Reply To: Classics and Beyond Bereishis 3� The Slippery Slope of Sin

AAQ, you may find this Seforno just in line with what you wrote.

In Parashas Behaaloscha, we read how Miriam spoke negatively to Aharon of Moshe�s separation from his wife. Hashem addressed Aharon and Miriam and faulted them for not appreciating that Moshe�s level of prophecy was far greater than that of any other navi, including them. The Torah then says (Bamidbar 12:9), �Vayichar af Hashem bam vayeilach � Hashem�s anger flared up against them, and He left.�
Usually, a person is first angry about a misdemeanor and then he criticizes the wrongdoer. Here, it is in the reverse. First the pasuk tells us that Hashem chastised Aharon and Miriam, and only then does it say that He was angry. The Seforno (ad loc.) explains that Hashem was angry at them after He criticized them, because they did not admit their sin immediately as David had done. We have no indication that Aharon and Miriam were contrite and humble after being rebuked. Accordingly, the anger was not for what they had done, but for what they had not done.