Numbers 16:1

Rebellion Against Moses and Aaron

1 Now ^aKorah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with ^bDathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men;

2 and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, ^arepresentatives of the congregation, men of renown.

3 ^aThey gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You¹ take too much upon yourselves, for ^ball the congregation is holy, every one of them, ^cand the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

4 So when Moses heard it, he ^afell on his face;

5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is ^aHis and who is ^bholy, and will cause him to ^ccome near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him.

6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company;

7 put fire in them and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the Lord chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!”

8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:

9 Is it ^aa small thing to you that the God of Israel has ^bseparated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them;

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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Numbers 16:2 >>

What Does Numbers 16:1 Mean?

Korah and his followers accuse Moses of self-appointment, claiming they are just as good as he is and demanding, "You take too much upon yourself." Yet the real issue is respect for God through the office to which He appointed Moses. This resembles all the leading men of a worldwide church confronting its leader and demanding he submit to their terms. God judged each person individually, sparing Joshua and Caleb. This carries serious ramifications for those going along with an evil report today, who may be unaware of their personal responsibility recorded in this book of judgments. The judgment fell against the ministry and those sympathizing in the attack against Moses, an attack God regarded as directed against Himself.

Numbers 16:1-3

They are accusing Moses of appointing himself. "You take too much upon yourself. We're just as good as you." Yet, that is not the issue. The issue is respect for God through the office He had appointed the man to.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Unity (Part 2): God's Pattern of Leadership

Numbers 16:1-2

This would be similar to all the leading men of a worldwide church marching up to the person in charge of that church, and demanding that he kowtow to their terms.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Countering Presumptuousness

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Numbers 16:1:

Jude 1:6

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Numbers 16:2 >>

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Rebellion Against Moses and Aaron

What Does Numbers 16:1 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
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