1Und es unternahm Korah, Sohn Jizhars, des Sohnes Kehats, des Sohnes Lewis, und Datan und Abiram, die Söhne Eliabs, und On, Sohn Pelets, die Nachkommen Rëubens - 2und sie traten hin vor Mosche, dazu zweihundertfünfzig Männer von den Kindern Jisraël, Fürsten der Gemeinde, zur Versammlung Berufene, Männer von Namen. 3Und sie scharten sich gegen Mosche und Aharon und sprachen zu ihnen: «Zu viel für euch! Denn die ganze Gemeinde, sie alle sind heilig, und in ihrer Mitte ist der Ewige. Und warum erhebt ihr euch über die Volksschar des Ewigen?» 4Als Mosche das hörte, fiel er auf sein Angesicht. 5Und er redete zu Korah und zu seiner ganzen Gemeinde und sprach: «Morgens, da wird der Ewige kund tun, wer sein ist und wer heilig ist, daß er ihn sich nahen lasse; wen er erwählt, den wird er sich nahen lassen. 6Tut dies: Nehmt euch Pfannen, Korah und seine ganze Gemeinde; 7und gebt Feuer hinein und legt Räucherwerk darauf morgen vor dem Ewigen; und es soll sein: Der Mann, den der Ewige erwählt, der ist der Geheiligte. - Zu viel für euch, ihr Söhne Lewis!» 8Und Mosche sprach zu Korah: «Hört doch, ihr Söhne Lewis! 9Ist es euch zu wenig, daß Jisraëls Gott euch aus der Gemeinde Jisraëls ausgesondert, euch ihm nahen zu lassen, den Dienst an der Wohnung des Ewigen zu verrichten und vor der Gemeinde zu stehen, um für sie den Dienst zu versehen? 10Und nun er dich und alle deine Brüder, die Söhne Lewis mit dir, sich hat nahen lassen - nun verlangt ihr noch das Priestertum? 11Darum . . ., du und deine ganze Gemeinde, die ihr euch wider den Ewigen zusammenrottet! Denn Aharon - was ist er, daß ihr wider ihn murrt?» 12Und Mosche schickte hin, um Datan und Abiram, die Söhne Eliabs, rufen zu lassen; sie aber sprachen: «Wir kommen nicht hinauf! 13Ists zu wenig, daß du uns aus einem Land heraufgeführt, das von Milch und Honig fließt, um uns in der Wüste sterben zu lassen, daß du dich auch noch zum Herrscher über uns machen willst? 14Hast uns ja auch nicht in ein Land gebracht, das von Milch und Honig fließt, und uns Feld und Weinberg zum Besitz gegeben. Willst du ,jenen Leuten' die Augen ausstechen? Wir kommen nicht hinauf!» 15Da verdroß es Mosche sehr und er sprach zum Ewigen: «Wende dich nicht zu ihrer Opfergabe! Nicht habe ich den Esel eines unter ihnen genommen, und nicht habe ich einem von ihnen ein Leid getan!» 16Und Mosche sprach zu Korah: «Du und deine ganze Gemeinde, seid vor dem Ewigen, du, sie und Aharon, morgen. 17Und nehmt jeder seine Pfanne, tut Räucherwerk darauf und bringt jeder seine Pfanne vor den Ewigen, zweihundertfünfzig Pfannen, auch du und Aharon, jeder seine Pfanne.» 18Da nahmen sie ein jeder seine Pfanne, taten Feuer darauf und legten Räucherwerk darauf und stellten sich an den Eingang des Erscheinungszeltes, und auch Mosche und Aharon. 19Und Korah versammelte gegen sie die ganze Gemeinde an den Eingang des Erscheinungszeltes; da erschien die Herrlichkeit des Ewigen der ganzen Gemeinde. 20Und der Ewige redete zu Mosche und Aharon und sprach: 21«Sondert euch ab aus dieser Gemeinde, daß ich sie im Nu vertilge!» 22Da fielen sie auf ihr Angesicht und sprachen: «Gott, du Herr des Odems von allem Fleisch! Ein Mann sündigt, und über die ganze Gemeinde willst du zürnen?» 23Da redete der Ewige zu Mosche und sprach: 24«Rede zur Gemeinde und sprich: Hebt euch hinweg aus dem Umkreis der Wohnung Korahs, Datans und Abirams!» 25Da machte sich Mosche auf und ging zu Datan und Abiram, und es folgten ihm die Ältesten Jisraëls. 26Und er redete zur Gemeinde und sprach: «Weicht doch von den Zelten dieser frevelhaften Männer und rührt nichts an von dem, was ihnen gehört, daß ihr nicht hinweggerafft werdet durch all ihre Sünden.» 27Da hoben sie sich hinweg aus dem Umkreis der Wohnung Korahs, Datans und Abirams; Datan und Abiram aber waren herausgekommen und standen am Eingang ihrer Zelte mit ihren Frauen, ihren Söhnen und ihren kleinen Kindern. 28Da sprach Mosche: «Daran sollt ihr erkennen, daß der Ewige mich gesandt hat, alle diese Taten auszuführen, daß es nicht von meinem Herzen aus geschieht: 29Wenn diese wie alle Menschen sterben, und aller Menschen Verhängnis über sie verhängt wird, so hat der Ewige mich nicht gesandt. 30Wenn aber der Ewige etwas neuschafft, und die Erde ihren Mund auftut und sie verschlingt samt allem, was ihnen gehört, und sie lebendig in die Gruft fahren, dann sollt ihr erkennen, daß diese Männer den Ewigen gelästert haben.» 31Es war aber, als er alle diese Worte zuende gesprochen hatte, da spaltete sich der Boden unter ihnen, 32und die Erde öffnete ihren Mund und verschlang sie, sowie ihre Häuser und alle Leute, die Korah angehörten, und alle Habe. 33So fuhren sie samt allem, was ihnen gehörte, lebendig zur Grube; und die Erde bedeckte sie, und sie verschwanden aus der Volksschar. 34Ganz Jisraël aber, das rings um sie stand, floh bei ihrem Geschrei; denn sie sprachen: «Daß uns nicht die Erde verschlinge!» 35Und ein Feuer ging aus vom Ewigen und verzehrte die zweihundertfünfzig Männer, die das Räucherwerk darbrachten.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE REBELLION OF KORAH. (Num. 16:1-30)
Now Korah, the son of Izhar--Izhar, brother of Amram (
Exod 6:18), was the second son of Kohath, and for some reason unrecorded he had been supplanted by a descendant of the fourth son of Kohath, who was appointed prince or chief of the Kohathites (
Num 3:30). Discontent with the preferment over him of a younger relative was probably the originating cause of this seditious movement on the part of Korah.
Dathan and Abiram, . . . and On--These were confederate leaders in the rebellion, but On seems to have afterwards withdrawn from the conspiracy [compare
Num 16:12,
Num 16:24-
Num 16:25,
Num 16:27;
Num 26:9;
Deut 11:6;
Ps 106:17].
took men--The latter mentioned individuals, being all sons of Reuben, the eldest of Jacob's family, had been stimulated to this insurrection on the pretext that Moses had, by an arbitrary arrangement, taken away the right of primogeniture, which had vested the hereditary dignity of the priesthood in the first-born of every family, with a view of transferring the hereditary exercise of the sacred functions to a particular branch of his own house; and that this gross instance of partiality to his own relations, to the permanent detriment of others, was a sufficient ground for refusing allegiance to his government. In addition to this grievance, another cause of jealousy and dissatisfaction that rankled in the breasts of the Reubenites was the advancement of Judah to the leadership among the tribes. These malcontents had been incited by the artful representations of Korah (
Jude 1:11), with whom the position of their camp on the south side afforded them facilities of frequent intercourse. In addition to his feeling of personal wrongs, Korah participated in their desire (if he did not originate the attempt) to recover their lost rights of primogeniture. When the conspiracy was ripe, they openly and boldly declared its object, and at the head of two hundred fifty princes, charged Moses with an ambitious and unwarrantable usurpation of authority, especially in the appropriation of the priesthood, for they disputed the claim of Aaron also to pre-eminence [
Num 16:3].
3 they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron--The assemblage seems to have been composed of the whole band of conspirators; and they grounded their complaint on the fact that the whole people, being separated to the divine service (
Exod 19:6), were equally qualified to present offerings on the altar, and that God, being graciously, present among them by the tabernacle and the cloud, evinced His readiness to receive sacrifices from the hand of any others as well as from theirs.
4 when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face--This attitude of prostration indicated not only his humble and earnest desire that God would interpose to free him from the false and odious imputation, but also his strong sense of the daring sin involved in this proceeding. Whatever feelings may be entertained respecting Aaron, who had formerly headed a sedition himself [
Num 12:1], it is impossible not to sympathize with Moses in this difficult emergency. But he was a devout man, and the prudential course he adopted was probably the dictate of that heavenly wisdom with which, in answer to his prayers, he was endowed.
5 he spake unto Korah and unto all his company--They were first addressed, not only because they were a party headed by his own cousin and Moses might hope to have more influence in that quarter, but because they were stationed near the tabernacle; and especially because an expostulation was the more weighty coming from him who was a Levite himself, and who was excluded along with his family from the priesthood. But to bring the matter to an issue, he proposed a test which would afford a decisive evidence of the divine appointment.
Even to-morrow--literally, "in the morning," the usual time of meeting in the East for the settlement of public affairs.
the Lord will show who are his, . . . even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him--that is, will bear attestation to his ministry by some visible or miraculous token of His approval.
6 Take your censers, Korah, and all his company, &c.--that is, since you aspire to the priesthood, then go, perform the highest function of the office--that of offering incense; and if you are accepted well. How magnanimous the conduct of Moses, who was now as willing that God's people should be priests, as formerly that they should be prophets (
Num 11:29). But he warned them that they were making a perilous experiment.
12 Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram--in a separate interview, the ground of their mutiny being different; for while Korah murmured against the exclusive appropriation of the priesthood to Aaron and his family, they were opposed to the supremacy of Moses in civil power. They refused to obey the summons; and their refusal was grounded on the plausible pretext that their stay in the desert was prolonged for some secret and selfish purposes of the leader, who was conducting them like blind men wherever it suited him.
15 Moses was very wroth--Though the meekest of all men [
Num 12:3], he could not restrain his indignation at these unjust and groundless charges; and the highly excited state of his feeling was evinced by the utterance of a brief exclamation in the mixed form of a prayer and an impassioned assertion of his integrity. (Compare
1Sam 12:3).
and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering--He calls it their offering, because, though it was to be offered by Korah and his Levitical associates, it was the united appeal of all the mutineers for deciding the contested claims of Moses and Aaron.
16 Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord--that is, at "the door of the tabernacle" (
Num 16:18), that the assembled people might witness the experiment and be properly impressed by the issue.
17 two hundred fifty censers--probably the small platters, common in Egyptian families, where incense was offered to household deities and which had been among the precious things borrowed at their departure [
Exod 12:35-
Exod 12:36].
20 the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation--Curiosity to witness the exciting spectacle attracted a vast concourse of the people, and it would seem that the popular mind had been incited to evil by the clamors of the mutineers against Moses and Aaron. There was something in their behavior very offensive to God; for after His glory had appeared--as at the installation of Aaron (
Lev 9:23), so now for his confirmation in the sacred office--He bade Moses and Aaron withdraw from the assembly "that He might consume them in a moment."
22 they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh--The benevolent importunity of their prayer was the more remarkable that the intercession was made for their enemies.
24 Speak unto the congregation, . . . Get you up from about the tabernacle--Moses was attended in the execution of this mission by the elders. The united and urgent entreaties of so many dignified personages produced the desired effect of convincing the people of their crime, and of withdrawing them from the company of men who were doomed to destruction, lest, being partakers of their sins, they should perish along with them.
27 the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram--Korah being a Kohathite, his tent could not have been in the Reubenite camp, and it does not appear that he himself was on the spot where Dathan and Abiram stood with their families. Their attitude of defiance indicated their daring and impenitent character, equally regardless of God and man.
28 Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works--The awful catastrophe of the earthquake which, as predicted by Moses, swallowed up those impious rebels in a living tomb, gave the divine attestation to the mission of Moses and struck the spectators with solemn awe.
35 there came out a fire from the Lord--that is, from the cloud. This seems to describe the destruction of Korah and those Levites who with him aspired to the functions of the priesthood. (See
Num 26:11,
Num 26:58;
1Chr 6:22,
1Chr 6:37).
37 Speak unto Eleazar--He was selected lest the high priest might contract defilement from going among the dead carcasses.
39 the brazen censers . . . made broad plates to be a memorial--The altar of burnt offerings, being made of wood and covered with brass, this additional covering of broad plates not only rendered it doubly secure against the fire, but served as a warning beacon to deter all from future invasions of the priesthood.
41 the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord--What a strange exhibition of popular prejudice and passion--to blame the leaders for saving the rebels! Yet Moses and Aaron interceded for the people--the high priest perilling his own life in doing good to that perverse race.
48 he stood between the living and the dead--The plague seems to have begun in the extremities of the camp. Aaron, in this remarkable act, was a type of Christ.
