Numbers 16

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1Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites–Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth–became insolent

2and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.

3They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?”

4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.

5Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him.

6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers

7and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

8Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites!

9Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?

10He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.

11It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?”

12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come!

13Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us?

14Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!”

15Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”

16Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow–you and they and Aaron.

17Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it–250 censers in all–and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.”

18So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

19When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly.

20The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

21“Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”

22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”

23Then the Lord said to Moses,

24“Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’ ”

25Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

26He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”

27So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.

28Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea:

29If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the Lord has not sent me.

30But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”

31As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart

32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions.

33They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

34At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

35And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

36The Lord said to Moses,

37“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy–

38the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.”

39So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,

40as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.

41The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord's people,” they said.

42But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.

43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting,

44and the Lord said to Moses,

45“Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

46Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started.”

47So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them.

48He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.

49But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.

50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.

Commentary

16:1 The son of Izhar - Amram's brother, Exo 6:18, therefore Moses and he were cousin germans. Moreover, Izhar was the second son of Kohath, whereas Elizaphan, whom Moses had preferred before him, and made prince or ruler of the Kohathites, Num 3:30, was the son of Uzziel, the fourth son of Kohath. This, the Jewish writers say, made him malcontent, which at last broke forth into sedition. Sons of Reuben - These are drawn into confederacy with Korah, partly because they were his next neighbours, both being encamped on the south - side, partly in hopes to recover their rights of primogeniture, in which the priesthood was comprehended, which was given away from their father.

Chapter 16 The date of the history contained in this chapter is altogether uncertain. Probably these mutinies happened after their removal back again from Kadesh-barnea, when they were fixed (if I may so speak) for their wandering in the wilderness, and began to look upon that as their settlement. Presently after new laws given follows the story of a new rebellion, as if sin took occasion from the commandment to become more exceedingly sinful. Here is, I. A daring and dangerous rebellion raised against Moses and Aaron, by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (v. 1–15). 1. Korah and his accomplices contend for the priesthood against Aaron (v. 3). Moses reasons with them, and appeals to God for a decision of the controversy (v. 4–11). 2. Dathan and Abiram quarrel with Moses, and refuse to obey his summons, which greatly grieves him (v. 12–15). II. A solemn appearance of the pretenders to the priesthood before God, according to order, and a public appearance of the glory of the Lord, which would have consumed the whole congregation if Moses and Aaron had not interceded (v. 16–22). III. The deciding of the controversy, and the crushing of the rebellion, by the cutting off of the rebels. 1. Those in their tents were buried alive (v. 23–34). 2. Those at the door of the tabernacle were consumed by fire (v. 35), and their censers preserved for a memorial (v. 37–40). IV. A new insurrection of the people (v. 41–43). 1. God stayed in the insurrection by a plague (v. 45). 2. Aaron stayed the plague by offering incense (v. 46–50). The manner and method of recording this story plainly show the ferment to have been very great.Verses 1-11 Here is, I. An account of the rebels, who and what they were, not, as formerly, the mixed multitude and the dregs of the people, who are therefore never named, but men of distinction and quality, that made a figure. Korah was the ring-leader: he formed and headed the faction; therefore it is called the gainsaying of Korah, Jude 11. He was cousin-german to Moses, they were brothers’ children, yet the nearness of the relation could not restrain him from being insolent and rude to Moses. Think it not strange if a man’s foes be those of his own house. With him joined Dathan and Abiram, chief men of the tribe of Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob. Probably Korah was disgusted both at the preferment of Aaron to the priesthood and the constituting of Elizaphan to the head of the Kohathites (ch. 3:30); and perhaps the Reubenites were angry that the tribe of Judah had the first post of honour in the camp. On is mentioned (v. 1) as one of the heads of the faction, but never after in the whole story, either because, as some think, he repented and left them, or because he did not make himself so remarkable as Dathan and Abiram did. The Kohathites encamped on the same side of the tabernacle that the Reubenites did, which perhaps gave Korah an opportunity of drawing them in, whence the Jews say, Woe to the wicked man, and woe to his neighbour, who is in danger of being infected by him. And, these being themselves men of renown, they seduced into the conspiracy two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly (v. 2); probably they were first-born, or at least heads of families, who, before the elevation of Aaron, had themselves ministered in holy things. Note, The pride, ambition, and emulation, of great men, have always been the occasion of a great deal of mischief both in churches and states. God by his grace make great men humble, and so give peace in our time, O Lord! Famous men, and men of renown, as these are described to be, were the great sinners of the old world, Gen. 6:4. The fame and renown which they had did not content them; they were high, but would be higher, and thus the famous men became infamous.II. The rebels’ remonstrance, v. 3. That which they quarrel with is the settlement of the priesthood upon Aaron and his family, which they think an honour too great for Moses to give and Aaron to accept, and so they are both charged with usurpation: You take too much upon you; or, "Let it suffice you to have domineered thus long, and now think of resigning your places to those who have as good a title to them and are as well able to manage them." 1. They proudly boast of the holiness of the congregation, and the presence of God in it. "They are holy, every one of them, and as fit to be employed in offering sacrifice as Aaron is, and as masters of families formerly were, and the Lord is among them, to direct and own them." Small reason they had to boast of the people’s purity, or of God’s favour, as the people had been so frequently and so lately polluted with sin, and were now under the marks of God’s displeasure, which should have made them thankful for priests to mediate between them and God; but, instead of that, they envy them. 2. They unjustly charge Moses and Aaron with taking the honour they had to themselves, whereas it was evident, beyond contradiction, that they were called of God to it, Heb. 5:4. So that they would either have no priests at all, nor any government, none to preside either in civil or sacred things, none over the congregation, none above it, or they would not acquiesce in that constitution of the government which God had appointed. See here, (1.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG የሌዊም ልጅ የቀዓት ልጅ የይስዓር ልጅ ቆሬ ከሮቤልም ልጆች የኤልያብ ልጆች ዳታንና አቤሮን የፋሌትም ልጅ ኦን በሙሴ ላይ ተነሡ። አማርኛ BCV ቆሬ ወዲ ይስዓር፥ ወዲ ቃዓት ወዲ ሌዊ፥ ዳታንን ኣቤሮንን ደቂ ኤልያብ፥ ኦን ከዓ ወዲ ፋሌት ካብ ነገድ ሮቤል፥ ትግርኛ GAZBIB Qoraahi ilmi Yizhaar akaakayyuun Qehaat inni sanyii Lewwii, Daataanii fi Abiiram ilmaan Eliiyaabii fi On ilmi Phelet sa… Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወተናገሮ ቆሬ ወልደ ይስአር ወልደ ቃዓት ወልደ ሌዊ ወዳታን ወአቢሮን ደቂቀ ኤልያብ ወአውናን ወልደ ፋሌት ወልደ ሮቤል። giz GAZGAZ Qoraahi ilmi Yizhaar akaakayyuun Qehaat inni sanyii Lewwii, Daataanii fi Abiiram ilmaan Eliiyaabii fi On ilmi Phelet sa… Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ቆሬ ወዲ ይስዓር፥ ወዲ ቃዓት ወዲ ሌዊ፥ ዳታንን ኣቤሮንን ደቂ ኤልያብ፥ ኦን ከዓ ወዲ ፋሌት ካብ ነገድ ሮቤል፥ ትግርኛ AMHNIV የሌዊ ልጅ፣ የቀዓት ልጅ፣ የይስዓር ልጅ የሆነው ቆሬ፣ ከሮቤልም ነገድ የኤልያብ ልጆች ዳታንና አቤሮን እንዲሁም የፍሌት ልጅ ኦን በክፋት ተነሣሥተው፣ አማርኛ SWAHSUV Basi Kora, mwana wa Ishari, mwana wa Kohathi, mwana wa Lawi, akatwaa watu, pamoja na Dathani na Abiramu, wana wa Eliabu… Kiswahili