CHAPTER 16 THE REBELLION AND ATTEMPTED COUP UNDER KORAH, DATHAN AND ABIRAM. This account of a rebellion against Moses and Yahweh is given in order to establish the Aaronic rights to the priesthood, and possibly also to bring out the antagonism that resulted from the failure to enter the land. 2).... [ Continue Reading ]
KORAH AND HIS CO-CONSPIRATORS DISPUTE THE POSITIONS OF MOSES AND AARON (NUMBERS 16:1). Numbers 16:1 ‘Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men, and they rose up before Moses, with... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHALLENGE OF THE CENSERS (NUMBERS 16:4). Numbers 16:4 ‘And when Moses heard it, he fell on his face,' It is unlikely that this means in the assembly, and as at this point Dathan and Abiram with their Reubenite followers withdrew (Numbers 16:12) it suggests that he went into the tent of meetin... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES CHARGE AGAINST KORAH (NUMBERS 16:8). Numbers 16:8 ‘And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi, does it seem but a small thing to you, that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of Yahwe... [ Continue Reading ]
DATHAN AND ABIRAM REFUSE TO RESPOND TO MOSES' SUMMONS (NUMBERS 16:12). Numbers 16:12 ‘And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up. 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 wilde... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES PRAYS THAT YAHWEH WILL REFUTE THEM (NUMBERS 16:15) Numbers 16:15 ‘And Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, “Do not you respect their offering. I have not taken one ass from them, nor have I hurt one of them.” ' Moses was very angry at their reply and the position that they were taking... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES CALLS ON KORAH TO RESPOND TO HIS CHALLENGE (NUMBERS 16:16). Numbers 16:16 ‘And Moses said to Korah, “Be you and all your company before Yahweh, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.” ' Moses then turned his attention back to the Levite conspirators, and bade Korah with all his band of Levites... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL CARRY OUT THE CHALLENGE OF THE CENSERS AND BURN INCENSE IN THEM (NUMBERS 16:18). Numbers 16:18 ‘And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense on them, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.' And next morning they did exactly that. They... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES AND AARON TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL (NUMBERS 16:20). Numbers 16:20 ‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,' But then Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, and His words revealed His anger at the disobedience of the Levites and the concurrence of the people.... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES AND AARON PRAY THAT YAHWEH WILL SPARE THE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL (NUMBERS 16:22). Numbers 16:22 ‘And they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” At His words Moses and Aaron fell on the... [ Continue Reading ]
YAHWEH COMMANDS THE PEOPLE TO DEPART FROM KORAH, DATHAN AND ABIRAM (NUMBERS 16:23). Numbers 16:23 ‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,' And Yahweh, in response to their prayer, through Moses offered the people a chance. Numbers 16:24 “ Speak to the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PIT SWALLOWS UP THE REUBENITE FOLLOWERS OF KORAH, DATHAN AND ABIRAM (NUMBERS 16:28). Numbers 16:28 ‘And Moses said, “By this you shall know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visite... [ Continue Reading ]
FIRE CONSUMES THE OFFERERS OF THE INCENSE (16:35). Numbers 16:35 ‘And fire came forth from Yahweh, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men who offered the incense.' Then fire came down from heaven and devoured the band of Levites who were offering incense. Compare Leviticus 10:2. This seems to... [ Continue Reading ]
THE METAL OF THE CENSERS TO BE USED TO COVER THE ALTAR (NUMBERS 16:36). Numbers 16:36 ‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,' Numbers 16:37 “ Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and you scatter the fire yonder; for they are holy, even the ce... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONGREGATION BLAME MOSES AND AARON FOR THE FIRE AND PIT (NUMBERS 16:41). Numbers 16:41 ‘But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of Yahweh.” ' As would be expected the incidents of that day w... [ Continue Reading ]
YAHWEH'S THREAT AGAINST THE PEOPLE (NUMBERS 16:44). But in fact the threat came from Yahweh. In a sense this whole interlude of the rebellion was an important one. The disillusionment of the people after the failure to enter the land, and the cancellation of their prospects for doing so, was such t... [ Continue Reading ]
AT MOSES' WORD AARON STAYS THE PLAGUE BY OFFERING INCENSE ON HIS CENSER (NUMBERS 16:46). The purpose in what followed was to demonstrate that Aaron with his censer was a totally different thing from the rebels with their censers. Aaron's pleas were effective because he was the rightful intermediary... [ Continue Reading ]