Numbers 16:1
in Numbers 16Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
KJV
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:
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This verse in Numbers 16
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Amram and Izhar were brothers (compare Exo 6:18), and thus Korah, the “son,” i. e. descendant of Izhar, was connected by distant cousinship with Moses and Aaron. Though being a Kohathite, he was of that division of the Levites which had the most honorable charge, yet as Elizaphan, who had been made “chief of the families of the Kohathites” Num 3:30, belonged to the youngest branch descended from Uzziel Num 3:27, Korah probably regarded himself as injured; and therefore took the lead in this rebellion. Of the others, On is not again mentioned. He probably withdrew from the conspiracy.
This site's exposition
Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath
on Numbers 16:1-2
Korah is a Kohathite and Dathan and Abiram are Reubenites, and the two families camped on the same side of the tabernacle, Kohath at 3:29 and Reuben at 2:10, which Matthew Henry reads as how the one drew in the other. Albert Barnes finds the grievance in 3:30, where Elizaphan of the youngest Kohathite branch was made chief over the families of Kohath. The two hundred and fifty who rise with them are called men of renown, a phrase the King James Old Testament uses in one other place, Genesis 6:4.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Kohathites encamped on the same side of the tabernacle that the Reubenites did, which perhaps gave Korah an opportunity of drawing them in, whence the Jews say, Woe to the wicked man, and woe to his neighbour, who is in danger of being infected by him.
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
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 Num 26:3, and Jud 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, etc. This makes a very regular and consistent sense, and spares all the learned labor 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.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
“This section is explained in a beautiful way in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma. 1 The Rabbis of the Talmud composed two great exegetical commentaries on the Bible, whose aim was to spread moral, ethical and religious teachings, as they are derived from a study of the Scriptures.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקַּ֣ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| קֹ֔רַח | korach | Korah | H7141 → | 26 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִצְהָ֥ר | yitzhar | Izhar | H3324 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| קְהָ֖ת | kehat | Kohath | H6955 → | 32 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| לֵוִ֑י | levi | Levi | H3881 → | 291 times |
| וְדָתָ֨ן | vedatan | and Dathan | H1885 → | 10 times |
| וַאֲבִירָ֜ם | vaaviram | and Abiram | H48 → | 11 times |
| בְּנֵ֧י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אֱלִיאָ֛ב | ʾeliav | Eliab | H446 → | 21 times |
| וְא֥וֹן | veon | and On | H203 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| פֶּ֖לֶת | pelet | Peleth | H6431 → | |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| רְאוּבֵֽן׃ | reuven | Reuben | H7205 → | 72 times |
וַיִּקַּ֣חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
קֹ֔רַחKorah
korachH7141 →26 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
יִצְהָ֥רIzhar
yitzharH3324 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
קְהָ֖תKohath
kehatH6955 →32 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
לֵוִ֑יLevi
leviH3881 →291 times
וְדָתָ֨ןand Dathan
vedatanH1885 →10 times
וַאֲבִירָ֜םand Abiram
vaaviramH48 →11 times
בְּנֵ֧י[the] sons of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
אֱלִיאָ֛בEliab
ʾeliavH446 →21 times
וְא֥וֹןand On
veonH203 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
פֶּ֖לֶתPeleth
peletH6431 →
בְּנֵ֥י[the] sons of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
רְאוּבֵֽן׃Reuben
reuvenH7205 →72 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jude 1:11Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.
it leads to
- 2 Peter 2:15
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
- Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food…
- 1 John 3:12
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
- Genesis 4:3–14
So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD,
- Hebrews 11:4
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he…
- 2 Peter 2:15
Through
Deuteronomy 11:6and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents,…
it leads to
- Numbers 26:9–10
and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the congregation, who fought against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah who rebelled against the…
- Psalms 106:17
The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.
- Numbers 16:1–35
Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted
- Numbers 26:9–10
Where this verse is studied
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Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.