Num 16:1-3 | Clarke | STEP | The rebellion of Korah and his company against Moses, . He directs them how to try, in the course of the next day, whom God had called to the priesthood, . Dathan and Abiram use the most seditious speeches, . Moses is wroth, ; and orders Korah and his company to be ready on the morrow with their censers and incense, . Korah gathers his company together, . The glory of the Lord appears, and he threatens to consume them, , . Moses and Aaron intercede for them, . The people are commanded to leave the tents of the rebels, . They obey, and Korah and his company come out and stand before the door of their tents, . Moses in a solemn address puts the contention to issue, . As soon as he had done speaking, the earth clave and swallowed them, and all that appertained to them, ; and the 250 men who offered incense are consumed by fire, . The Lord commands Eleazar to preserve the censers, because they were hallowed, . Eleazar makes of them a covering for the altar, , . The next day the people murmur anew, the glory of the Lord appears, and Moses and Aaron go to the tabernacle, . They are commanded to separate themselves from the congregation, , . Moses, perceiving that God had sent a plague among them, directs Aaron to hasten and make an atonement, . Aaron does so, and the plague is stayed, , . The number of those who died by the plague, 14,700 men, , . Verse 1 Now Korah - took men - Had not these been the most brutish of men, could they have possibly so soon forgotten the signal displeasure of God manifested against them so lately for their rebellion. The word men is not in the original; and the verb ויקח vaiyikkach, and he took, is not in the plural but the singular, hence it cannot be applied to the act of all these chiefs. In every part of the Scripture where this rebellion is referred to it is attributed to Korah, (see , and ), therefore the verb here belongs to him, and the whole verse should be translated thus: - Now Korah, son of Yitsar son of Kohath, son of Levi, He Took even Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, son of Peleth, Son Of Reuben; and they rose up, etc. This makes a very regular and consistent sense, and spares all the learned labor of Father Houbigant, who translates יקח yikkach, by rebellionem fecerunt, they rebelled, which scarcely any rule of criticism can ever justify. Instead of בני ראובן beney Reuben, Sons of Reuben, some MSS. have בן ben, Son, in the singular; this reading, supported by the Septuagint and the Samaritan text, I have followed in the above translation. But as Eliab and Peleth were both Reubenites, the common reading, Sons, may be safely followed.

Numbers 16:1-3

Introduction

The rebellion of Korah and his company against Moses, Num 16:1-3. He directs them how to try, in the course of the next day, whom God had called to the priesthood, Num 16:4-11. Dathan and Abiram use the most seditious speeches, Num 16:12-14. Moses is wroth, Num 16:15; and orders Korah and his company to be ready on the morrow with their censers and incense, Num 16:16-18. Korah gathers his company together, Num 16:19. The glory of the Lord appears, and he threatens to consume them, Num 16:20, Num 16:21. Moses and Aaron intercede for them, Num 16:22. The people are commanded to leave the tents of the rebels, Num 16:23-26. They obey, and Korah and his company come out and stand before the door of their tents, Num 16:27. Moses in a solemn address puts the contention to issue, Num 16:28-30. As soon as he had done speaking, the earth clave and swallowed them, and all that appertained to them, Num 16:31-34; and the 250 men who offered incense are consumed by fire, Num 16:35. The Lord commands Eleazar to preserve the censers, because they were hallowed, Num 16:36-38. Eleazar makes of them a covering for the altar, Num 16:39, Num 16:40. The next day the people murmur anew, the glory of the Lord appears, and Moses and Aaron go to the tabernacle, Num 16:41-43. They are commanded to separate themselves from the congregation, Num 16:44, Num 16:45. Moses, perceiving that God had sent a plague among them, directs Aaron to hasten and make an atonement, Num 16:46. Aaron does so, and the plague is stayed, Num 16:47, Num 16:48. The number of those who died by the plague, 14,700 men, Num 16:49, Num 16:50.

Verse 1

Now Korah - took men - Had not these been the most brutish of men, could they have possibly so soon forgotten the signal displeasure of God manifested against them so lately for their rebellion. The word men is not in the original; and the verb ויקח vaiyikkach, and he took, is not in the plural but the singular, hence it cannot be applied to the act of all these chiefs. In every part of the Scripture where this rebellion is referred to it is attributed to Korah, (see Num 26:3, and Jde 1:11), therefore the verb here belongs to him, and the whole verse should be translated thus: - Now Korah, son of Yitsar son of Kohath, son of Levi, He Took even Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, son of Peleth, Son Of Reuben; and they rose up, etc. This makes a very regular and consistent sense, and spares all the learned labor of Father Houbigant, who translates יקח yikkach, by rebellionem fecerunt, they rebelled, which scarcely any rule of criticism can ever justify. Instead of בני ראובן beney Reuben, Sons of Reuben, some MSS. have בן ben, Son, in the singular; this reading, supported by the Septuagint and the Samaritan text, I have followed in the above translation. But as Eliab and Peleth were both Reubenites, the common reading, Sons, may be safely followed. Verse 3

Ye take too much upon you - The original is simply רב לכם rab lachem, too much for you. The spirit of this saying appears to me to be the following: - "Holy offices are not equally distributed: you arrogate to yourselves the most important ones, as if your superior holiness entitled you alone to them; whereas all the congregation are holy, and have an equal right with you to be employed in the most holy services." Moses retorts this saying Num 16:7 : Ye take too much upon you, רב לכם rab lachem; Ye have too much already, ye sons of Levi; i.e., by your present spirit and disposition you prove yourselves to be wholly unworthy of any spiritual employment.