Korah’s Rebellion
Another rebellion called for a clear delineation of...
Another rebellion called for a clear delineation of the duties of priests and Levites. This power struggle was a more serious challenge than any of the previous rebellions against God’s authority (ch 11; 12:1–15; 14:1–45). As in all of these historical episodes, the coconspirators protested relatively minor issues and questioned the actions of their leaders, but Moses reminded them that they were really rebelling against God. Once again, the Israelites suffered the deadly consequences of their rebellion.
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 2a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly. 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?”
Moses... fell face down on the ground in...
Moses . . . fell face down on the ground in intercession (cp. 14:5; 16:22), then challenged Korah and his followers to a test.
4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 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. 6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do as follows: Take censers, 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!”
8Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you sons of Levi! 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? 10He has brought you near, you and all your fellow Levites, but you are seeking the priesthood as well. 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?”
12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! 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? 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!”
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.”
Moses gave final instructions concerning the test to...
Moses gave final instructions concerning the test to see if the Lord would accept what the rebels brought or what Aaron offered.
16And Moses 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, place incense in it, and present it before the LORD—250 censers. You and Aaron are to present your censers as well.”
At the height of the insurrection, the Lord...
At the height of the insurrection, the Lord intervened to save Moses and Aaron, and they interceded for the people.
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 his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole congregation.
20And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
The Lord threatened to destroy the entire community...
The Lord threatened to destroy the entire community because of its pervasive sin (cp. Gen 18:16–33). Moses and Aaron interceded to narrow the Lord’s judgment down to those who were guilty of this particular rebellion.
21“Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”
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?”
Moses Separates the People
23Then the LORD said to Moses, 24“Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
25So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26And he warned the congregation, “Move away now 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.”
27So they moved away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants.
The Earth Swallows Korah
Moses had faith that God would enact his...
- Moses had faith that God would enact his own justice, and God did so (16:31–35; cp. 1 Kgs 18:18–40).
- into the grave: Sheol was the place of the dead (see 1 Sam 2:6; 2 Sam 22:5–6; Job 3:20–22; Ps 16:10; Acts 2:27–33; 1 Cor 15:15; Rev 20:13–14).
28Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for it was not my own doing: 29If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. 30But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”
Korah’s sons did not die at this time...
Korah’s sons did not die at this time (26:10–11). In fact, his descendants eventually became gatekeepers and musicians in the Temple (1 Chr 9:19, 31; 26:19; 2 Chr 20:19; cp. the titles of Pss 42; 45–49; 84–85; 87–88).
31As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open, 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions. 33They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.
The 250 Israelite leaders who attempted to offer...
The 250 Israelite leaders who attempted to offer incense shared the fate of Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1–2) and of those who complained about the hardships of the wilderness (Num 11:1; cp. 2 Kgs 1:10).
34At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled, saying, “The earth may swallow us too!” 35And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
The Censers Reserved for Holy Use
36Then the LORD said to Moses, 37“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the coals far away, because the censers are holy.
The bronze sheet made by Eleazar to cover...
The bronze sheet made by Eleazar to cover the altar replaced or supplemented the one made previously (Exod 38:2). Like the simple blue tassels of Num 15:37–41, it reminded the people of Israel of their need to obey God.
38As for the censers of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, hammer them into sheets to overlay the altar, for these were presented before the LORD, and so have become holy. They will serve as a sign to the Israelites.”
39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his followers.
Murmuring and Plague
41The next day the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the LORD’s people!”
In reply, the Lord’s glorious presence reappeared and...
In reply, the Lord’s glorious presence reappeared and threatened to destroy the people of Israel (cp. 16:19–20). Once again, Moses and Aaron intervened by falling face down on the ground.
42But when the congregation gathered against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the Tent of Meeting, and 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 congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.” And Moses and Aaron fell facedown.
Moses and Aaron acted quickly to rescue the...
Moses and Aaron acted quickly to rescue the Israelites from God’s wrath. In an unusual procedure, Aaron carried an incense burner with burning coals among the people and thus stopped the plague.
46Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.”
47So Aaron took the censer as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people. 48He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted. 49But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of Korah.
50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, since the plague had been halted.