Numbers 16:27-37

27 And when they had gone away from their tents by compass, Dathan and Abiram went out, and stood in the entry of their tents, with their wives, and their free children, and with all the multitude. (And when they had gone away from their tents all around, Dathan and Abiram went out, and stood at the entrance to their tents, with their wives, and their children, and with all their multitude.)
28 And Moses said, In this ye shall know that the Lord sent me, that I should do all things which ye see, and that I brought them not forth of mine own heart. (And Moses said, By this ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me, to do all these things which ye see, and that I did not bring them forth from my own heart.)
29 If they perish by customable death of men, and wound, either pestilence, visit them, by which also other men be wont to be visited, the Lord sent not me; (If these men die by the customary deaths of people, or if a wound, or a pestilence, visit them, by which other people be wont to be visited, then the Lord did not send me;)
30 but if the Lord doeth a new thing, that the earth open his mouth, and swallow them, and all things that pertain to them, and they go down quick into hell, ye shall know that they blasphemed the Lord. (but if the Lord doeth a new thing, yea, and the earth open its mouth, and swallow them, and all things that pertain to them, and they go down alive into hell, or to Sheol, then ye shall know that they blasphemed against the Lord.)
31 Therefore anon as he ceased to speak, the earth was broken under their feet, (And so as soon as he ceased to speak, the ground broke up under their feet,)
32 and the earth opened his mouth, and devoured them, with their tabernacles, and all their chattel; (and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them, and their tents, and all their possessions;)
33 and they went down quick, into hell, and were covered with earth, and they perished from the midst of the multitude. (and they went down alive into hell, or to Sheol, and then they were covered with earth, and so they perished from the midst of the multitude.)
34 And soothly all Israel that stood about, fled from the cry of men perishing, and said, Lest peradventure the earth swallow also us. (And all the Israelites who stood about, fled from the cry of the people as they perished, saying, Lest the earth swallow us as well.)
35 But also fire went out from the Lord, and killed (the) twain hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
36 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
37 Command thou to Eleazar, the son of Aaron, [the] priest, that he take, or gather up, the censers that lie in the burning, and that he scatter the fire hither and thither; for those censers be hallowed (for those censers be holy),

Numbers 16:27-37 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 16

This chapter gives an account of a sedition of Korah and others against Moses and Aaron, Nu 16:1-4, with whom Moses expostulates, and shows the unreasonableness of their clamour against Aaron, Nu 16:5-11; sends for Dathan and Abiram, who were in the confederacy, but refused to come, which greatly angered Moses, Nu 16:12-15; orders Korah and his company to appear before the Lord the next day, with Aaron, to have the controversy decided, Nu 16:16-18; when all the congregation gathered together would have been, consumed had it not been for the intercession of Moses and Aaron, Nu 16:19-22; and who, being separated from the rebels by the command of the Lord, some of the rebels were swallowed up in the earth, and others destroyed by fire from heaven, Nu 16:23-35; and their censers were made a covering for the altar, as a memorial of their sin, Nu 16:36-40; on which there was a new insurrection of the people, which brought a plague upon them, and destroyed 14,700 persons, and which was stopped at the intercession of Aaron, Nu 16:41-50.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.