The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 221

verse : C,i;IP, here, and M'7V, before. The guilty. It is possible enough that behind ·former seems to be used in the more solemn him was a considerable body of public sense, but they are for the most part indis- opinion among the Levites more or less tinguishable, and certainly cannot b~ assigned decidedly supporting him; bnt there is no to different authors. need to impute any general disloyalty to Ver. 5.-Re apake unto Xorah. That them. Korah was the mainspring of the conspiracy Ver. 9. -Seemeth it a. small thing to you. is evident (cf. ver. 22; eh. JUvii. 3 ; Jude Rather, "is it too little for you." c~,;i 11 b.). It may well be tha.t his position aa 0)!'tlJ· a prominent Levite a.nd a relation of Moses gave him great influence with men of other Yer. 11.-Jl'or which ea.use both t.hou and. tribes, and ea.rned him a great na.me for dis- &11 thy company are gathereil together. It interestedness and liberality in advocating does not follow that Korab was seeking an the rights of all Israel, and in denouncing exclusive dignity for himself, or for his tribe. the exclusive claims and privileges by which His "company" apparently inclnded repre· he himself (as a Levite) was benefited. It sentative men from all the tribes, or at least is often assumed that Korab was secretly from many (see on ver. 2). They were seek- aiming at the high-priesthood, but of this, ing the priesthood because they affirmed it ago.in, there is not a shadow of proof ; his to be the common possession of all Israelites. .error was great enough, and his punishment .Against the Lord. It was in his name that ·sore enough, without casting upon him these they appeared, and. to eome extent no doubt :unfounded accusations. It would be more in sincerely; but since they appeared to dispute accordance with huma.n nature if we supposed an ordinance actually a.nd historically ma.de that Korab was in his way sincere ; that he by God himself, it was indeed against bim had really convinced himself, by dint of try- that they were gathered. And wb.at iB Aaron, ing to convince others, that Moses and Aaron that ye mll1'111Ul' ageJ.nst him 1 The con- were usurpers ; that he began his agitation struction is broken, as so often when we without thought of advantage of himself; have the ~~- wrba of Moses, whose that, having gained a considerable following meekness did not enable him to speak calmly and much popular applause, the pride of under provocation. The sentence runs, "For leadership and the excitement of conflict which cause thon and all thy company who le~ him on to the last extre~ity.. The Lord are gathered against the Lord,-and Aa.ron, will show who are his. \')-ift'N-n~, the who is he, that ye mnnnur against him 1" It was easy to represent the position of Aal'ou meaning of which is defined by th; foll~wing in an invidious light, as though they were words, "whom he bath chosen." Moses re- assailing some personal sacerdotal preten- fers the matter to the direct di:cision of the sions; but in truth he was only a poor Lord ; as that decision had originated the servant of God doing what he W'3 bid. eepara.te position of Aaron, that should also .vindicate it. Ver. 12.-And Moses sent to call Dathan Ver. 6. - Take you censers. n\.r-1n0 and Abira.m. The part l'Mlly taken by these men in the agitation is very obscure. They Septuagint, 'll'llpiia.. Translated "fire-pa.~;, were not of the two hundred a.nd fifty, nor in Exod. JUvii. 3. From the number re- were they with fllem when they gathered quired, they must have been either household together against Moses IUld Aaron-perhaps utensils used for carrying fire, or else they because they took no interest in ecclesiastical must have been made in some simple fashion matters, and only resented the seculo.r for the occasion. The offering of incense domination of Moses. Neither can we tell was proposed by Moses as a. test because it why Moses sent for them at this juncture, was o. typico.lly priestly function to which unless he suspected them of being in league the grave~t importance was attached (Levit. with Korab (see below on ver. 24). We will x. 1 ; XVl. 12, 13), o.nd because it was so not co111e up, i. e. to the tabernacle, ns being very simply executed. Ver. 7.-Ye take too mttoh upon you, ye spiritually the culminating point of the camp. aons of Levi c;i~·::n., as in vcr. 3. The Ver. 13.-Ia it a small th.i.nr, Rather. exact meaning of this tu quoqtUl is not "is it too little," as in ver. 9. A land that apparent. Perhaps he would say that if he 11.owetb. with milk and b.oney. A description and Aaron were usurpers, the whole tribe of npplyinli\ by right to the land of promiso Levi were usurpers too. (Exod. 1il. 8 ; eh. xiii. 27), which they in Ver. 8. - Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi. their stuJied insolence applied to Egypt. No son of Lovi is mentioned in the mmative Except thou make thyaelf altogether a except Kora.h, and this address itself passes prince over us. Literally, "that ('.';)) thou into the second person aingulo.r(vers.1O, 11), altogether lord it over us." The expressiou u though Korah alone were per30no.lly is strengthened ill the original by the re-  202 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [CH, XVI, 1-40.