Numbers 16

King James Version

Full text for Numbers Chapter 16

1¶ Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took [men]:

2And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:

3And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, [Ye take] too much upon you, seeing all the congregation [are] holy, every one of them, and the LORD [is] among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

4And when Moses heard [it], he fell upon his face:

5And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who [are] his, and [who is] holy; and will cause [him] to come near unto him: even [him] whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.

6This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;

7And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be [that] the man whom the LORD doth choose, he [shall be] holy: [ye take] too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.

8And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:

9[Seemeth it but] a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?

10And he hath brought thee near [to him], and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?

11For which cause [both] thou and all thy company [are] gathered together against the LORD: and what [is] Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

12¶ And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:

13[Is it] a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?

14Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

15And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

16And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:

17And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each [of you] his censer.

18And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

19And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.

20And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

21Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

22And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

23¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

24Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

25And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

26And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.

27So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

28And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for [I have] not [done them] of mine own mind.

29If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; [then] the LORD hath not sent me.

30But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that [appertain] unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.

31And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that [was] under them:

32And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that [appertained] unto Korah, and all [their] goods.

33They, and all that [appertained] to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

34And all Israel that [were] round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up [also].

35¶ And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

36And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

37Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.

38The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates [for] a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

39And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad [plates for] a covering of the altar:

40[To be] a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which [is] not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

41¶ But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.

42And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.

43And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.

44And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

45Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

46And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.

47And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

48And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

49Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

50And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, along with 250 princes, rebelled against Moses and Aaron's divinely appointed authority, claiming all the congregation was holy. The Lord intervened, causing the earth to swallow Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their households, while fire consumed the 250 men offering unauthorized incense. When the congregation murmured again, a plague broke out, which was only stayed by Aaron's swift intercession with a censer.

Medium Summary

Numbers chapter 16 details a significant rebellion led by Korah, a Levite, and Dathan and Abiram, Reubenites, who, along with 250 prominent men, challenged Moses and Aaron's leadership, asserting that all the congregation was equally holy. Moses proposed a test involving censers before the Lord, while Dathan and Abiram defiantly refused to appear. The Lord's glory appeared, and He commanded the congregation to separate from the rebels. Subsequently, the earth miraculously opened and swallowed Korah, Dathan, Abiram, their families, and all their possessions alive. Simultaneously, a divine fire consumed the 250 men who offered unauthorized incense. The Lord then commanded the brazen censers to be hammered into a covering for the altar, serving as a perpetual warning against unauthorized priesthood. Despite these judgments, the congregation murmured the next day, accusing Moses and Aaron, which provoked a plague from the Lord. Aaron, at Moses' instruction, quickly interceded with a censer, standing between the dead and the living, thereby staying the plague, which had already claimed 14,700 lives.

Long Summary

Numbers chapter 16 recounts a major rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Korah, a Levite, along with Dathan, Abiram, and On from the tribe of Reuben, and 250 renowned princes of the assembly, rose up, accusing Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above the holy congregation. Moses, falling on his face, proposed a divine test for the following day, instructing Korah and his company to take censers with incense before the Lord to reveal whom He had chosen. He also confronted the Levites, reminding them of their unique separation for tabernacle service, and challenged Dathan and Abiram, who refused to come and instead accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt to kill them in the wilderness. The next day, Korah and the 250 men presented their censers at the tabernacle door, where the Glory of the Lord appeared to the entire congregation. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to separate themselves, intending to consume the rebellious congregation, but Moses and Aaron interceded, pleading that the entire congregation not suffer for one man's sin. The Lord then instructed the congregation to depart from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Moses declared that if the earth opened and swallowed the rebels, it would prove his divine commission. Immediately, the ground beneath Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, their households, and all their possessions split open, and they went down alive into the pit, perishing from the congregation. Simultaneously, a fire from the Lord consumed the 250 men who had offered incense. To serve as a perpetual memorial, the Lord commanded Eleazar to gather the brazen censers of the consumed men and hammer them into broad plates for a covering of the altar, signifying that no one not of Aaron's seed should offer incense. However, on the very next day, the entire congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of killing the Lord's people. As they gathered, the cloud covered the tabernacle, and the Glory of the Lord appeared, and a plague began to spread among the people. Moses quickly instructed Aaron to take a censer with fire from the altar and incense to make atonement. Aaron ran into the midst of the congregation, standing between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed, but not before 14,700 people had died, in addition to those consumed earlier.

Core Concepts

  • Rebellion Against AuthorityKorah, Dathan, Abiram, and 250 princes challenged Moses and Aaron's divinely appointed leadership, asserting that all the congregation was equally holy and questioning their authority.
  • Divine JudgmentThe Lord directly intervened to punish the rebels, demonstrating His sovereignty and upholding the authority of His chosen leaders. This judgment included the earth swallowing Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their households, and fire consuming the 250 men who offered unauthorized incense.
  • Intercession and AtonementMoses and Aaron repeatedly interceded for the congregation, pleading with God to spare the people from His wrath. Aaron's swift action with a censer, making atonement for the people, stopped the plague that broke out after the congregation's murmuring.
  • Sanctity of PriesthoodThe chapter emphasizes that the priesthood is a divinely appointed office, not to be usurped by those not chosen by God. The fate of Korah and the 250 men underscored the exclusive nature of the Aaronic priesthood.
  • Consequences of MurmuringDespite witnessing severe divine judgments, the congregation continued to murmur against Moses and Aaron, leading to a widespread plague. This highlights the severe consequences of persistent rebellion and lack of faith.
  • The Lord's Glory and PresenceThe Glory of the Lord appeared twice in the chapter, signifying His active presence and direct involvement in the events. This manifestation served both to confirm His will and to execute judgment.
  • Memorials and WarningsThe brazen censers of the 250 men were hammered into a covering for the altar, serving as a lasting sign and warning to future generations that only those of Aaron's lineage were permitted to offer incense before the Lord.