Numbers 16:1

CHAPTER XVI

The rebellion of Korah and his company against Moses, 1-3.

He directs them how to try, in the course of the next day, whom

God had called to the priesthood, 4-11.

Dathan and Abiram use the most seditious speeches, 12-14.

Moses is wroth, 15;

and orders Korah and his company to be ready on the morrow with

their censers and incense, 16-18.

Korah gathers his company together, 19.

The glory of the Lord appears, and he threatens to consume them,

20, 21.

Moses and Aaron intercede for them, 22.

The people are commanded to leave the tents of the rebels, 23-26.

They obey, and Korah and his company come out and stand before

the door of their tents, 27.

Moses in a solemn address puts the contention to issue, 28-30.

As soon as he had done speaking, the earth clave and swallowed

them, and all that appertained to them, 31-34;

and the 250 men who offered incense are consumed by fire, 35.

The Lord commands Eleazar to preserve the censers, because they

were hallowed, 36-38.

Eleazar makes of them a covering for the altar, 39, 40.

The next day the people murmur anew, the glory of the Lord

appears, and Moses and Aaron go to the tabernacle, 41-43.

They are commanded to separate themselves from the congregation,

44, 45.

Moses, perceiving that God had sent a plague among them, directs

Aaron to hasten and make an atonement, 46.

Aaron does so, and the plague is stayed, 47, 48.

The number of those who died by the plague, 14,700 men, 49, 50.

NOTES ON CHAP. XVI

Verse Numbers 16:1. 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 Numbers 26:3, and Jude 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, c. This makes a very regular and consistent sense, and spares all the learned labour 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.