Numbers 16

Numbers 16:1 Then Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.

Numbers 16:2 And they rose at the face of Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 leaders of the congregation, chosen from the collection, well-known men.

Numbers 16:3 They collected themselves together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! Because all in the congregation are sacred, every one of them, and Yahveh is among them. Why, then, do you exalt yourselves above the collected assembly of Yahveh?”

Numbers 16:4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face,

Numbers 16:5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning Yahveh will show who is his, and who is sacred, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.

Numbers 16:6 Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company;

Numbers 16:7 put fire in them and put incense on them at the face of Yahveh tomorrow, and the man whom Yahveh chooses will be the sacred one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”

Numbers 16:8 And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:

Numbers 16:9 is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of Yahveh and to stand at the face of the congregation to minister to them,

Numbers 16:10 and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also?

Numbers 16:11 Therefore, it is against Yahveh that you and all your company have collected. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

Numbers 16:12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up.

Numbers 16:13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the open country, that you must also make yourself a prince over us?

Numbers 16:14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”

Numbers 16:15 And Moses was furious and said to Yahveh, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”

Numbers 16:16 And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, at the face of Yahveh, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.

Numbers 16:17 And let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring to the face of Yahveh his censer, 250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.”

Numbers 16:18 So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the conference tent with Moses and Aaron.

Numbers 16:19 Then Korah collected all the congregation against them at the entrance of the conference tent. And the impressive appearance of Yahveh appeared to all the congregation.

Numbers 16:20 And Yahveh spoke to Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said:

Numbers 16:21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”

Numbers 16:22 And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the breaths of all flesh, will one man make a failure, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”

Numbers 16:23 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said

Numbers 16:24 “Say to the congregation, Get away from the staying of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

Numbers 16:25 Then Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

Numbers 16:26 And he spoke to the congregation, and this is what he said, “Get away, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or else[1] you will be swept away with all their sins.”

Numbers 16:27 So they got away from the staying of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.

Numbers 16:28 And Moses said, “As a result of this, you will know that Yahveh has sent me to do all these works and that it has not been of my own accord.

Numbers 16:29 If these men die as all men die, or if the fate of all humanity visits them, then Yahveh has not sent me.

Numbers 16:30 But if Yahveh creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised Yahveh.”

Numbers 16:31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.

Numbers 16:32 And the land opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their belongings.

Numbers 16:33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the ground closed over them, and they were destroyed from the midst of the collected assembly.

Numbers 16:34 And all Israel who were around them ran away at their cry because they said, “Or else the ground will swallow us up!”

Numbers 16:35 And fire came out from Yahveh and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

Numbers 16:36 Then Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 16:37 “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide because they have become sacred.

Numbers 16:38 As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their throats, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar because they offered them at the face of Yahveh, and they became sacred. Thus, they will be a sign to the people of Israel.”

Numbers 16:39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar,

Numbers 16:40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no unauthorized person, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense at the face of Yahveh, or else he will become like Korah and his congregation — as Yahveh said to him through Moses.

Numbers 16:41 But on the next day, all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said: “You have killed the people of Yahveh.”

Numbers 16:42 And when the congregation had collected against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the conference tent. And notice, the cloud covered it, and the impressive appearance of Yahveh appeared.

Numbers 16:43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the conference tent,

Numbers 16:44 and Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said

Numbers 16:45 “Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.

Numbers 16:46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and provide reconciliation for them, because wrath has gone out from Yahveh; the plague has begun.”

Numbers 16:47 So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the collected assembly. And notice that the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.

Numbers 16:48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

Numbers 16:49 Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah.

Numbers 16:50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the conference tent, when the plague was stopped.

---

[1]פֶּן = or else. Numbers 16:26; 20:18.

Numbers 16 quotes:

“Korah wanted to get close to God’s fire; 250 do get close to God’s fire, literally: they are “consumed” (v. 35). Dathan and Abiram are upset that Moses lords it “over them”; well, now everybody will stand “over them,” as they are swallowed alive down beneath the earth (v. 32). The people are concerned that Moses is the cause of the killing; so the Lord commences to kall by that form so frequent in Exodus through Numbers: the plague (v. 46).”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 177.

“In this book’s unfolding story we again switch suddenly from one literary genre to another. Yet the abrupt transition is more apparent than real. Obedience is a central theme in chapter 15 and is followed by a story relating the tragic consequences of disobedience (16:1-50).”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 142.

“The natural man does not like to be controlled. We see this in a baby and especially in a three-or four-year-old. It is particularly noticeable in a group if the one in control is a meek, humble person. The people under him oftentimes do not want to be told what to do. The history of Israel is marked by the notorious rebellion of Korah, a leader under Moses.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 100.

“Attempts to override God’s authority will meet with his judgment.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 319.

Numbers 16 links:

a submissive walk
dangerous discontent
Excursus- Sheol- The Old Testament Consensus
going too far
introducing the breath of God
Perish the thought
Sheol in the Bible- The Old Testament Consensus
swept away

---

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library