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Selected Verse: Numbers 16:6 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Nu 16:6	Strong Concordance	This do [06213]; Take [03947] you censers [04289], Korah [07141], and all his company [05712];
	King James	This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Take your censers, Korah, and all his company, &c.--that is, since you aspire to the priesthood, then go, perform the highest function of the office--that of offering incense; and if you are accepted well. How magnanimous the conduct of Moses, who was now as willing that God's people should be priests, as formerly that they should be prophets (Num 11:29). But he warned them that they were making a perilous experiment.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Take your censers, Korah, and all his company, &c.--that is, since you aspire to the priesthood, then go, perform the highest function of the office--that of offering incense; and if you are accepted well. How magnanimous the conduct of Moses, who was now as willing that God's people should be priests, as formerly that they should be prophets (Num 11:29). But he warned them that they were making a perilous experiment.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
To leave the decision of this to the Lord, Korah and his company, who laid claim to this prerogative, were to take censers, and bring lighted incense before Jehovah. He whom the Lord should choose was to be the sanctified one. This was to satisfy them. With the expression רב־לכם in Num 16:7, Moses gives the rebels back their own words in Num 16:3. The divine decision was connected with the offering of incense, because this was the holiest function of the priestly service, which brought the priest into the immediate presence of God, and in connection with which Jehovah had already shown to the whole congregation how He sanctified Himself, by a penal judgment on those who took this office upon themselves without a divine call (Lev 10:1-3). Num 16:8. He then set before them the wickedness of their enterprise, to lead them to search themselves, and avert the judgment which threatened them. In doing this, he made a distinction between Korah the Levite, and Dathan and Abiram the Reubenites, according to the difference in the motives which prompted their rebellion, and the claims which they asserted. He first of all (Num 16:8-11) reminded Korah the Levite of the way in which God had distinguished his tribe, by separating the Levites from the rest of the congregation, to attend to the service of the sanctuary (Num 3:5., Num 8:6.), and asked him, "Is this too little for you? The God of Israel (this epithet is used emphatically for Jehovah) has brought thee near to Himself, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee, and ye strive after the priesthood also. Therefore...thou and thy company, who have leagued themselves against Jehovah:...and Aaron, what is he, that he murmur against him?" These last words, as an expression of wrath, are elliptical, or rather an aposiopesis, and are to be filled up in the following manner: "Therefore,...as Jehovah has distinguished you in this manner,...what do ye want? Ye rebel against Jehovah! why do ye murmur against Aaron? He has not seized upon the priesthood of his own accord, but Jehovah has called him to it, and he is only a feeble servant of God" (cf. Exo 16:7). Moses then (Num 16:12-14) sent for Dathan and Abiram, who, as is tacitly assumed, had gone back to their tents during the warning given to Korah. But they replied, "We shall not come up." עלה, to go up, is used either with reference to the tabernacle, as being in a spiritual sense the culminating point of the entire camp, or with reference to appearance before Moses, the head and ruler of the nation. "Is it too little that thou hast brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey (they apply this expression in bitter irony to Egypt), to kill us in the wilderness (deliver us up to death), that thou wilt be always playing the lord over us?" The idea of continuance, which is implied in the inf. abs., השׂתּרר, from שׂרר, to exalt one's self as ruler (Ges. 131, 36), is here still further intensified by גּם. "Moreover, thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us fields and vineyards for an inheritance (i.e., thou hast not kept thy promise, Exo 4:30 compared with Num 3:7.). Wilt thou put out the eyes of these people?" i.e., wilt thou blind them as to thy doings and designs?

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

To leave the decision of this to the Lord, Korah and his company, who laid claim to this prerogative, were to take censers, and bring lighted incense before Jehovah. He whom the Lord should choose was to be the sanctified one. This was to satisfy them. With the expression רב־לכם in Num 16:7, Moses gives the rebels back their own words in Num 16:3. The divine decision was connected with the offering of incense, because this was the holiest function of the priestly service, which brought the priest into the immediate presence of God, and in connection with which Jehovah had already shown to the whole congregation how He sanctified Himself, by a penal judgment on those who took this office upon themselves without a divine call (Lev 10:1-3). Num 16:8. He then set before them the wickedness of their enterprise, to lead them to search themselves, and avert the judgment which threatened them. In doing this, he made a distinction between Korah the Levite, and Dathan and Abiram the Reubenites, according to the difference in the motives which prompted their rebellion, and the claims which they asserted. He first of all (Num 16:8-11) reminded Korah the Levite of the way in which God had distinguished his tribe, by separating the Levites from the rest of the congregation, to attend to the service of the sanctuary (Num 3:5., Num 8:6.), and asked him, "Is this too little for you? The God of Israel (this epithet is used emphatically for Jehovah) has brought thee near to Himself, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee, and ye strive after the priesthood also. Therefore...thou and thy company, who have leagued themselves against Jehovah:...and Aaron, what is he, that he murmur against him?" These last words, as an expression of wrath, are elliptical, or rather an aposiopesis, and are to be filled up in the following manner: "Therefore,...as Jehovah has distinguished you in this manner,...what do ye want? Ye rebel against Jehovah! why do ye murmur against Aaron? He has not seized upon the priesthood of his own accord, but Jehovah has called him to it, and he is only a feeble servant of God" (cf. Exo 16:7). Moses then (Num 16:12-14) sent for Dathan and Abiram, who, as is tacitly assumed, had gone back to their tents during the warning given to Korah. But they replied, "We shall not come up." עלה, to go up, is used either with reference to the tabernacle, as being in a spiritual sense the culminating point of the entire camp, or with reference to appearance before Moses, the head and ruler of the nation. "Is it too little that thou hast brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey (they apply this expression in bitter irony to Egypt), to kill us in the wilderness (deliver us up to death), that thou wilt be always playing the lord over us?" The idea of continuance, which is implied in the inf. abs., השׂתּרר, from שׂרר, to exalt one's self as ruler (Ges. 131, 36), is here still further intensified by גּם. "Moreover, thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us fields and vineyards for an inheritance (i.e., thou hast not kept thy promise, Exo 4:30 compared with Num 3:7.). Wilt thou put out the eyes of these people?" i.e., wilt thou blind them as to thy doings and designs?

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²⁹ And Moses [04872] said [0559] unto him, Enviest [07065] thou for my sake? would God that all the [05414] LORD'S [03068] people [05971] were prophets [05030], and that the LORD [03068] would put [05414] his spirit [07307] upon them!

⁷ And they shall keep [08104] his charge [04931], and the charge [04931] of the whole congregation [05712] before [06440] the tabernacle [0168] of the congregation [04150], to do [05647] the service [05656] of the tabernacle [04908].

³⁰ And Aaron [0175] spake [01696] all the words [01697] which the LORD [03068] had spoken [01696] unto Moses [04872], and did [06213] the signs [0226] in the sight [05869] of the people [05971].

¹² And Moses [04872] sent [07971] to call [07121] Dathan [01885] and Abiram [048], the sons [01121] of Eliab [0446]: which said [0559], We will not come up [05927]:
¹³ Is it a small thing [04592] that [03588] thou hast brought us up [05927] out of a land [0776] that floweth [02100] with milk [02461] and honey [01706], to kill [04191] us in the wilderness [04057], except thou make [08323] thyself altogether [08323] a prince [08323] over us?
¹⁴ Moreover [0637] thou hast not brought [0935] us into a land [0776] that floweth [02100] with milk [02461] and honey [01706], or given [05414] us inheritance [05159] of fields [07704] and vineyards [03754]: wilt thou put out [05365] the eyes [05869] of these men [0582]? we will not come up [05927].

⁷ And in the morning [01242], then ye shall see [07200] the glory [03519] of the LORD [03068]; for that he heareth [08085] your murmurings [08519] against the LORD [03068]: and what are we [05168], that ye murmur [03885] [03885] against us?

⁶ Take [03947] the Levites [03881] from among [08432] the children [01121] of Israel [03478], and cleanse [02891] them.

⁵ And the LORD [03068] spake [01696] unto Moses [04872], saying [0559],

⁸ And Moses [04872] said [0559] unto Korah [07141], Hear [08085], I pray you, ye sons [01121] of Levi [03878]:
⁹ Seemeth it but a small thing [04592] unto you, that the God [0430] of Israel [03478] hath separated [0914] you from the congregation [05712] of Israel [03478], to bring you near [07126] to himself to do [05647] the service [05656] of the tabernacle [04908] of the LORD [03068], and to stand [05975] before [06440] the congregation [05712] to minister [08334] unto them?
¹⁰ And he hath brought thee near [07126] to him, and all thy brethren [0251] the sons [01121] of Levi [03878] with thee: and seek [01245] ye the priesthood [03550] also?
¹¹ For which cause [03651] both thou and all thy company [05712] are gathered together [03259] against the LORD [03068]: and what is Aaron [0175], that ye murmur [03885] [03885] against him?

⁸ And Moses [04872] said [0559] unto Korah [07141], Hear [08085], I pray you, ye sons [01121] of Levi [03878]:

¹ And Nadab [05070] and Abihu [030], the sons [01121] of Aaron [0175], took [03947] either [0376] of them his censer [04289], and put [05414] fire [0784] therein [02004], and put [07760] incense [07004] thereon, and offered [07126] strange [02114] fire [0784] before [06440] the LORD [03068], which he commanded [06680] them not.
² And there went out [03318] fire [0784] from the LORD [03068], and devoured [0398] them, and they died [04191] before [06440] the LORD [03068].
³ Then Moses [04872] said [0559] unto Aaron [0175], This is it that the LORD [03068] spake [01696], saying [0559], I will be sanctified [06942] in them that come nigh [07138] me, and before [06440] all the people [05971] I will be glorified [03513]. And Aaron [0175] held his peace [01826].

³ And they gathered themselves together [06950] against Moses [04872] and against Aaron [0175], and said [0559] unto them, Ye take too much [07227] upon you, seeing all the congregation [05712] are holy [06918], every one of them, and the LORD [03068] is among [08432] them: wherefore then lift ye up [05375] yourselves above the congregation [06951] of the LORD [03068]?

⁷ And put [05414] fire [0784] therein [02004], and put [07760] incense [07004] in them before [06440] the LORD [03068] to morrow [04279]: and it shall be that the man [0376] whom the LORD [03068] doth choose [0977], he shall be holy [06918]: ye take too much [07227] upon you, ye sons [01121] of Levi [03878].