Korah’s Rebellion

In short

Korah leads hundreds of Israel’s leaders in a challenge to Moses’ authority.

Why it is important

It’s a foreshadow of the rebelliousness of Israel as a whole, for the rest of their history.

Main characters

• Korah, a Levite
• Dathan and Abiram, brothers in cahoots with Korah
• Moses and Aaron

What is in this story

1. Korah, Dathan and Abiram incite 250 (250!) of the leaders of Israel to challenge Moses (vs. 1-2)
2. They say Moses is not needed because EVERYONE “is holy” (v. 3)
3. Moses issues a challenge (vs. 5-7)
4. Moses rebukes the men for being so ungrateful when they, as Levites, are sanctified unto God with the honor of serving in the tabernacle (vs. 8-10)
5. He says that this is an insult to the LORD himself (v. 11)
6. The two others – Dathan and Abiram – chew out Moses because they are still not in Canaan (vs. 12-14)
7. The challenge is on (vs. 16-19)
8. The LORD speaks to Moses and Aaron and they beg Him to not destroy all of Israel (vs. 20-22)
9. Moses says, to Israel, You *might* want to step away from these three men, if you want to live (vs. 25-27)
10. As proof of Moses’ rightful place, the ground opens up and swallows Korah and his family (vs. 28-33), also, the LORD sends fire to kill the 250 leaders (v. 35)
11. THE NEXT DAY, Israel complains to Moses and Aaron that THEY killed all of these “people of the LORD” (v. 41)
12. The LORD sends an unnamed plague on the people, but Moses tells Aaron to offer incense to intervene (vs. 44-47)
13. The LORD stops, but had already killed over 14,000 people before Aaron intervened (vs. 48-49).

Things that are not so well-known

• Verse 3 – Korah’s group says, “You have gone too far!; Verse 7 – same words but from Moses to Korah
• Verse 28 – Moses does the will of Him who sent me
• Verses 37-40 – The LORD says his fire has purified the bronze censers, so they were turned into a covering for the altar.

The sons of Korah

In a census of the Israelites ten chapters later, we read a summary of the Korah story with this added note, “But the sons of Korah did not die” (Num 26:11).

Eleven of the Psalms are attributed to “the sons of Korah.”

Could it be a different Korah? Maybe. But the temple servants were Levites and Korah was a Levite. Also, the phrase “Korahites” is mentioned in Ex 6:54 and Num 26:58 and continues to 1Ch 9:19 and 2Ch 20:19, describing men in service to the LORD.

If it is the same clan – and everything really, really points in that direction – then it is a pretty fascinating turn of events that God spared this family, seemingly with the foreknowledge that they would become a key part of Israel’s (good) history.

Or it’s just a coincidence.

Theology and doctrine

What did Korah and those men do wrong? What they claimed is a pretty popular thought these days, that we are all equal in the sight of God.

It’s not until verse 40 that we get an explanation: “no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the LORD said to him through Moses” (Num 16:40).

Aaron’s descendants are Levites. Korah was a Levite, but Korah is not descended from Aaron. That means he was not allowed to do priestly things. The end.