Numbers 16:26-27

16:26 And he said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked ¹  men, and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because ²  of all their sins.” ³  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 ⁴  in the entrances of their tents with their wives, their children, and their toddlers.

Numbers 16:34

16:34 All the Israelites ⁵  who were around them fled at their cry, ⁶  for they said, “What if ⁷  the earth swallows us too?”

[16:26]  ¹ tn The word רָשָׁע (rasha’) has the sense of a guilty criminal. The word “wicked” sometimes gives the wrong connotation. These men were opposing the Lord, and so were condemned as criminals – they were guilty. The idea of “wickedness” therefore applies in that sense.

[16:26]  ² tn The preposition bet (בְּ) in this line is causal – “on account of their sins.”

[16:26]  ³ sn The impression is that the people did not hear what the Lord said to Moses, but only what Moses said to the people as a result. They saw the brilliant cloud, and perhaps heard the sound of his voice, but the relaying of the instructions indicates they did not hear the actual instruction from the Lord himself.

[16:27]  ⁴ tn The verb נִצָּבִים (nitsavim) suggests a defiant stance, for the word is often used in the sense of taking a stand for or against something. It can also be somewhat neutral, having the sense of positioning oneself for a purpose.

[16:34]  ⁵ tn Heb “all Israel.”

[16:34]  ⁶ tn Heb “voice.”

[16:34]  ⁷ tn Heb “lest.”