Numbers 16 - Introduction

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). The Service of The Priests, Answering the Question Who Has The Right To Approach Yahweh.

It cannot be accidental that following the chapter in which offerings and sacrifices were called for, properly offered; the demand was made that unwitting sin be properly dealt with; and that high handed sin be punished by being cut off from among the people; and the people were called on to wear the mark of Yahweh to show that they were His holy people, we have a chapter where high handed sin is openly manifested, and those most guilty are indeed cut off, while it is clearly revealed that His people are only holy through His good services.

In the previous chapter one man defied Yahweh and was cut off. In this chapter many will defy Yahweh and they too will be cut off. And the holiness of the people, which they proudly claimed for themselves, would be seen to be totally of His doing through the means that He has provided.

Here we have a complete justification of Yahweh's refusal to allow this people to enter His land. They are revealed to be totally unfitted for its conquest and enjoyment.

Also basic to this passage, and the further reason that it is included here, is the fact that it established the uniqueness of the Aaronic priesthood in all aspects of worship in the Dwellingplace. For this trend see Numbers 16:3; Numbers 16:5; Numbers 16:9; Numbers 16:35; Numbers 16:37; Numbers 16:40; Numbers 16:46.

But there can be no doubt that historically speaking it was also a dangerous situation that could have resulted in the end for Israel. It was not just a theological dispute. There was open rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and finally against Yahweh, seething in the camp. So we will first of all deal with this issue which tends to strike the modern reader most. A careful analysis will be necessary as it is due to the failure to make such an analysis that so much criticism is levelled at the passage.

Turning back from Canaan and going back into the wilderness had necessarily shaken Israel to the core. All their hopes and dreams had collapsed, and they had seen before themselves a bleak and unenviable future. And they may well have laid much of the blame on the fact that Moses and Aaron had not allowed them to take the Ark with them into battle (Numbers 14:44). If the Ark had gone before them, they possibly thought, would not all their enemies have scattered and fled before it? (Numbers 10:35). They were disillusioned with both the secular and religious leadership.

Thus the impetus that had mainly bound them to Moses when all seemed hopeful could be seen to have gone. Indeed if he was not needed to lead them into the promised land of what need was there to follow him? And if he was discredited so was Aaron and his High Priesthood. So their thoughts would run. And they would begin to question the whole basis of their society. It was probably on the basis of this dissatisfaction of the people that two sets of people began to plot against Moses, Korah and the Levites on the one hand, who coveted promotion to the priesthood and control of holy things, and Dathan and Abiram with their fellow Reubenites on the other, who had political power in mind.

This resulted in these Levites and Reubenites, who both had their camps on the south side of the Dwellingplace, coming together and deciding to take advantage of the disgruntlement of the people in order to advance themselves, probably having in view the taking of control over Israel and the High Priesthood.

There were clearly two groups involved, Korah the Levite, Moses' distant cousin, along with fellow ‘sons of Levi' (Numbers 16:8; Numbers 16:10), who enjoyed the special privileges of the Dwellingplace, and who was very ambitious and whose main aim was to seek the full priesthood (Numbers 16:10), and Dathan, Abiram and On, three prominent Reubenites, with their ‘families', whose aim was probably a coup so that they could seize political power. These were united in their opposition to Moses, probably with a joint plan that would benefit both. Korah would replace Aaron as High Priest, the other three would replace Moses. In those days both religious and secular implications had to be considered in any coup. Moses could not be deposed while Aaron was still there. And that meant discrediting his unique status. Thus the uniting of two such opposing parties was to be expected.

We note that there were ‘two hundred and fifty princes, men of renown' backing Korah, all seemingly Levites, for Moses speaks constantly of ‘you sons of Levi'. As two hundred and fifty Isaiah 5 x 5 x 10, the covenant number doubly intensified, it may simply be intended to reflect the ‘holy' nature of the group rather than being a literal head count. This was rebellion by a covenant group at the very heart of the covenant.

The first thing that they did was to come together in ‘an assembly' to officially challenge Moses and Aaron. The initial tack they took was to challenge Moses on religious grounds. For they knew that if they were to be successful they would have to undermine the religious positions of Moses and Aaron. So while Dathan and Abiram were probably the most dangerous conspirators from a secular point of view, they were happy to leave the initial onslaught to Korah and use him as a front man. That is probably why his name came first in verse 1. It was he who would be in the best position to lay a religious foundation for the rebellion and thus carry the people with them.

His argument was subtle. It was that, as all knew, Yahweh had declared all the people to be holy (Exodus 19:5). This had especially come home even more recently in the fact that their new tassels declared that they were ‘holy to Yahweh' (Numbers 15:40). Thus if all were holy, and even enjoyed a special uniform declaring them to be so, surely all could enter the Holy Place. After all Moses had constantly stressed that ‘Yahweh was among them' (compare Numbers 14:14; Exodus 29:45; Leviticus 26:12). Thus they wanted to know, in that case, by what right Moses and Aaron had lifted themselves above ‘the assembly of Yahweh' as though they were especially holy? Why had they kept it as a family thing? Were not all the people holy?

In a situation like this we are only given the gist of the argument and there was probably much argued about this matter which we are not told, but it was clear what their aim was. They wanted entry into the priesthood.

Dathan and Abiram sat quietly by and said nothing. This was not their territory. They were scheming something much more revolutionary. But that could await the recognition by Israel of their allies as members of the sacred priesthood. The fact that they were the real final danger comes out in that in the event it was to be their wider families who were all destroyed. In the case of Korah and his Levites it was only the men themselves.

At this point Moses clearly sought a break in order to consult Yahweh, and he fell on his face before Him and sought His will (Numbers 16:4). Yahweh then instructed him on what to do and he acted accordingly. So they wanted to break into the priesthood in spite of Yahweh's clear instructions? Well, they would not be denied their opportunity, as long as they were prepared to face the consequences.

So Moses called in Korah and his band of Levites (the 250) and instructed them that if they wished to put in a claim to be priests they should come the next day, each with a censer in his hand, and burn incense before Yahweh. But he warned them that Yahweh would then demonstrate who was holy and would cause those whom He chose to come near to Him (Numbers 16:5). Then he made a plea to them that if they would only consider the matter, they would recognise that they were already highly favoured. Had not Yahweh separated them from the congregation of Israel for holy service with regard to His Dwellingplace, and allowed them to come nearer to Him than any other tribe in Israel? Did they then really wish to seek the priesthood as well? We may presume that he reminded them of what the instruction that he had received from Yahweh said, and reminded them of what had happened to Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1)

Korah and his band of Levites seem to have gone back to their tents well satisfied. It seemed to them that their scheme was working. They would appear in the morning as he had said, with their censers in their hands. They did not consider the fact which Moses had drawn attention to, that if they saw themselves as being holier' than the ordinary people, how could their side then use ‘equal holiness' as a test of whether they should be involved in the priesthood? Having been given great privilege, and accepted it, they had testified to the fact that some of Yahweh's holy people could be higher in holiness status than others. Thus their action was inconsistent with the status that they accepted.

Having temporarily satisfied Korah and the Levites, Moses then turned his attention to Dathan and Abiram, the Reubenites, who had not been involved in that side of things. They seemingly had different motives. They were not ‘sons of Levi'. They had no ambitions for priesthood. They had rather taken the opportunity of Korah's dispute in order to introduce their own differences and possibly gain power in other ways, and as the aftermath demonstrates, they were gathering a host with a view to a coup. They were after all members of the ‘firstborn' tribe. Thus when, after they returned to their tents after the initial meeting, Moses sent for them so that he could talk further with them, they were in no mood to go. They spurned his orders from then on. No they would not obey him. Who did he think he was? On what grounds did he claim to be a Prince over them? (Numbers 16:13). They would not come up to the Tent of meeting to meet with him. They no longer accepted his authority. After all how did they know that it was not a trick, and that once they arrived they would not be assaulted and blinded? This was a practise of some overlords against rebellious leaders (compare Samson in Judges 16:21; Zedekiah in 2 Kings 25:7). Their reply was an act of open rebellion. It was treason. They were rejecting covenant responsibility and Moses' leadership (which Korah had not done), which was why Moses probably saw them as the most dangerous.

The fact that the Kohathites and the Reubenites were both encamped on the south side of the camp, partly explains how they had got together. But the full possible impact of the rebellion was clear next day from the fact that Korah was able to call together ‘the whole congregation' to gather at the Dwellingplace (Numbers 16:19). It had become a mass movement which to some extent involved the whole of the people, not just a small minority, although Moses does distinguish between their guilt and the guilt of the leaders of the rebellion (Numbers 16:22). But the people had come in order to discover what it was all about, and to find out what the result would be, not necessarily to side with Korah.

So when Korah came with his men and their censers, ready to offer incense to Yahweh before the Tent of meeting, the whole congregation was present to witness the event. All, that is, apart from the rebels (Numbers 16:19 with Numbers 16:34).

All those with censers then put fire in them and put their incense into the censers, and at this point the glory of Yahweh appeared to all. Korah and his men were probably delighted. It would appear to them that Yahweh was accepting their offering! He had not struck them down. But Yahweh then spoke to Moses and Aaron and warned them to get away from the congregation as He intended to destroy them all.

However, Moses pointed out that the congregation had not really done anything wrong, and that only the guilty should be punished, and as a result of their intercession Yahweh, speaking anthropomorphically, backed off. He then instructed him to inform the people that they were to get away from ‘the dwellingplace of Korah, Dathan and Abiram', that is from the area on the south side of the Tent of meeting where they lived. Korah would be in the camp of the Kohathites while Dathan and Abiram were in the camp of Reuben, both on the south side. In other words the congregation were to demonstrate their lack of support for the rebels, by keeping them at a distance and avoiding their tents.

Moses then, clearly at Yahweh's instructions as comes out in what he later said, took the elders, who proved loyal to him, and approached the camp of Reuben (Numbers 16:25). Then he called on the members of the congregation who had gathered there to depart and get as far away as possible from the rebels, and not even touch any of their possessions. It was a declaration that the rebels were unclean in Yahweh's eyes. And the congregation obediently did what he said. Moses would have felt quietly contented. He knew that he was gaining back the control that seemed to have been lost. Then Dathan and Abiram came out to the door of their tents supported in their display of defiance by their wives and children, and at Moses' word the ground opened up and swallowed them. So the rebellion was over.

But only those who ‘appertained to Korah', that is who were involved with him in the rebellion, were consumed. They had committed treason as a solid body and received the punishment for treason. (This in fact possibly included Korah who may have raced ahead to warn them that Moses was coming, although his death is nowhere mentioned here, but see Numbers 26:8 which is the only place which mentions his death. That is, however, also ambiguous). At this the people who had been watching at some distance fled, lest they too be caught up in the catastrophe. And fire also came down from heaven and smote those who were offering incense on their censers It should be noted that the sons of Korah are not said to have been involved in these activities. They in fact were later declared to be alive (Numbers 26:11; Numbers 26:58).

However the mood of the people was such that they were angry at this slaughter of ‘their brothers'. They had not been present at the hostile assembly, nor had they known about the Reubenites' defiance of Moses. What had happened seemed unnecessary and fuelled their already fierce resentment of Moses. So they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. Yahweh had been right about their mood after all.

Things might have become dangerous, but Yahweh struck the people with a plague where they stood, and it was only the intervention of Aaron at Moses' command in making atonement for them through his censer that prevented the whole people being destroyed. The contrast between his burning incense and bringing relief to the people contrasted vividly with those who had died for burning incense in their censers. Aaron's position was firmly established. And that in fact is the main point of the whole narrative.

The significance of Numbers 16:1 to Numbers 17:13 can be looked at from two angles, a). Who has the right to offer incense to Yahweh, and b). Who has the right to enter the Sanctuary? These were the questions that were being mainly dealt with. We race to look at the history. The writer's great concern was the theology.

a). Who Has The Right To Offer Incense Fire Before Yahweh?

This is evidenced by the rebellion of the Levite Korah and the Reubenites Dathan and Abiram, and its aftermath (Numbers 16)). It is divided into two sections:

i). The Competition between Aaron and Korah and his band of Levites (Numbers 16:1).

a Korah and his co-conspirators dispute the positions of Moses and Aaron as those uniquely approved of Yahweh (Numbers 16:1).

b The Challenge of the Censers, to burn incense before Yahweh (Numbers 16:4).

c Moses Charge against Korah and his band of Levites that they seek to go beyond their status over against Aaron (Numbers 16:8).

d Korah's Reubenite followers refuse to respond to Moses' plea to them (Numbers 16:12).

d Moses prays that Yahweh will refute them (Numbers 16:15).

c Moses calls on Korah and his band of Levites to respond to his challenge and test their status in contrast with Aaron (Numbers 16:16).

b All carry out the Challenge of the Censers and burn incense at the door of the Tent of meeting and in the presence of the gathered congregation (Numbers 16:18).

a Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the congregation of Israel as those uniquely approved of Yahweh (Numbers 16:20).

ii). God's Judgment on Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and on the People (Numbers 16:22).

a Moses prays that Yahweh will spare the congregation of Israel (Numbers 16:22)

b Yahweh commands the people to depart from Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Numbers 16:23)

c The Pit swallows up the Reubenite followers of Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Numbers 16:28).

d Fire consumes the offerers of the incense (Numbers 16:35).

d The metal of the false censers of those sinners to be used to cover the altar (Numbers 16:36).

c The congregation blame Moses and Aaron for the pit of death (Numbers 16:41)

b Yahweh's threat against the people (Numbers 16:44)

a At Moses' word Aaron stays the plague from the people by offering incense on his censer (Numbers 16:46)