The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible
Korah’s Rebellion
Numbers 16:1–22 — Korah’s Rebellion. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.
1Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
qō·raḥ ben- yiṣ·hār ben- qə·hāṯ ben- lê·wî bə·nê rə·’ū·ḇên wə·ḏā·ṯān wa·’ă·ḇî·rām bə·nê ’ĕ·lî·’āḇ wə·’ō·wn ben- pe·leṯ way·yiq·qaḥ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-took Korah son-of Izhar son-of Kohath son-of Levi, and-Dathan and-Abiram sons-of Eliab, and-On son-of Peleth — sons-of Reuben.
Where the English smooths the original
The persons named took (יקּח), i.e., gained over to their plan, or persuaded to join them, 250 distinguished men of the other tribes, and rose up with them against Moses and Aaron. On the construction ויּקוּמוּ...ויּקּה ( Numbers 16:1 and Numbers 16:2 ), Gesenius correctly observes in his Thesaurus (p. 760), "There is an anakolouthon rather than an ellipsis, and not merely a copyist's error, in these words
The word "took" stands alone at the head of the sentence in the singular number. This does not by itself confine its reference to Korah, because it may be taken as repeated after each of the other names; at the same time, the construction suggests that in its original form Korah alone was mentioned, and that the other names were afterwards added in order to include them in the same statement.On the syntactic crux of the bare verb.
this man is mentioned first, being the contriver, and plotter, and ringleader of the following sedition, and which is called "the gainsaying of Core", Jde 1:11
Dathan, Abiram, and On were Reubenites; and were probably discontented because the birthright had been taken away from their ancestor Genesis 49:3 , and with it the primacy of their own tribe among the tribes of Israel.
2a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly.
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way·yā·qu·mū lip̄·nê mō·šeh ḥă·miš·šîm ū·mā·ṯā·yim ’an·šê- wa·’ă·nā·šîm mib·bə·nê- yiś·rā·’êl šêm nə·śî·’ê ‘ê·ḏāh qə·ri·’ê mō·w·‘êḏ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-they-rose-up before the-face-of Moses, fifty and-two-hundred men from-sons-of Israel, leaders-of the-congregation, called-ones of the-appointed-meeting, men of name.
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men of renown, or "of name" (l); in high esteem among the people for their birth and rank, their wealth and riches, wisdom and prudence; and were so before they came out of Egypt, as Aben Ezra remarks; so that the persons concerned in this rebellion were not the mob and dregs of the people, but men of the greatest figure and fame
Famous in the congregation. Literally, "called men of the congregation." Septuagint, σύγκλητοι βουλῆς , representatives of the host in the great council (cf. chapter Numbers 1:16; 26:9).
It has been inferred from Numbers 27:3 , where it is stated that Zelophehad, the Manassite, did not take part in the rebellion, that these princes, or chief men of the congregation, belonged to the other tribes of Israel as well as that of Levi.
3They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have taken too much upon yourselves! For everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
way·yiq·qā·hă·lū ‘al- mō·šeh wə·‘al- ’a·hă·rōn way·yō·mə·rū ’ă·lê·hem raḇ- lā·ḵem kî ḵāl kul·lām hā·‘ê·ḏāh qə·ḏō·šîm Yah·weh ū·ḇə·ṯō·w·ḵām ū·mad·dū·a‘ tiṯ·naś·śə·’ū ‘al- qə·hal Yah·weh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-they-assembled against Moses and-against Aaron, and-said to-them: "Too-much for-you! For all the-congregation, all-of-them, are-holy, and-in-their-midst is YHWH. And-why do-you-lift-yourselves above the-assembly-of YHWH?"
Where the English smooths the original
The rebels, on the contrary, thought that they were holy already, because God had called them to be a holy nation, and in their carnal self-righteousness forgot the condition attached to their calling, "If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant" ( Exodus 19:5 ).
They erred, as most violent men do, not because they asserted what was false, but because they took for granted that the truth which they asserted was really inconsistent with the claims which they assailed. The congregation were all holy; the sons of Israel were all priests; that was true - but it was also true that by Divine command Israel could only exercise his corporate priesthood outwardly through the one family which God had set apart for that purpose.The unit's sharpest diagnosis: a true premise turned to a false end.
All are equally holy: therefore no one should be preferred above other: thus the wicked reason against God's ordinance.
Ye take too much upon you ] lit. Enough for you! ‘Your overweening claims have gone far enough!’
4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
mō·šeh way·yiš·ma‘ way·yip·pōl ‘al- pā·nāw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-heard Moses, and-he-fell upon his-face.
Where the English smooths the original
This attitude of prostration indicated not only his humble and earnest desire that God would interpose to free him from the false and odious imputation, but also his strong sense of the daring sin involved in this proceeding.
Moses fell upon his face — Humbly begging that God would direct and vindicate him. Accordingly God answers his prayers, and strengthens him with new courage, and confidence of success.
he fell upon his face; through shame, as the Targum of Jonathan, blushing at their sin, in opposing the ordinance of God; and through fear of the divine displeasure
5Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses He will bring near to Himself.
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way·ḏab·bêr ’el- qō·raḥ wə·’el- kāl- ‘ă·ḏā·ṯōw lê·mōr bō·qer Yah·weh ’eṯ- wə·yō·ḏa‘ ’ă·šer- lōw wə·’eṯ- haq·qā·ḏō·wōš wə·hiq·rîḇ ’ê·lāw wə·’êṯ ’ă·šer yiḇ·ḥar- bōw yaq·rîḇ ’ê·lāw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-he-spoke to Korah and-to all his-congregation, saying: "Morning — and-YHWH will-make-known who [is] His and the-holy-one, and-He-will-bring-near to-Himself; and-the-one whom He-chooses He-will-bring-near to-Himself."
Where the English smooths the original
the Lord will shew who are his ] LXX. ἔγνω ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ (‘God knoweth those who are his’) is quoted in 2 Timothy 2:19 , with the substitution of Κύριος for Θεός .Records the New Testament citation of this clause.
Some time is allowed, partly that Korah and his company might prepare themselves and their censers; and partly to give them space for consideration and repentance. And will cause him, or, and whom he will cause . To come near unto him, i.e. he will by some evident and miraculous token declare his approbation of him and his ministry.
Moses refers the matter to the direct decision of the Lord; as that decision had originated the separate position of Aaron, that should also vindicate it.
6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do as follows: Take censers,
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
qō·raḥ wə·ḵāl ‘ă·ḏā·ṯōw ‘ă·śū zōṯ qə·ḥū- lā·ḵem maḥ·tō·wṯ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
This do: take for-yourselves censers, Korah and-all his-congregation,
Where the English smooths the original
since you aspire to the priesthood, then go, perform the highest function of the office—that of offering incense; and if you are accepted well. How magnanimous the conduct of Moses, who was now as willing that God's people should be priests, as formerly that they should be prophets (Nu 11:29). But he warned them that they were making a perilous experiment.
The offering of incense was the peculiar prerogative and the holiest function of the priesthood. The destruction of Nadab and Abihu ought to have served as a warning to Korah and his company not to provoke a similar exhibition of the Divine displeasure.
censers ] fire-pans. So R.V. in Exodus 27:3 . An instrument for carrying burning coals. These fire-pans were not the sacred utensils of the Tabernacle, which would never be taken out of the Tabernacle precincts, but the private property of the 250 men
7and tomorrow you are to place fire and incense in them in the presence of the LORD. Then the man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. It is you sons of Levi who have taken too much upon yourselves!”
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mā·ḥār ū·ṯə·nū ’êš qə·ṭō·reṯ ‘ă·lê·hen ḇā·hên wə·śî·mū lip̄·nê Yah·weh hā·’îš ’ă·šer- Yah·weh yiḇ·ḥar wə·hā·yāh hū haq·qā·ḏō·wōš bə·nê lê·wî raḇ- lā·ḵem
Literal — word-for-word from the original
and-place upon-them fire and-put upon-them incense before YHWH tomorrow; and-it-shall-be — the-man whom YHWH chooses, he [is] the-holy-one. Too-much for-you, sons-of Levi!
Where the English smooths the original
With the expression רב־לכם in Numbers 16:7 , Moses gives the rebels back their own words in Numbers 16:3 . The divine decision was connected with the offering of incense, because this was the holiest function of the priestly service, which brought the priest into the immediate presence of God, and in connection with which Jehovah had already shown to the whole congregation how He sanctified Himself, by a penal judgment on those who took this office upon themselves without a divine call ( Leviticus 10:1-3 ).
Moses here adopts the language of Korah in Numbers 16:3 . The meaning appears to be, as more fully explained in Numbers 16:9-10 , that it ought to have sufficed Korah and the other Levites that they had been chosen from amongst their brethren to discharge the inferior offices of the sanctuary.
He lays the same to their charge justly, with which they wrongfully charged him.
8Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you sons of Levi!
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mō·šeh way·yō·mer ’el- qō·raḥ nā šim·‘ū- bə·nê lê·wî
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-said Moses to Korah: "Hear, please, sons-of Levi!"
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Ye sons of Levi — They were of his own tribe; nay, they were of God’s tribe. It was therefore the worse in them thus to mutiny against God and against him.
No son of Levi is mentioned in the narrative except Korah, and this address itself passes into the second person singular (verses 10, 11), as though Korah alone were personally guilty.
Consider what I say before it be too late, and repent of your great wickedness.
9Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at the LORD’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
ham·‘aṭ mik·kem kî- ’ĕ·lō·hê yiś·rā·’êl ’eṯ·ḵem hiḇ·dîl mê·‘ă·ḏaṯ yiś·rā·’êl lə·haq·rîḇ ’eṯ·ḵem ’ê·lāw la·‘ă·ḇōḏ ’eṯ- ‘ă·ḇō·ḏaṯ Yah·weh miš·kan wə·la·‘ă·mōḏ lip̄·nê hā·‘ê·ḏāh lə·šā·rə·ṯām
Literal — word-for-word from the original
"Is-it-too-little for-you that has-separated you the-God-of Israel from the-congregation-of Israel, to-bring-you-near to-Himself, to-serve the-service-of the-tabernacle-of YHWH, and-to-stand before the-congregation to-minister to-them?"
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"Seemeth" is not in the original. Render it as: Is it too little for you, i. e. "is it less than your dignity demands?"
that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel: this was a special favour, and ought to have been esteemed such, that God, who was the God of the whole people of Israel in common, should separate the tribe of Levi from all the rest of the tribes of Israel
Near to himself; nearer than the other tribes, though not so near as the priests. Unto them, i.e. in their stead and for their good. So they were the servants both of God and of the church, which was a high dignity, though not sufficient for their ambitious minds.
10He has brought you near, you and all your fellow Levites, but you are seeking the priesthood as well.
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way·yaq·rêḇ ’ō·ṯə·ḵā wə·’eṯ- kāl- ’a·ḥe·ḵā ’it·tāḵ ḇə·nê- lê·wî ū·ḇiq·qaš·tem kə·hun·nāh gam-
Literal — word-for-word from the original
"And-He-brought-near you, and-all your-brothers sons-of-Levi with-you — and-you-seek also the-priesthood?"
Where the English smooths the original
and seek ye the priesthood also? the high priesthood, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; this opens the true cause of their discontent and rebellion; they could not be satisfied with being the ministers of the priests, but wanted to be priests themselves, and Korah perhaps to be high priest.
The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan understand the reference to be to the high priesthood. As the other Levites who belonged to Korah’s company sought the priesthood, so Korah may have aimed at the high priesthood.
There being at this time but very few priests, and the profits and privileges belonging to them being many and great, they thought it but fit and reasonable that they, or some of the chief of them, should be admitted to share in their work and advantages.
11Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the LORD! As for Aaron, who is he that you should grumble against him?”
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lā·ḵên ’at·tāh wə·ḵāl ‘ă·ḏā·ṯə·ḵā han·nō·‘ā·ḏîm ‘al- Yah·weh wə·’a·hă·rōn mah- hū kî ṯil·lō·nū ‘ā·lāw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
"Therefore you and-all your-congregation are-the-ones-banded together against YHWH; and-Aaron — what [is] he, that you-murmur against-him?"
Where the English smooths the original
The words of Moses in his wrath are broken. The Aaronic priesthood was of divine appointment; and thus in rejecting it, the conspirators were really rebelling against God.
Against the Lord, whoso minister and chosen servant Aaron is. You strike at God through Aaron’s sides. Compare 1 Samuel 8:7 Luke 10:16 John 13:20 .Draws the New Testament line: to reject God's sent one is to reject God.
and Aaron, what is he &c.] i.e. What has he done to cause your murmuring? God, and not Aaron, is responsible for the superiority in which the priests stand to the Levites; cf. Exodus 16:8 b.
12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come!
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mō·šeh way·yiš·laḥ liq·rō lə·ḏā·ṯān wə·la·’ă·ḇî·rām bə·nê ’ĕ·lî·’āḇ way·yō·mə·rū lō na·‘ă·leh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-sent Moses to-call for-Dathan and-for-Abiram sons-of Eliab; and-they-said: "We-will-not-come-up!"
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Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram — To treat with them, and give them, as he had done Korah and his company, a timely admonition. We will not come up — To Moses’s tabernacle, whither the people used to go up for judgment.
But because they would not now go up , therefore they went down quick into the pit , Numbers 16:12 .The bitter symmetry of would-not-go-up / went-down-alive.
in a separate interview, the ground of their mutiny being different; for while Korah murmured against the exclusive appropriation of the priesthood to Aaron and his family, they were opposed to the supremacy of Moses in civil power.
13Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us?
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ham·‘aṭ kî he·‘ĕ·lî·ṯā·nū mê·’e·reṣ zā·ḇaṯ ḥā·lāḇ ū·ḏə·ḇaš la·hă·mî·ṯê·nū bam·miḏ·bār kî- gam- ṯiś·tā·rêr hiś·tā·rêr ‘ā·lê·nū
Literal — word-for-word from the original
"Is-it-too-little that you-brought-us-up from a-land flowing milk and-honey to-kill-us in-the-wilderness, that you-would-also-play-the-prince, yes-play-the-prince, over-us?"
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"Is it too little that thou hast brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey (they apply this expression in bitter irony to Egypt), to kill us in the wilderness (deliver us up to death), that thou wilt be always playing the lord over us?"
They bring very false charges against Moses. Those often fall under the heaviest censures, who in truth deserve the highest praise.
A land that floweth with milk and honey. A description applying by right to the land of promise ( Exodus 3:8 ; Numbers 13:27 ), which they in their studied insolence applied to Egypt.Grounds the divergence: the promise-land formula turned in studied insolence against Egypt.
14Moreover, you have not 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!”
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’ap̄ lō hă·ḇî·’ō·ṯā·nū ’el- ’e·reṣ zā·ḇaṯ ḥā·lāḇ ū·ḏə·ḇaš wat·tit·ten- lā·nū na·ḥă·laṯ śā·ḏeh wā·ḵā·rem tə·naq·qêr ha·‘ê·nê hā·hêm hā·’ă·nā·šîm lō na·‘ă·leh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
"Moreover, not into a-land flowing milk and-honey have-you-brought-us, nor-given to-us an-inheritance-of fields and-vineyard. Will-you-bore-out the-eyes of these men? We-will-not-come-up!"
Where the English smooths the original
The same expression is employed in its literal signification in regard to Samson ( Judges 16:21 ). It is probably used here in the same manner; or, it may be, to denote an alleged attempt on the part of Moses to blind the eyes of the people to the violation of promises solemnly made to them
wilt thou bore out the eyes of these men? ] A strong figure which means, metaphorically, to blind them by false promises. Gray ( Numb. p. 200) compares the English expression ‘to throw dust in the eyes.’
Will you make those who searched the land believe that they did not see that which they saw?
15Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”
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lə·mō·šeh mə·’ōḏ way·yi·ḥar way·yō·mer ’el- Yah·weh ’al- tê·p̄en ’el- min·ḥā·ṯām lō nā·śā·ṯî wə·lō ’e·ḥāḏ ḥă·mō·wr mê·hem hă·rê·‘ō·ṯî ’eṯ- ’a·ḥaḏ mê·hem
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-it-burned to-Moses exceedingly, and-he-said to YHWH: "Do-not-turn to their-offering. Not one donkey from-them have-I-taken, and-not have-I-harmed one of-them."
Where the English smooths the original
Moses was very wroth, not so much for his own sake, for he had learnt to bear indignities, Num 12 , as for God’s sake, who was highly dishonoured, blasphemed, and provoked by these speeches and carriages, in which case he ought to be angry, as Christ was, Mark 3:5 .
I have not taken one ass from them. Cf. 1 Samuel 12:3 . The ass was the least valuable of the ordinary live stock of those days (cf. Exodus 20:17 ). The Septuagint has here οὐκ ἐπιθύμημα οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν εἴληφα , which is apparently an intentional paraphrase with a reference to the tenth commandment
Though the meekest of all men [Nu 12:3], he could not restrain his indignation at these unjust and groundless charges; and the highly excited state of his feeling was evinced by the utterance of a brief exclamation in the mixed form of a prayer and an impassioned assertion of his integrity. (Compare 1Sa 12:3).
16And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.
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mō·šeh way·yō·mer ’el- qō·raḥ ’at·tāh wə·ḵāl ‘ă·ḏā·ṯə·ḵā hĕ·yū lip̄·nê Yah·weh mā·ḥār ’at·tāh wā·hêm wə·’a·hă·rōn
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-said Moses to Korah: "You and-all your-congregation — be before YHWH: you and-they and-Aaron, tomorrow."
Where the English smooths the original
Be thou and thy company before the Lord — Not in the tabernacle, which was not capable of containing so many persons severally offering incense, but at the door of the tabernacle, where they might offer it by Moses’s direction upon this extraordinary occasion.
that the assembled people might witness the experiment and be properly impressed by the issue.
16, 17 are a repetition of Numbers 16:6-7 , and were probably inserted together with Numbers 16:8-11Notes the deliberate repetition framing the ordeal.
17Each man is to take his censer, place incense in it, and present it before the LORD—250 censers. You and Aaron are to present your censers as well.”
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’îš ū·qə·ḥū maḥ·tā·ṯōw ū·nə·ṯat·tem qə·ṭō·reṯ ‘ă·lê·hem wə·hiq·raḇ·tem ’îš maḥ·tā·ṯōw lip̄·nê Yah·weh ḥă·miš·šîm ū·mā·ṯa·yim maḥ·tōṯ wə·’at·tāh wə·’a·hă·rōn ’îš maḥ·tā·ṯōw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
"And-take each-man his-censer, and-put upon-them incense, and-bring-near before YHWH each-man his-censer — fifty and-two-hundred censers; and-you and-Aaron, each-man his-censer."
Where the English smooths the original
These censers may have been household vessels resembling censers, and available for the same purpose; or they may have been vessels which were used by the heads of houses, as priests, before the order of priesthood was restricted to the family of Aaron
Korah and Aaron were to bring each their censers, between whom lay the contest concerning the high priesthood; which was to be determined by their offering incense before the Lord, and by his approbation or disapprobation of it.
probably the small platters, common in Egyptian families, where incense was offered to household deities and which had been among the precious things borrowed at their departure [Ex 12:35, 36].
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.
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’îš way·yiq·ḥū maḥ·tā·ṯōw way·yit·tə·nū ’êš ‘ă·lê·hem way·yā·śî·mū qə·ṭō·reṯ ‘ă·lê·hem way·ya·‘am·ḏū ū·mō·šeh wə·’a·hă·rōn pe·ṯaḥ ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-they-took each-man his-censer, and-put upon-them fire, and-laid upon-them incense; and-they-stood at the-entrance-of the-tent-of-meeting, and-Moses and-Aaron.
Where the English smooths the original
The fire was taken from the altar which stood in that place, Leviticus 1:3 ,5 , for Aaron might not use other fire, Leviticus 10:1 . And it is likely the remembrance of the death of Nadab and Abihu deterred them from offering any strange fire.
and they stood with Moses and Aaron; in a bold and presumptuous manner, as if they were their equals, disputing their authority, and putting themselves upon their trial before the Lord about it
The next day the rebels presented themselves with censers before the tabernacle, along with Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation also assembled there at the instigation of Korah. The Lord then interposed in judgment.
19When Korah had gathered his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole congregation.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
qō·raḥ ’eṯ- way·yaq·hêl kāl- hā·‘ê·ḏāh ‘ă·lê·hem ’el- pe·ṯaḥ ’ō·hel mō·w·‘êḏ ḵə·ḇō·wḏ- Yah·weh way·yê·rā ’el- kāl- hā·‘ê·ḏāh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-gathered against-them Korah — all the-congregation — to the-entrance-of the-tent-of-meeting; and-appeared the-glory-of YHWH to all the-congregation.
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The same glory of the Lord that appeared to place Aaron in his office at first, Le 9:23, now appeared to confirm him in it; and to confound those who set up against him. Nothing is more terrible to those who are conscious of guilt, than the appearance of the Divine glory.
Korah gathered all the congregation — That they might be witnesses of the event, and, upon their success, which they doubted not of, might fall upon Moses and Aaron.
against them ] This perhaps implies that all Israel as a whole favoured Korah; and this would explain God’s words in Numbers 16:21 .
20And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
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Yah·weh way·ḏab·bêr ’el- mō·šeh wə·’el- ’a·hă·rōn lê·mōr
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-spoke YHWH to Moses and-to Aaron, saying:
Where the English smooths the original
There was something in their behavior very offensive to God; for after His glory had appeared—as at the installation of Aaron (Le 9:23), so now for his confirmation in the sacred office—He bade Moses and Aaron withdraw from the assembly "that He might consume them in a moment."
Jehovah threatens to destroy the whole congregation; but at Moses’ intercession He relents, and commands them to depart from the Tabernacle, leaving Korah and his company to be destroyed.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron,.... Out of the cloud: saying; as follows.
21“Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Hebrew — tap a word ↓
hib·bā·ḏə·lū mit·tō·wḵ haz·zōṯ hā·‘ê·ḏāh wa·ʾa·ḵal·lɛh ’ō·ṯām kə·rā·ḡa‘
Literal — word-for-word from the original
"Be-separated from the-midst-of this congregation, and-I-will-consume them in-a-moment."
Where the English smooths the original
By their obedience to the summons of Korah the congregation generally, or at Yeast a large portion of it, had made themselves partakers in his sin, and had become obnoxious to the Divine wrath.
Not only from Korah's company, but from the congregation of the children of Israel, whom Korah had got together, besides the two hundred fifty men that were at first with him; who by their words and behaviour, and particularly by their association and standing along with him, showed them to be on his side, which greatly provoked the Lord
See how dangerous it is to have fellowship with sinners, and to partake with them.
22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Hebrew — tap a word ↓
way·yip·pə·lū ‘al- pə·nê·hem way·yō·mə·rū ’êl ’ĕ·lō·hê hā·rū·ḥōṯ lə·ḵāl bā·śār ’e·ḥāḏ hā·’îš ye·ḥĕ·ṭā tiq·ṣōp̄ wə·‘al kāl- hā·‘ê·ḏāh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-they-fell upon their-faces and-said: "O-God, the-God-of the-spirits of-all flesh — the-one man sins, and-against all the-congregation will-You-be-angry?"
Where the English smooths the original
Here we have in its germ that idea of the universal fatherhood of God which remained undeveloped in Jewish thought until Judaism itself expanded into Christianity (cf. Isaiah 63:16 ; Isaiah 64:8, 9 ; Acts 17:26, 29 ).
Thou art the Maker of spirits, destroy not thy own workmanship. O thou who art the preserver of men, and of their spirits, the Lord of spirits, ( Job 12:10 ,) who, as thou mayest justly destroy this people, so thou canst preserve whom thou pleasest
The benevolent importunity of their prayer was the more remarkable that the intercession was made for their enemies.The intercession is for the very crowd that rose against them.
The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.
AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.
The unit opens on a grammatical fracture. The first verb, way·yiq·qaḥ ("and he took," H3947), is singular and objectless, stranded at the head of a sentence that lists four men. The Pulpit Commentary observes that "the word 'took' stands alone at the head of the sentence in the singular number," suggesting "that in its original form Korah alone was mentioned, and that the other names were afterwards added." Keil & Delitzsch, citing Gesenius, prefer to call it "an anakolouthon rather than an ellipsis," reading "took 250 men, and rose up with them." Either way the syntax stages a conspiracy the narrator declines to tidy: Korah "took," and then in v.2 the plural verb finally lands — way·yā·qu·mū ("and they rose up," H6965). The rebels are no rabble; they are "men of name" (’an·šê šêm, the idiom of Genesis 6:4) and "called-ones of the meeting" (qə·ri·’ê mō·w·‘êḏ, a title shared only with the tribal heads of Numbers 1:16). Gill stresses they were "not the mob and dregs of the people, but men of the greatest figure and fame."
The rebellion's slogan is two Hebrew words: raḇ-lāḵem ("Enough for you!", H7227). The Cambridge Bible renders the force as "Your overweening claims have gone far enough!" Korah grounds the charge on a true premise — "all the congregation, all of them, are holy" — drawn from Exodus 19:6. The Pulpit Commentary gives the unit's sharpest diagnosis: "They erred, as most violent men do, not because they asserted what was false, but because they took for granted that the truth which they asserted was really inconsistent with the claims which they assailed." Keil adds that they "forgot the condition attached to their calling, 'If ye will obey My voice indeed.'" Moses' answer is no new accusation; he simply hands the slogan back. Keil notes precisely: "With the expression רב־לכם in Numbers 16:7, Moses gives the rebels back their own words in Numbers 16:3." The Geneva Bible: "He lays the same to their charge justly, with which they wrongfully charged him."
Three times Moses' speech rings the priestly verb qârab ("to bring near," H7126): the LORD "will bring near to Himself… the one He chooses He will bring near" (v.5); "to bring you near to Himself" (v.9); "He brought you near" (v.10). Nearness is conferred by divine choosing (yiḇ·ḥar, H977), never grasped. Barnes corrects the English at v.9: "'Seemeth' is not in the original. Render it… Is it too little for you," i.e. is the gift God gave beneath your dignity? The contempt is for a grace already possessed. And the murmuring (ṯil·lō·nū, the wilderness-verb lûn) is finally against God: Barnes notes "the words of Moses in his wrath are broken… in rejecting it, the conspirators were really rebelling against God," while Poole draws the line to the New Testament — "You strike at God through Aaron's sides. Compare 1 Samuel 8:7 Luke 10:16 John 13:20."
The narrative now splits Korah's priestly grievance from the Reubenites' civil one. JFB: Dathan and Abiram "were opposed to the supremacy of Moses in civil power." Their defiance is sealed with a refusal repeated as a frame — "We will not come up" (lō na·‘ă·leh, v.12, v.14). Poole catches the doom in the verb: "because they would not now go up, therefore they went down quick into the pit." They invert the very geography of salvation, calling Egypt "a land flowing with milk and honey" — "bitter irony," says Keil — and accuse Moses of seeking "to kill us in the wilderness." Moses, whose anger "grew hot" (way·yi·ḥar, v.15), answers with Samuel's oath of integrity: "I have not taken one donkey" (1 Samuel 12:3). Then the censers are lit at the tent's threshold (pe·ṯaḥ), and the kābôd — "the glory of the LORD" — breaks in. Matthew Henry: "The same glory of the Lord that appeared to place Aaron in his office at first, Le 9:23, now appeared to confirm him in it."
God's verdict uses the very verb of grace in reverse: hib·bā·ḏə·lū — "be separated" (H914), the same bâdal that "separated" Levi for honor in v.9 — now bids the faithful stand clear so wrath may fall "in a moment" (kə·rā·ḡa‘). The unit's climax is intercession. Moses and Aaron fall on their faces (repeating v.4) and plead to ’êl ’ĕ·lō·hê hā·rū·ḥōṯ lə·ḵāl bā·śār — "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh." JFB marvels that "the intercession was made for their enemies." Benson hears the title's argument: "Thou art the Maker of spirits, destroy not thy own workmanship." The plea distinguishes the one who sinned from the many: the Pulpit Commentary reads "the one man hath sinned" — Korah — and finds in the divine title "in its germ that idea of the universal fatherhood of God which remained undeveloped in Jewish thought until Judaism itself expanded into Christianity."
Read under Sola Scriptura, this chapter is the Old Testament's most exact anatomy of religious rebellion — and the engine's own fallible reading, offered to be tested, is this: Korah's sin is not that he loved the wrong thing but that he loved a true thing out of its order. "All the congregation are holy" is the gospel's own premise (1 Peter 2:9 will make every believer a priest); yet the universal priesthood of the people never abolished the mediated priesthood God appointed within it, but waited for the one Mediator who would fulfill both. Korah grasped at nearness (qârab) as a right; Scripture answers that nearness is always a gift of God's choosing (yiḇ·ḥar) — "no one takes this honor upon himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was" (Hebrews 5:4). The deepest note is sounded last: when judgment is "a moment" away, the two most-hated men in the camp fall down to plead for the spirits of all flesh, interceding for their enemies. That is the shape of the true Mediator the chapter is feeling toward — one Man whose intercession turns aside the wrath that "one man's sin" deserved for all. The censers of the rebels became a sheet of bronze on the altar, a warning beaten into the place of atonement itself: the way of approach is God's to give, and He has given it, finally, in the One He chose.
Korah's error was to love a true thing out of its order: he made the priesthood of all a weapon against the priest of God's choosing. — a fallible reading, not Scripture
AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.
The roll of rebels in 16:1 recurs across the Pentateuch and Psalter. Numbers 26:9-10 and Deuteronomy 11:6 rehearse the same names as a standing memorial of judgment — "the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up… and they became a sign" — and Psalm 106:17 sets Dathan and Abiram in Israel's confession of national sin. The link is carried by the proper names themselves: Korah, Dathan, Abiram, Eliab, Reuben. Note the honest limit of this connection — these passages re-narrate the same persons and the same event, so the shared names attest a common subject-matter, not a verbal allusion of one text by another. The recurrence is real and pointed (Dathan and Abiram are low-frequency names), but it is a thematic memorial-formula, not a quotation; we tier it structural rather than verbal accordingly.
Numbers 16:1 · Numbers 26:9 · Deuteronomy 11:6 · Psalm 106:17
basis: shared Strong's proper-name lexemes across Hebrew↔Hebrew: H7141 Qôrach (37 vv), H1885 Dâthân (8 vv), H48 ʼĂbîyrâm (9 vv), H446 ʼĔlîyʼâb (20 vv), H7205 Rᵉʼûwbên (68 vv) — Verifier-computed (it returns 'verbal' on the rare names). DOWNGRADED to structural by editorial judgment: these texts re-narrate the same persons/event, so co-occurring proper names mark shared subject-matter and a memorial-formula motif, not a verbal quotation or allusion between distinct passages. Dâthân/ʼĂbîyrâm are genuinely rare, which makes the motif pointed, but rarity of a name is not the rare-common-lexeme that licenses the 'verbal' tier
The 250 are styled nə·śî·’ê ‘ê·ḏāh qə·ri·’ê mō·w·‘êḏ, "leaders of the congregation, called-ones of the meeting" (16:2). The phrase qārîʼ ("called one," H7148) is genuinely rare — it occurs in only two verses of the Hebrew Bible — and the other is Numbers 1:16, where the very same title designates the legitimate tribal heads chosen by God. The same dignity that authorized the census-princes is here claimed by the rebels, making the echo pointed: men who were truly "called" now grasp at a calling not given them.
Numbers 16:2 · Numbers 1:16
basis: shared lexeme H7148 qârîyʼ (in only 2 vv in the whole Hebrew Bible — Numbers 16:2 and Numbers 1:16), reinforced by H5387 nâsîyʼ and H5712 ʻêdâh; Verifier-computed. Unlike the proper-name thread above, qârîyʼ is a rare common-noun title (freq 2) re-used in a distinct passage to name a distinct group — exactly the rare-shared-lexeme that licenses the 'verbal' tier; the rebels arrogate the very designation of the legitimate census-princes
The ordeal of 16:6-7 — "take censers… put fire and incense before the LORD" — deliberately re-enacts the cult-vocabulary of Leviticus 10:1 (Nadab and Abihu, who "took each his censer, put fire… and offered strange fire") and Leviticus 16:12 (the Day of Atonement censer of coals and incense). The shared terms are maḥtâh (censer, H4289), qᵉṭôreth (incense, H7004), and ’êš (fire, H784). Ellicott and Poole both read the prior judgment on Aaron's sons as the unspoken warning hanging over Korah's experiment. The basis is a shared cultic pattern, not a quotation.
Numbers 16:6 · Numbers 16:7 · Leviticus 10:1 · Leviticus 16:12
basis: shared cultic lexemes H4289 machtâh (19 vv) + H7004 qᵉṭôreth (58 vv) + H784 ʼêsh (346 vv); same priestly-approach pattern (censer/fire/incense) as Leviticus 10:1 and 16:12 — a thematic re-enactment, not a verbal citation, so tiered structural
Moses reminds Korah that God "has separated you (hiḇ·dîl) from the congregation… to bring you near (haq·rîḇ) to Himself" (16:9). Both verbs are programmatic for the Levitical institution: bâdal (H914) is the setting-apart of Numbers 8:14, and qârab (H7126) the drawing-near that defines Levitical service. The cruel irony, traced in the notes, is that the separating-God will in 16:21 command "Be separated" (hib·bā·ḏə·lū, the same root) — this time for judgment, not honor.
Numbers 16:9 · Numbers 16:21 · Numbers 8:14
basis: shared lexeme H914 bâdal (40 vv) linking the Levites' gracious separation (16:9; cf. Numbers 8:14) to the warning separation of 16:21; thematic/structural reuse of one root within the unit and its institutional background, Verifier-computed
The divine title of 16:22, ’ĕ·lō·hê hā·rū·ḥōṯ lə·ḵāl bā·śār ("God of the spirits of all flesh"), recurs in the Pentateuch only at Numbers 27:16, again on Moses' lips, when he asks God to appoint a shepherd over the congregation. The shared cluster — rûaḥ (spirit, H7307), bāśār (flesh, H1320), ‘êdāh (congregation, H5712) — binds the two prayers: the God who will not destroy the spirits He made (16:22) is asked to provide a leader for the flesh He sustains (27:16). The phrase frames Moses' ministry as intercession grounded in creation.
Numbers 16:22 · Numbers 27:16
basis: shared lexemes H7307 rûwach + H1320 bâsâr + H5712 ʻêdâh forming the title 'God of the spirits of all flesh,' which occurs only in Numbers 16:22 and 27:16; the distinctive phrase is verbally tight but uses common words, so tiered structural/thematic, Verifier-computed
Moses promises that "in the morning the LORD will make known (wə·yō·ḏa‘) who is His" (16:5). The Septuagint rendered the clause ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ, and Paul cites it as the first half of the "firm foundation" seal in 2 Timothy 2:19 — itself written against false teachers (Hymenaeus and Philetus) who, like Korah, unsettled the household of God. The Cambridge Bible records the citation directly. Because this is a Greek-New-Testament use of a Hebrew verse mediated through the LXX, no shared Strong's number exists between the texts; the link is a genuine quotation but cannot be tiered "verbal" on the cross-Testament lexeme test, and its precise provenance (which OT text Paul echoes) is debated. It is therefore flagged for verification.
Numbers 16:5 · 2 Timothy 2:19
basis: cross-Testament Greek↔Hebrew link with no shared Strong's lexeme (Verifier: 'no shared original-language lexeme found'); the connection is a quotation of Numbers 16:5 LXX in 2 Timothy 2:19 attested by the Cambridge Bible, but its source-text and directness are debated — flagged per the cross-Testament and contested-provenance rule
AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.
Korah's sin is the negative image of the gospel's doctrine of priesthood. The whole ordeal turns on the principle that the priest is "the one He chooses" (16:5,7) — nearness is given, never grasped. Hebrews states the very rule the chapter dramatizes: "No one takes this honor upon himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not take upon Himself the glory of becoming high priest, but was called by the One who said, 'You are My Son'" (Hebrews 5:4-5). Korah grasping at the censer is the dark foil of the Son who did not grasp but was appointed. The reading is widely held in the church's exposition of Hebrews 5; the verbal anchor (Aaron's calling) is explicit in the New Testament text.
Numbers 16:5 · Numbers 16:10 · Hebrews 5:4
When God threatens to consume the whole congregation "in a moment," Moses and Aaron fall down and plead, "the one man has sinned — and will You be angry with all the congregation?" (16:22). The logic — that the guilt of one should not fall on all, and that a mediator's intercession may turn aside deserved wrath — is the very logic the cross resolves in reverse: at Calvary the wrath that all deserved falls on the one righteous Man, that the many might live. Paul names Moses' role explicitly: "there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Moses interceding for his enemies (JFB notes the prayer was "made for their enemies") prefigures the greater Intercessor who "always lives to make intercession" (Hebrews 7:25) and prayed, "Father, forgive them." This figural reading of Moses-as-intercessor pointing to Christ is ancient and widely held; the specific inversion (one bears wrath for many) is the engine's interpretive synthesis and is marked as such.
Numbers 16:22 · 1 Timothy 2:5 · Hebrews 7:25
The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.
Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:
Honesty notes specific to this unit: (1) The bare verb of 16:1. The opening way·yiqqaḥ ("took") has no stated object; the literal layer renders it "And-took Korah…" and the divergence flags the crux. The English supplements ("men," "a rebellion") are interpretive; the Verifier and the parses do not adjudicate the syntax, and the commentators (Pulpit, Keil/Gesenius, Cambridge) genuinely disagree — we report the dispute rather than resolve it.
(2) Source criticism in the voices. Several quoted authorities (Cambridge Bible, and the Pulpit Commentary at 16:1) hold a documentary view that 16 weaves two narratives (a Korah strand and a Dathan-Abiram strand). These are included as verbatim period commentary on the text's seams; their inclusion is descriptive, not an endorsement of their compositional theory. The synthesis layer treats the received text as it stands.
(3) The 2 Timothy 2:19 link is flagged, not asserted. The Verifier returns no shared lexeme (it is Greek↔Hebrew via the LXX), so the thread is tiered "flagged — verify source." The citation is well-attested (Cambridge Bible records it), but whether Paul quotes Numbers 16:5 specifically, or a broader LXX idiom, is debated; we under-claim.
(4) Cross-Testament Christ readings. The Hebrews 5 and 1 Timothy 2 / Hebrews 7 links are figural and theological, not lexical; no shared Strong's number could exist across Testaments. They are marked "widely-held," and the one novel interpretive move (the inversion whereby one Man bears the wrath of many) is named in-text as the engine's own synthesis. (5) Proper-name threads (downgraded). The Verifier mechanically tiers the name-overlaps (Korah/Dathan/Abiram/Eliab/Reuben across 16:1, 26:9, Deut 11:6, Ps 106:17) as "verbal — confirmed" because the lexemes are rare. We have downgraded that thread to "structural / thematic — confirmed": these passages re-narrate the same persons and the same judgment, so co-occurring proper names attest shared subject-matter and a memorial-formula motif, not a verbal quotation or allusion between distinct texts. This is the editor's honest correction of a Verifier overclaim. We deliberately keep the genuinely verbal tier for the qârîyʼ thread (16:2↔1:16), where a rare common-noun title — not a proper name — is re-applied to a different group, which is the kind of rare-shared-lexeme that does license the verbal tier.
✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)