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We are not told at what particularperiod of the wanderings of Israel this event had
occurred. It is apparently inserted as an instanceand illustration, immediately after the
warning against" presumptuous sins" (literally, "sins with a handuplifted," viz.,
against Jehovah). These sins in open contempt of God's word involved the
punishmentof being "cut off" from the people of the Lord.
Nor have we any precise date by which to fix the other and far more serious instance
of rebellion onthe part of Korah and of his associates, (Numbers 16) in which
afterwards the people, as a whole,were implicated. (Numbers 16:41-50) There is,
however, reason to suppose that it occurred at anearly period of "the wanderings" -
perhaps, as already suggested, at Rimmon-parez. The leaders ofthis rebellion were
Korah, a Levite -descendant of Izhar, the brother of Amram, (Exodus 6:18)
andtherefore a near relative of Aaron - and three Reubenites, Dathan, Abiram, and On.
But as the latteris not further mentioned, we may suppose that he early withdrew from
the conspiracy. These mengained over to their side no fewer than two hundred and
fifty princes from among the other tribes, all of them members of the national
representative council, and "men of renown," or, as we shouldexpress ilk well-known
leading men. Thus the movement assumed very large proportions, andevidenced wide-
spread disaffection and dissatisfaction.
The motives of this conspiracy seem plain enough. They were simply jealous and
disappointedambition, though the rebels assumed the language of a higher spirituality.
As descended from abrother of Aaron, Korah disliked, and perhaps coveted, what
seemed to him the supremacy ofAaron, for which he could see no valid reason. He had
also a special grievance of his own. True, hewas one of that family of the Kohathites
to whom the chief Levitical charge in the sanctuary had beencommitted; but then the
Kohathites numbered four families, (Numbers 3:27) and the leadership ofthe whole
was entrusted not to any of the older branches, but to the youngest, the
Uzzielites(Numbers 3:30). Was there not manifest wrong and injustice in this,
probably affecting Korahpersonally? It speaks well for the Levites as a whole, that,
notwithstanding all this, Korah was unableto inveigle any of them in his conspiracy.
But close to the tents of the Kohathites and of Korah wasthe encampment of the tribe
of Reuben, who held command of the division on the south side of thecamp. Possibly
- and indeed the narrative of their punishment seems to imply this - the tent of
Korahand those of the Reubenitic princes, Dathan, Abiram, and On, were contiguous.
And Reuben alsohad a grievance; for was not Reuben Jacob's first-born, who should
therefore have held theleadership among the tribes? It was not difficult to kindle the
flame of jealousy in an Eastern breast.What claim or right had Moses, or rather the
tribe of Levi whom he represented, to supremacy inIsrael? Assuredly this was a
grievous wrong and an intolerable usurpation, primarily as it affectedReuben, and
secondarily all the other tribes. This explains the ready participation of so many of
theprinces in the conspiracy, the expostulation of Moses with Korah (16:8-11), and his
(^)