Numbers 16

Korah was the son of Izhar, who was the son of Kohath, who was the son of Levi. Korah, along with three men from the tribe of Reuben (Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth) gathered men to take a stand.

1Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:

NoteThe list of fathers is doing work here: Korah descends from Kohath, one of the three clans of the tribe of Levi. Levites were not priests; they were the tribe assigned to serve the sanctuary, and the Kohathites in particular carried its holiest furnishings. Priesthood itself belonged only to Aaron and his sons, who were also Kohathites. So Korah is a close relative of Aaron making a claim on Aaron's office. Dathan, Abiram, and On come from Reuben, the tribe descended from Jacob's firstborn son, a tribe that had lost the precedence a firstborn would normally hold. The Hebrew of the opening verb is broken and unclear; "took men" in the King James is a guess at a sentence that does not finish in the original.

2They stood up against Moses. With them were 250 men of Israel, leaders of the community who had been chosen as representatives, men everyone knew by name.

2And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:

Note"Princes" in the King James means chiefs or leaders, not royalty. These 250 are the recognized heads of families and clans who represented the people in public assembly, the establishment, not a fringe. "Men of renown" is literally "men of name."

3They came together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! Every single person in this whole community is holy, and the LORD is right here among them. So why do you set yourselves above the LORD's people?"

3And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

Note"Holy" in this book does not mean morally good. It means set apart for God, belonging to the sacred sphere rather than the everyday one. Korah's argument turns on that: if the whole nation has been set apart, no smaller group needs privileged access.

4When Moses heard this, he bowed with his face to the ground.

4And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:

NoteFalling face-down on the ground was the standard posture of submission and urgent appeal, used before a king or before God. It signals distress and petition, not collapse.

5Then he said to Korah and everyone with him, "Tomorrow the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will let that person come near to him. The one he chooses is the one he will let come near.

5And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.

Note"Come near" is a technical term throughout these chapters. It means being permitted to approach the sanctuary and handle sacred things, physical proximity to God's presence as a granted office. The whole dispute is about who may come how near.

6Here is what you are to do. Korah, you and all your followers, get censers.

6This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;

NoteA censer was a shallow metal fire-pan with a handle, used to carry live coals from the altar; incense was sprinkled on the coals to make fragrant smoke. Every household had cooking fire, but burning incense before God was restricted to priests, which is what makes the test in the next verse dangerous.

7Tomorrow put burning coals in them and lay incense on top, there in front of the LORD. Then the man the LORD chooses will be the holy one. You sons of Levi have gone too far!"

7And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.

NoteOffering incense inside the sanctuary was a priestly act only. Earlier in this same account (Leviticus 10) two of Aaron's own sons died for offering fire that had not been authorised. Moses is proposing that the 250 perform the act they claim the right to perform, and let the outcome settle it.

8Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen to me, you sons of Levi.

8And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:

9Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel set you apart from the rest of Israel and brought you close to himself, to do the work at the LORD's tent and to stand before the people and serve them?

9Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?

NoteThe distinction Moses draws is between two ranks. Levites did the physical work of the sanctuary (transporting it, guarding it, assisting) and lived off the people's tithes. Priests, a much smaller group descended from Aaron, alone handled the altar, the incense, and the blood of offerings. Korah already has the first and is asking for the second.

10He has brought you near to himself, you and all your fellow Levites. And now you want to be priests too?

10And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?

11That is why you and all your followers have banded together against the LORD. As for Aaron, who is he that you should complain against him?"

11For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

Note"Murmur" in the King James means to grumble or complain, usually as an undercurrent of muttered discontent rather than open confrontation. It is the standing word for Israel's behavior in the wilderness.

12Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We are not coming.

12And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:

Note"We will not come up" is partly geography and partly insult: Moses is summoning them, and to refuse a summons was itself an act of defiance. The same verb runs through their reply: they refuse to "come up" to Moses, and accuse him of having brought them "up" out of Egypt.

13Isn't it enough that you brought us up out of a land rich with milk and honey to kill us here in the desert? Do you have to make yourself our ruler as well?

13Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?

Note"A land flowing with milk and honey" is the fixed phrase for the promised land of Canaan, milk from grazing herds, honey from wild bees, a land that feeds you without being fought for. Dathan and Abiram deliberately apply it to Egypt, the land of their slavery, which is the sting of the line.

14On top of that, you have not brought us into any land rich with milk and honey, and you have not given us fields and vineyards of our own. Are you going to gouge out these men's eyes? We are not coming."

14Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

Note"Put out the eyes of these men" is an idiom whose force is disputed. It may mean literally blinding, a punishment inflicted on rebels and captives, or figuratively hoodwinking someone, throwing dust in their eyes. The Hebrew supports either, and the ambiguity is in the original.

15Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed a single one of them."

15And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

Note"Respect not their offering" means do not look on it with favor, do not accept it. The protest about the donkey is a standard formula by which a leader swore he had not used his position to enrich himself; Samuel makes the same claim in almost the same words. A donkey was the ordinary working animal of a poor household, so it stands for the smallest thing worth taking.

16Then Moses said to Korah, "Tomorrow you and all your followers are to stand in front of the LORD, you, them, and Aaron.

16And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:

17Each man is to take his censer, put incense in it, and bring it before the LORD: 250 censers. You and Aaron are to bring your censers too."

17And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.

18So each man took his censer, put burning coals in it, and laid incense on top. Then they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

18And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

NoteThe King James "tabernacle of the congregation" translates what is more exactly the tent of meeting: the portable sanctuary at the center of the camp, where God was understood to meet with Moses. Its "door" was the entrance of the surrounding courtyard, the public boundary of sacred space.

19Korah had gathered the whole community against Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to everyone there.

19And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.

Note"The glory of the LORD" refers to a visible phenomenon, described elsewhere as a blazing brightness within or behind the cloud that rested over the tent. It is a manifestation people could see and point at, not an abstract quality.

20The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

20And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

21"Move away from these people, so I can destroy them in an instant."

21Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

22But Moses and Aaron bowed with their faces to the ground and said, "O God, the God who gives life to every living thing, will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sinned?"

22And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

Note"The God of the spirits of all flesh" is word-for-word Hebrew. "Flesh" means living creatures in general, and "spirit" here is the breath that makes a body alive. The title means the God who gives and holds the life of every living thing, and it is chosen deliberately: Moses is appealing to the one who owns all these lives not to end them wholesale.

23The LORD said to Moses,

23And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

24"Tell the people to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."

24Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Note"Tabernacle" here does not mean the sanctuary tent. The Hebrew word simply means dwelling, and the King James uses the same English word for both the sacred tent and, as here, the ordinary tents where these men lived.

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

25And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

26He said to the people, "Please move away from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins."

26And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.

NoteThe warning against touching their possessions reflects a widely held understanding that guilt and its consequences could spread by contact, like contamination, to anyone or anything in physical association with the guilty. It is a practical instruction, not a comment on the bystanders' character.

27So the people moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the doorways of their tents with their wives, their sons, and their small children.

27So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

Note"Gat up" is old English for got up and moved off. "Little children" translates a word for very young children, toddlers and infants.

28Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD sent me to do all these things, and that I did not do them on my own:

28And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.

29If these men die a normal death, the way people usually die, then the LORD did not send me.

29If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.

Note"Visited" and "visitation" in the King James mean God's stepping in to deal with someone, for good or ill. The phrase means: if nothing happens to these men beyond what happens to everybody eventually.

30But if the LORD does something no one has ever seen before (if the ground opens up and swallows them and everything that belongs to them, so that they go down alive into the grave) then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."

30But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.

NoteTwo words here have shifted meaning. "Quick" means alive, not fast, they go down still living. "The pit" translates Sheol, the underworld where the Hebrew Bible pictures all the dead as going, high and low alike; it is the grave conceived as a place beneath the earth, not a place of punishment. "A new thing" translates a verb used of creation: something brought into being that has not existed before.

31The moment Moses finished saying all this, the ground under those men split open.

31And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:

32The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with their households, all of Korah's men, and everything they owned.

32And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.

33They went down alive into the grave with all they had. The earth closed over them, and they were gone from among the people.

33They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

34All the Israelites around them ran away when they heard their cries, shouting, "The earth may swallow us too!"

34And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.

35Then fire came out from the LORD and burned up the 250 men who were offering the incense.

35And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

36The LORD said to Moses,

36And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

37"Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pick the censers out of the fire and scatter the burning coals some distance away, because the censers are holy.

37Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.

NoteEleazar was Aaron's third son and eventually his successor as chief priest. He is sent instead of Aaron because contact with the dead made a priest ritually unfit for duty, and the chief priest was held to the strictest standard. "Hallowed" means made holy, the censers have been brought into the sacred sphere and can never be returned to ordinary use, whatever their owners did.

38These men sinned and it cost them their lives. Take their censers and hammer them into flat sheets to cover the altar, because they were brought before the LORD and so they are holy. They will be a sign to the Israelites."

38The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

Note"Sinners against their own souls" means men whose offense cost them their own lives; "soul" in the King James Old Testament usually means the life or the person, not an immaterial part of them. The altar being plated is the large bronze altar of burnt offering that stood in the courtyard, built of wood with a metal skin.

39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been brought by the men who were burned up, and had them hammered into sheets to cover the altar.

39And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:

Note"Brasen" means bronze. Brass as we know it did not exist yet; the King James uses the word for the copper-tin alloy the sanctuary vessels were made of.

40This was a reminder to the Israelites that no one outside Aaron's family should come near to burn incense before the LORD, or he would end up like Korah and his followers. It was done just as the LORD had told Moses to say.

40To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

Note"Stranger" in the King James does not mean a foreigner here. It means an outsider to the office, anyone not of Aaron's family, including full-blooded Israelites and even other Levites. The plated altar functions as a permanent physical marker of that boundary.

41But the next day the whole community of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said.

41But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.

42When the crowd gathered against Moses and Aaron, the two men turned toward the tent of meeting, and there was the cloud covering it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.

42And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.

NoteThe cloud is the pillar of cloud that stood over the tent of meeting, understood as the sign of God's presence in the camp and the means by which the people knew when to travel and when to stay.

43Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the tent of meeting.

43And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.

44The LORD said to Moses,

44And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

45"Get away from these people, so I can destroy them in an instant." And Moses and Aaron bowed with their faces to the ground.

45Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

46Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer, put burning coals from the altar in it, and lay incense on top. Then hurry to the people and make things right for them, because anger has gone out from the LORD. The plague has already started."

46And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.

Note"Make an atonement" translates a ritual term meaning to purge, cover over, or ransom, an act performed to remove defilement and avert consequences already in motion. Atonement was ordinarily made with blood at the altar; incense used this way, as a barrier carried into a crowd, is unusual, and the scene has Aaron performing with a censer the very act the rebels died attempting.

47Aaron did what Moses said and ran into the middle of the crowd. The plague had indeed started among the people, so he laid on the incense and made things right for them.

47And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

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

48And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

Note"The plague was stayed" means it was halted, stopped in its tracks. "Plague" translates a word for a sudden blow or outbreak striking a population, not a specific named disease.

49The number who died in the plague was 14,700, not counting those who died because of what happened with Korah.

49Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

50Then Aaron went back to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the plague had stopped.

50And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.