The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 219

VINDICATION OF THE AARONIO PRIESTHOOD (CHS XVI., xvn.). EXPOSITION. whole narrative, like the construction of the CHAPTER XVI. opening verses, is very confused, and leaves THE OAINSAYINO OF KORAH (vera.1-40}. on the mind the impression that it hlls been Ver. 1.-Now Xore.h . . took men. M1P altered, not very skilfully, from its original Mil!~l- The word "took" stands alone at the form. The two parts of the tragedy, thnt head of the sentence in the singular number. concerning the company of Koreh, and th11t This does not by itself confine it~ reference concerning the Rcubenites, although mingled to Korab, because it may be taken e.s repeated in the narrative, do not adjust themselves in after ench of the other nnmes ; at the same the mind, and the general effect is obscure. time, the construction suggests that in its It is sufficient to point out here that no one original form Korab a.lone was mentioned, can certainly tell what became of the ring- and that the other names were afterwards leader himself, who wes obviously the head added in order to include them in the same and front of the whole business. Some nre statement, The ellipsis after "took" (if it strenuously of opinion that he wa.s swallowed be one) may be filled up by "men," ea in up alive, others as strenuously that he was the A. V. and in most versions or by consumed with fire; but the simple fo.ct is "counsel," as in the Jerusalem Targum. that his death is not recorded in this chapter The Septuagint has in place of M~! l>.a>.7111,, atn!l, although he is assumed to ho.veperisherl. The obscurity which hangs over this passai::e representing apparently a different reading. cannot be traced to any certain cnuse ; the Some commentators regard it as an anacolu- discrepo.ncies and contmdictions which h11ve thon for" took two hundred and fifty men, .. been discovel'cd in it are clue to miat11ke or e.nd rose uv, with them ; " others, egain, treat misrepresentation ; nor cnn nny evil moti vo the '' took ' as a pleonasm, as iu 2 Sam. xviii. be plo.usibly asai1,'lled for the in terpolntion 18 and elsewhere ; but the chnnge of number (if it be such) of that part of the stol'y which from M~!l to ~~~i'!l makes it difficult; It concerns the Rcubenites. If, fo1· some rcnsoll seems best to say thnt the construction is unknown to us, an original narrative of bl'oken and canuot be s:itisfnctorily explained. Korah's rebellion was enlarged so as to in- Indeed there cnn be no '}Uestion that the clude the simultnueous mutiny of the Reuben-  200 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [en. XVI. 1-40.