Numbers 16

16:1–17:13 Another rebellion called for a clear delineation of the duties of priests and Levites. This power struggle was a more serious challenge than any of the previous rebellions against God’s authority (ch 11; 12:1-15; 14:1-45). As in all of these historical episodes, the coconspirators protested relatively minor issues and questioned the actions of their leaders, but Moses reminded them that they were really rebelling against God. Once again, the Israelites suffered the deadly consequences of their rebellion.

16:3 The rebels were “jealous of Moses and envious of Aaron” (Ps 106:16). They insisted that Moses and Aaron had gone too far because all Israelites were God’s chosen people (Exod 19:6). Their egalitarian protest against Moses and Aaron’s authority was probably intended to replace that authority with their own.

16:4-7 Moses . . . fell face down on the ground in intercession (cp. 14:5; 16:22), then challenged Korah and his followers to a test.

16:6 prepare your incense burners: Korah and his company were to act like priests by burning incense (as in Lev 16:11-13); God would decide who was legitimate.

16:10 The special ministry of the Levites is described in chs 3–4. The priesthood was the province of Aaron’s descendants (3:1-4). The rebels’ complaint was not with Moses or Aaron, but with the Lord.

16:13 land flowing with milk and honey: This sarcastic allusion to the spies’ earlier description of Canaan (13:27) is a deliberate distortion of life in Egypt (see study note on 11:4-15).

16:14 The Israelites were heading away from their new homeland precisely because they had rebelled against Moses, who had done all he could to take them to that land (chs 13–14). • Are you trying to fool these men? They were accusing Moses and Aaron of trying to mislead the Israelites (to “pull the wool over their eyes”).

16:15 Do not accept their grain offerings! Cp. Ps 109:7; Prov 28:9.

16:16-17 Moses gave final instructions concerning the test to see if the Lord would accept what the rebels brought or what Aaron offered.

16:18-22 At the height of the insurrection, the Lord intervened to save Moses and Aaron, and they interceded for the people.

16:19 The community . . . gathered at the Tabernacle entrance, either to see the test or to overthrow Moses and Aaron.

16:21-26 The Lord threatened to destroy the entire community because of its pervasive sin (cp. Gen 18:16-33). Moses and Aaron interceded to narrow the Lord’s judgment down to those who were guilty of this particular rebellion.

16:26 don’t touch anything that belongs to them: These men and their belongings were now “set apart for destruction” (see Lev 27:28-29; cp. Deut 7:26; 13:17; Josh 6:18; 7:1-26).

16:28-30 Moses had faith that God would enact his own justice, and God did so (16:31-35; cp. 1 Kgs 18:18-40). • into the grave: Sheol was the place of the dead (see 1 Sam 2:6; 2 Sam 22:5-6; Job 3:20-22; Ps 16:10; Acts 2:27-33; 1 Cor 15:15; Rev 20:13-14).

16:31-33 Korah’s sons did not die at this time (26:10-11). In fact, his descendants eventually became gatekeepers and musicians in the Temple (1 Chr 9:19, 31; 26:19; 2 Chr 20:19; cp. the titles of Pss 42; 45–49; 84–85; 87–88).

16:34-35 The 250 Israelite leaders who attempted to offer incense shared the fate of Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1-2) and of those who complained about the hardships of the wilderness (Num 11:1; cp. 2 Kgs 1:10).

16:37 Although the men who used the incense burners were wicked, the vessels themselves were holy and had to be treated with care and respect. The burning coals were also holy and had to be scattered so that they would not be used for any other purpose.

16:38-40 The bronze sheet made by Eleazar to cover the altar replaced or supplemented the one made previously (Exod 38:2). Like the simple blue tassels of Num 15:37-41, it reminded the people of Israel of their need to obey God.

16:41 The Israelites still exhibited the same self-destructive, defiant behavior that had caused all their troubles. Then they blamed Moses and Aaron for what happened.

16:42-48 In reply, the Lord’s glorious presence reappeared and threatened to destroy the people of Israel (cp. 16:19-20). Once again, Moses and Aaron intervened by falling face down on the ground.

16:46-50 Moses and Aaron acted quickly to rescue the Israelites from God’s wrath. In an unusual procedure, Aaron carried an incense burner with burning coals among the people and thus stopped the plague.