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Texts -- Numbers 16:1-43 (NET)

Context
The Rebellion of Korah
16:1 Now Korah son of Izhar , the son of Kohath , the son of Levi , and Dathan and Abiram , the sons of Eliab , and On son of Peleth , who were Reubenites , took men 16:2 and rebelled against Moses , along with some of the Israelites , 250 leaders of the community , chosen from the assembly , famous men . 16:3 And they assembled against Moses and Aaron , saying to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, seeing that the whole community is holy , every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the community of the Lord ?” 16:4 When Moses heard it he fell down with his face to the ground. 16:5 Then he said to Korah and to all his company , “In the morning the Lord will make known who are his, and who is holy . He will cause that person to approach him; the person he has chosen he will cause to approach him. 16:6 Do this , Korah , you and all your company : Take censers , 16:7 put fire in them , and set incense on them before the Lord tomorrow , and the man whom the Lord chooses will be holy . You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi !” 16:8 Moses said to Korah , “Listen now , you sons of Levi ! 16:9 Does it seem too small a thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the community of Israel to bring you near to himself, to perform the service of the tabernacle of the Lord , and to stand before the community to minister to them? 16:10 He has brought you near and all your brothers , the sons of Levi , with you. Do you now seek the priesthood also ? 16:11 Therefore you and all your company have assembled together against the Lord ! And Aaron – what is he that you murmur against him?” 16:12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram , the sons of Eliab , but they said , “We will not come up . 16:13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of the land that flows with milk and honey , to kill us in the wilderness ? Now do you want to make yourself a prince over us? 16:14 Moreover , you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey , nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards . Do you think you can blind these men ? We will not come up .” 16:15 Moses was very angry , and he said to the Lord , “Have no respect for their offering ! I have not taken so much as one donkey from them , nor have I harmed any one of them !” 16:16 Then Moses said to Korah , “You and all your company present yourselves before the Lord – you and they , and Aaron – tomorrow . 16:17 And each of you take his censer , put incense in it, and then each of you present his censer before the Lord : 250 censers , along with you , and Aaron – each of you with his censer .” 16:18 So everyone took his censer , put fire in it, and set incense on it, and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting , with Moses and Aaron . 16:19 When Korah assembled the whole community against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting , then the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community .
The Judgment on the Rebels
16:20 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron : 16:21 “Separate yourselves from among this community , that I may consume them in an instant .” 16:22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said , “O God , the God of the spirits of all people , will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins ?” 16:23 So the Lord spoke to Moses : 16:24 “Tell the community : ‘Get away from around the homes of Korah , Dathan , and Abiram .’” 16:25 Then Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram ; and the elders of Israel went after him. 16:26 And he said to the community , “Move away from the tents of these wicked men , and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because of all their sins .” 16:27 So they got away from the homes of Korah , Dathan , and Abiram on every side , and Dathan and Abiram came out and stationed themselves in the entrances of their tents with their wives , their children , and their toddlers . 16:28 Then Moses said , “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works , for I have not done them of my own will . 16:29 If these men die a natural death , or if they share the fate of all men , then the Lord has not sent me. 16:30 But if the Lord does something entirely new , and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up along with all that they have, and they go down alive to the grave , then you will know that these men have despised the Lord !” 16:31 When he had finished speaking all these words , the ground that was under them split open , 16:32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with their households , and all Korah’s men , and all their goods . 16:33 They and all that they had went down alive into the pit , and the earth closed over them. So they perished from among the community . 16:34 All the Israelites who were around them fled at their cry , for they said , “What if the earth swallows us too?” 16:35 Then a fire went out from the Lord and devoured the 250 men who offered incense .
The Atonement for the Rebellion
16:36 The Lord spoke to Moses : 16:37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pick up the censers out of the flame , for they are holy , and then scatter the coals of fire at a distance . 16:38 As for the censers of these men who sinned at the cost of their lives , they must be made into hammered sheets for covering the altar , because they presented them before the Lord and sanctified them. They will become a sign to the Israelites .” 16:39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers presented by those who had been burned up , and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar . 16:40 It was a memorial for the Israelites , that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to burn incense before the Lord , that he might not become like Korah and his company – just as the Lord had spoken by the authority of Moses . 16:41 But on the next day the whole community of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron , saying , “You have killed the Lord’s people !” 16:42 When the community assembled against Moses and Aaron , they turned toward the tent of meeting – and the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared . 16:43 Then Moses and Aaron stood before the tent of meeting .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Abiram

    [ebd] father of height; i.e., "proud." (1.) One of the sons of Eliab, who joined Korah in the conspiracy against Moses and Aaron. He and all the conspirators, with their families and possessions (except the children of Korah), wer...
    [isbe] ABIRAM - a-bi'-ram ('abhiram, "exalted father," or, "my father is an exalted one"): (1) The son of Eliab the son of Pallu the son of Reuben (Nu 26:5 ff; Dt 11:6). In company with his brother Dathan and Korah the Levite and o...
    [smith] A Reubenite, son of Eliab, who with Korah, a Levite, organized a conspiracy against Moses and Aaron. (Numbers 16:1) ... [For details, see KORAH] (B.C. 1490.) Eldest son of Hiel the bethelite, who died when his father laid th...
    [nave] ABIRAM 1. An Israelite who conspired with Dathan against Moses and Aaron, Num. 16; 26:9, 10; Deut. 11:6; Psa. 106:17. 2. Son of Hiel, 1 Kin. 16:34.

  • Aaron

    [ebd] the eldest son of Amram and Jochebed, a daughter of Levi (Ex. 6:20). Some explain the name as meaning mountaineer, others mountain of strength, illuminator. He was born in Egypt three years before his brother Moses, and a nu...
    [isbe] AARON - ar'-un, sometimes pronounced ar'on ('aharon--Septuagint Aaron, meaning uncertain: Gesenius suggests "mountaineer"; Furst, "enlightened"; others give "rich," "fluent." Cheyne mentions Redslob's "ingenious conjecture" ...
    [nave] AARON Lineage of, Ex. 6:16-20; Josh. 21:4, 10; 1 Chr. 6:2, 3; 23:13. Marriage of, Ex. 6:23. Children of, Ex. 6:23, 25; 1 Chr. 6:3; 24:1, 2. Descendants of, Ex. 6:23, 25; 1 Chr. 6:3-15, 50-53; 24. Meets Moses in the wilde...

  • Korah

    [ebd] ice, hail. (1.) The third son of Esau, by Aholibamah (Gen. 36:14; 1 Chr. 1:35). (2.) A Levite, the son of Izhar, the brother of Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron (Ex. 6:21). The institution of the Aaronic priesthood and t...
    [isbe] KORAH - ko'-ra, (~qorach], "baldness," possibly; Kore): (1) One of the 3 sons of Oholibamah, Esau's Hivite wife. The account says that the 3 were born in Canaan before Esau withdrew to the Seir mountain country. They are men...
    [nave] KORAH 1. A son of Esau, Gen. 36:5, 14, 18. 2. A Korhite Levite, Ex. 6:18, 21, 24; jealous of Moses, leads two hundred and fifty princes in an insurrection, and is swallowed up in the earth, Num. 16; 26:9, 10; Deut. 11:6; Ps...

  • Moses

    [isbe] MOSES - mo'-zez, mo'-ziz (mosheh; Egyptian mes, "drawn out," "born"; Septuagint Mouse(s)). The great Hebrew national hero, leader, author, law-giver and prophet. I. LIFE 1. Son of Levi 2. Foundling Prince 3. Friend of the Pe...
    [nave] MOSES A Levite and son of Amram, Ex. 2:1-4; 6:20; Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23. Hidden in an ark, Ex. 2:3. Discovered and adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, Ex. 2:5-10. Learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, Acts 7:22. His loyalt...

  • Dathan

    [ebd] welled; belonging to a fountain, a son of Eliab, a Reubenite, who joined Korah (q.v.) in his conspiracy, and with his accomplices was swallowed up by an earthquake (Num. 16:1; 26:9; Deut. 11:6; Ps. 106:17).
    [isbe] DATHAN - da'-than (dathan, meaning and derivation unknown, though the name is found in Assyrian, in the records of Shalmaneser II): The son of Eliab the son of Pallu the son of Reuben (Nu 26:5 ff; Dt 11:6; Ps 106:17). He and...
    [smith] (belonging to a fountain) a Reubenite chieftain, son of Eliab, who joined the conspiracy of Korah the Levite. (Numbers 16:1; 26:9; 11:6; Psalms 106:17) (B.C. 1490-1452).
    [nave] DATHAN, a conspirator against Moses, Num. 16:1-35; 26:9; Deut. 11:6; Psa. 106:17.

  • Government

    [isbe] GOVERNMENT - guv'-ern-ment: The government of the Hebrews varied at different periods, of which we may distinguish seven: (1) the nomadic period, from the Exodus to the entrance into Palestine; (2) the period of transition f...
    [nave] GOVERNMENT Paternal functions of, Gen. 41:25-57. Civil service school provided by, Dan. 1:3-20. Maintains a system of public instruction, 2 Chr. 17:7-9. Executive departments in. See: Cabinet; King; Ruler; Statecraft. Ju...

  • Reuben

    [isbe] REUBEN - roo'-ben, ru'-ben (re'ubhen; Rhouben): The eldest son of Jacob, born to him by Leah in Paddan-aram (Gen 29:32). 1. Jacob's Oldest Son: This verse seems to suggest two derivations of the name. As it stands in Massore...
    [nave] REUBEN Son of Jacob, Gen. 29:32; 1 Chr. 2:1. Brings mandrakes to his mother, Gen. 30:14. Commits incest with one of his father's concubines, and, in consequence, forfeits the birthright, Gen. 35:22; 49:4; 1 Chr. 5:1. Adro...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • AARON'S ROD

    [isbe] AARON'S ROD - (Nu 17 and Heb 9:4): Immediately after the incidents connected with the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram against the leadership of Moses and the priestly primacy of Aaron (Nu 16), it became necessary to in...

  • Priest

    [nave] PRIEST. Before Moses Melchizedek, Gen. 14:18; Heb. 5:6, 10, 11; 6:20; 7:1-21. Jethro, Ex. 2:16. Priests in Israel before the giving of the law, Ex. 19:22, 24. Called angel, Eccl. 5:6. Mosaic Ex. 28:1-4; 29:9, 44; Num....

  • DATHEMA

    [isbe] DATHEMA - dath'-e-ma (Dathema): A stronghold (1 Macc 5:29) in Gilead to which the Jews fled for refuge from the heathen (1 Macc 5:9). They were delivered by Judas and Jonathan his brother. It was within a night's march from ...

  • Levites

    [nave] LEVITES The descendants of Levi. Set apart as ministers of religion, Num. 1:47-54; 3:6-16; 16:9; 26:57-62; Deut. 10:8; 1 Chr. 15:2. Substituted in the place of the firstborn, Num. 3:12, 41-45; 8:14, 16-18; 18:6. Religious ...

  • TABERNACLE, B

    [isbe] TABERNACLE, B - B. IN CRITICISM I. CONSERVATIVE AND CRITICAL VIEWS II. ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE CRITICAL THEORY EXAMINED 1. Not Stated, That the Temple Was Constructed after the Pattern of the Tabernacle 2. No Trace of th...

  • Minister

    [nave] MINISTER, a sacred teacher. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-topics; Call of; Character and Qualifications of; Charge Delivered to; Courage of; Duties of; Duties of the Church to; Emoluments of; Faithful, Instanc...

  • PENTATEUCH, 2A

    [isbe] PENTATEUCH, 2A - II. Authorship, Composition, Date. 1. The Current Critical Scheme: The view that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch, with the exception of the concluding verses of Deuteronomy, was once held universally....

  • PENTATEUCH, 2B

    [isbe] PENTATEUCH, 2B - 3. Answer to the Critical Analysis: (1) The Veto of Textual Criticism. The first great objection that may be made to the higher criticism is that it starts from the Massoretic text (MT) without investigation...

  • Exodus

    [ebd] the great deliverance wrought for the children of Isreal when they were brought out of the land of Egypt with "a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm" (Ex 12:51; Deut. 26:8; Ps 114; 136), about B.C. 1490, and four hundre...

  • Citizenship

    [nave] CITIZENSHIP. Duties of Ex. 22:28 Acts 23:5. Num. 27:20; Ezra 6:10; Ezra 7:26; Ezra 10:8; Prov. 16:14, 15; Prov. 24:21; Prov. 25:6, 7, 15; Eccl. 8:2-4; Eccl. 10:4, 20; Jer. 29:7; Matt. 17:24-27; Matt. 22:17-21 Mark 12:14-17...

  • Blindness

    [nave] BLINDNESS Disqualified for priestly office, Lev. 21:18. Of animals, disqualified for a sacrifice, Lev. 22:22; Deut. 15:21; Mal. 1:8. Miraculously inflicted upon the Sodomites, Gen. 19:11; Syrians, 2 Kin. 6:18-23; Saul of T...

  • EZEKIEL, 2

    [isbe] EZEKIEL, 2 - II. Significance of Ezekiel in Israel's Religious History. Under the first head we will consider the formal characteristics and significance of the book; and the examination of its contents will form the subject...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • After offering these sacrifices, Aaron blessed the people (v. 22). He "stepped down"perhaps from a platform near the altar of burnt offerings on which he may have been standing to address the people. Probably Moses took Aaron...
  • Moses did not identify Nadab and Abihu's exact offense in the text. However the "strange fire"seems most likely to have been an incense offering presented apart from God's command. It may have involved assuming the role of th...
  • To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
  • I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
  • The end of chapter 10 is the high point of the Book of Numbers spiritually. The beginning of chapter 11 records the beginning of the spiritual decline of Israel that resulted in God's judging the nation. He postponed the fulf...
  • Having received their sentence from the Lord, the people then presumptuously proceeded to go up on their own to take the land (vv. 40-42)."They are like children who had broken a valuable vase and decided to make it better' b...
  • Moses recorded few events during the years of Israel's wandering in the wilderness, but those he did preserve have instructive value. Most important among them is the rebellion of Korah's group against Moses and Aaron, and Go...
  • "As the laws increase and the constraints grow, the people seem less willing or less capable of following them. At this point in the narrative we see that the whole order of the priesthood is thrown open to direct confrontati...
  • God gave this law so the nation might maintain purity as the older generation died off in the wilderness. Its purpose was not to remove sin itself but to remove the uncleanness that death represented because of its connection...
  • Here begins the fourth and last leg of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.1. From Egypt to Sinai (Exod. 12-19)2. From Sinai to Kadesh (Num. 11-12)3. From Kadesh back to Kadesh--38 years of wilderness wand...
  • At the end of 37 years the Israelites returned to the wilderness of Zin and Kadesh. Kadesh was a large area of desert located on the edge of the wilderness of Zin. God had previously judged the older generation of Israelites ...
  • The Book of Numbers is a lesson in the importance of trust and obedience. The Israelites frequently failed to trust and obey God in the hours of their trials, and consequently God postponed His blessing. Most of them never en...
  • Because God did not reveal Himself in any physical form He forbade the Israelites' making any likeness of Him as an aid to worship (vv. 15-18). They were not to worship the heavenly bodies for this purpose either (v. 19) as d...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The lesson the writer intended this incident to teach the readers is that Yahweh is holy and His people should not take His presence among them lightly (cf. Lev. 10:1-11; Num. 16). God's presence is real, and His people must ...
  • The Chronicler gave us much more information about Uzziah than we have in Kings (2 Kings 15:1-7). Uzziah ("Yahweh is strong") was evidently the king's throne name and Azariah ("Yahweh helps") his personal name.Uzziah, as his ...
  • These men returned but could not serve as priests until the high priest could determine that they were indeed descendants of Aaron (cf. Num. 16:40; 18:9-10). Perhaps the high priest did this using the Urim and Thummim if thes...
  • The king gave the Jews permission to defend themselves by killing their enemies. Evidently this meant that they not only met attack with resistance but in some cases initiated attack against those who they knew would destroy ...
  • 106:6 The psalmist confessed that Israel had been unfaithful to God. This was true of his own generation as it had been true of former generations. This confession introduced a review of specific iniquities and wickedness.106...
  • 20:10-12 So the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness. At Mount Sinai He gave them statutes and ordinances that would result in their welfare if they obeyed them, namely, the Mosaic Law. He also gave th...
  • 2:19 Even though some in the church were upsetting and being upset, the church itself had stood and would continue to stand firm (Gr. perfect tense; cf. vv. 20-21; 1 Cor. 3:10-12; Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Tim. 3:15). The witness (seal...
  • Having explored the concept of Jesus as a faithfulhigh priest (3:1-4:14), the writer proceeded next to develop the idea that Jesus is a mercifulhigh priest in the service of God (cf. 2:17). A high priest must be faithful to G...
  • The writer turned from positive admonition to negative warning to highlight the seriousness of departing from the Lord."Between the imperatives of vv. 22-25 and 32, 35, the author describes, more fully than in 2:2f.; 6:4-6, t...
  • The writer put his readers' sufferings in perspective so they might not overestimate the difficulty they faced in remaining faithful to God."Suffering comes to all; it is part of life, but it is not easy to bear. Yet it is no...
  • The writer shifted again from exposition to exhortation. The hook word "speak"(Gr. lalountiand lalounta) in verses 24 and 25 ties the two sections together.12:25 The One speaking probably refers to God. "Him who warned them o...
  • v. 10 The things the false teachers did not understand but reviled probably refer to aspects of God's revealed will that they chose to reject (cf. 1 Cor. 2:7-16)."Jude, like his brother James, denounces the sins of the tongue...
  • 5:6 As with our dreams, John's vision contained some unusual features. John saw the Messiah as a Lamb.229The Lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ at His first advent, meek and submissive to a sacrificial death as our substitute (...
  • The revelation of Satan's activity, which the song of the martyrs (vv. 10-12) interrupted, now resumes.12:13 Satan will concentrate his vengeance on Israelites during the Great Tribulation, under the sovereign control of God,...
  • 19:17 John saw next an angel standing in the sun, a conspicuous position in which all the birds could see him. He cried loudly for all the birds flying in midheaven to assemble (cf. Ezek. 39:4, 17). Jesus referred to the same...
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