Parashah 38: Korach ·Korach [Bald one, Frost]· 16:1-18:32
16
1 Now Korach [Bald one, Frost], the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi [United with], with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben [See, a son!], took some men. 2 They rose up before Moses [Drawn out], with some of the children of Israel [God prevails], two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown. 3 They assembled themselves together against Moses [Drawn out] and against Aaron [Light-bringer], and said to them, “You take too much on yourself, since all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and Adonai is among them! Why do you lift yourselves up above Adonai’s assembly?”
4 When Moses [Drawn out] sh'ma ·heard obeyed· it, he fell on his face. 5 He said to Korach [Bald one, Frost] and to all his company, “In the morning, Adonai will show who are his, * and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him. Even him whom he shall choose, he will cause to come near to him. 6 Do this: take censers, Korach [Bald one, Frost], and all his company; 7 and put fire in them, and put incense on them before Adonai tomorrow. It shall be that the man whom Adonai chooses, he shall be holy. You have gone too far, you sons of Levi [United with]!”
8 Moses [Drawn out] said to Korach [Bald one, Frost], “Sh'ma ·Hear obey· now, you sons of Levi [United with]! 9 Is it a small thing to you, that the God of Israel [God prevails] has separated you from the congregation of Israel [God prevails], to bring you near to himself, to do the service of Adonai’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; 10 and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi [United with] with you? Do you seek the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against Adonai! What is Aaron [Light-bringer] that you murmur against him?”
12 Moses [Drawn out] sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, “We won’t come up! 13 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 wilderness, but you must also make yourself a prince over us? (2) 14 Moreover you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We won’t come up.”
15 Moses [Drawn out] was very angry, and said to Adonai, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them.”
16 Moses [Drawn out] said to Korach [Bald one, Frost], “You and all your company go before Adonai, you, and they, and Aaron [Light-bringer], tomorrow. 17 Each man take his censer, and put incense on them, and each man bring before Adonai his censer, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aaron [Light-bringer], each his censer.”
18 They each took his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses [Drawn out] and Aaron [Light-bringer]. 19 Korach [Bald one, Frost] assembled all the congregation opposite them to the door of the Tent of Meeting.
The kavod Yahweh ·weighty glory of He sustains breathing· appeared to all the congregation. (3) 20 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out] and to Aaron [Light-bringer], saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!”
22 They fell on their faces, and said, “God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin ·err (from the standard goal)·, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”
23 Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from around the tent of Korach [Bald one, Frost], Dathan, and Abiram!’ ”
25 Moses [Drawn out] rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel [God prevails] followed him. 26 He spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked † men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their habitual sins ·missing the marks·!”
27 So they went away from the tent of Korach [Bald one, Frost], Dathan, and Abiram, on every side. Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.
28 Moses [Drawn out] said, “By this you shall know that Adonai has sent me to do all these works; for they are not from my own mind. 29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they experience what all men experience, then Adonai has not sent me. 30 But if Adonai makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up, with all that belong to them, and they go down alive into Sheol ·Place of the dead·; then you shall understand that these men have despised Adonai.”
31 As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, all of Korach [Bald one, Frost]’s men, and all their goods. 33 So they, and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol ·Place of the dead·. The earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34 All Israel [God prevails] that were around them fled at their cry; for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” 35 Fire came out from Adonai, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense.
36 ‡Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 37 “Speak to Eleazar [Help of God] the son of Aaron [Light-bringer] the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire away from the camp; for they are holy, 38 even the censers of these people who sin ·intentionally miss the mark goal· against their own lives. Let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar, for they offered them before Adonai. Therefore they are holy. They shall be a sign to the children of Israel [God prevails].”
39 Eleazar [Help of God] the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar, 40 to be a memorial to the children of Israel [God prevails], to the end that no stranger, who is not of the offspring of Aaron [Light-bringer], would come near to burn incense before Adonai, that he be not as Korach [Bald one, Frost], § and as his company; as Adonai spoke to him by Moses [Drawn out].
41 But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel [God prevails] murmured against Moses [Drawn out] and against Aaron [Light-bringer], saying, “You have killed Adonai’s people!”
42 When the congregation was assembled against Moses [Drawn out] and against Aaron [Light-bringer], They looked toward the Tent of Meeting. Behold, the cloud covered it, and the kavod Yahweh ·weighty glory of He sustains breathing· appeared. 43 Moses [Drawn out] and Aaron [Light-bringer] came to the front of the Tent of Meeting. (4) 44 *Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], saying, 45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!” They fell on their faces.
46 Moses [Drawn out] said to Aaron [Light-bringer], “Take your censer, and put fire from off the altar in it, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from Adonai! The plague has begun.”
47 Aaron [Light-bringer] did as Moses [Drawn out] said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. Behold, the plague has begun among the people. He put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. 49 Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korach [Bald one, Frost]. 50 Aaron [Light-bringer] teshuvah ·completely returned· to Moses [Drawn out] to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague was stopped.
* 16:5 . Paraphrase Quoted in 2 Tim 2:19 † 16:26 . Paraphrase Quoted in 2 Tim 2:19 ‡ 16:36 Hebrew ch 17 v. 1 § 16:40 . Quoted in Jude 1:11 (see also context Num 16:21-24) * 16:44 Hebrew ch 17 v. 9