menassia says: "and it devoured 'biktzei' of the camp": in the ketzinim, (their officers), their great men, as in (Judges 11:11) "and the people set him as a leader and a chief (katzin) over them."