Numbers 16:5-19

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:13

Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey ?.... Meaning Egypt, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it; which, though a plentiful country, never had, nor deserved to have this epithet given it, which is peculiar to the land of Canaan, and is here given, in opposition to the description of that land, which the Lord himself had so described; and argues great impudence and want of reverence of the divine Being, as well as great ingratitude... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:14

Moreover, thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey ,.... Meaning the land of Canaan; but this was no fault of Moses, he had brought them to the borders of it, he had bid them go up and possess it; but they refused, and chose to have spies first sent into it, who brought an ill report of it, which they listened to, and had so provoked the Lord thereby, that he ordered them to turn back, and threatened them with a consumption of them in the wilderness; or... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:15

And Moses was very wroth ,.... Or "it heated Moses exceedingly" F16 ויחר למשה מאד "et excanduit Mosi valde", Drusius. ; made him very angry, caused him to burn with wrath against them; even the speech they made, the words they uttered, not so much on account of their ill usage of him, as for the dishonour cast upon the Lord: and said unto the Lord, respect not thou their offering ; their "Minchah", the word is commonly used for the meat or bread offering. Aben Ezra observes,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:16

And Moses said unto Korah ,.... Who was still with him, when the messenger returned from Dathan and Abiram, and who heard what Moses said in his own defence: be thou and all thy company before the Lord ; at the tabernacle, at the door of it; the Targum of Jonathan is, at the house of judgment, the court of judicature, where this affair was to be tried, and that was at the tabernacle, as appears by what follows: thou, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow ; the day after Moses had sent to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:17

And take every man his censer, and put incense therein ,.... Which they were to bring with them the next day from their own tents; and these might be censers which they had in their several families, and which they had used in them before the order of priesthood was set up in Aaron's family, and limited to that; or they might be a sort of chafing dishes, or vessels like censers, and would serve the present purpose; they were ordered to put fire into them, that was to be taken from the altar... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:18

And they took every man his censer, and that fire in them ,.... That is, they came the next morning, according to order, prepared with their censers and incense; and they took fire from off the altar of burnt offering, which stood in the court of the tabernacle: and laid incense thereon : upon the fire in their censers, and so burned it: and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation ; not in the holy place, where the altar of incense was, for that would not hold them;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:19

And Korah gathered all the congregation against them ,.... Not his own company only, but as many of the whole congregation of Israel as he could get together, and especially the principal men; so that it seems there was a, general prevailing inclination in the people to take part with him against Moses and Aaron, who wished him success in his undertaking, and readily came together to animate and encourage him in it, and to see the issue of it. Jarchi suggests, that all night he was going to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Numbers 16:5

The Lord will show who are his - It is supposed that St. Paul refers to this place, 2 Timothy 2:19 ; : The foundation of God - the whole sacrificial system, referring to Christ Jesus, the foundation of the salvation of men; standeth sure, notwithstanding the rebellions, intrusions, and false doctrines of men; having this seal - this stamp of its Divine authenticity, The Lord knoweth them that are his; εγνω Κυριος τους οντας αυτου , a literal translation of לו אשר את יהוה וידע veyoda... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Numbers 16:15

Respect not thou their offering - There was no danger of this: they wished to set up a priesthood and a sacrificial system of their own; and God never has blessed, and never can bless, any scheme of salvation which is not of his own appointment. Man is ever supposing that he can mend his Maker's work, or that he can make one of his own that will do in its place. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Numbers 16:5

Verse 5 5.And he spoke unto Korah. Moses did not inconsiderately choose this mode of divination, but by the dictation of the Spirit maintained the priesthood of his brother by this token and testimony; for we know how, in matters of doubt and obscurity, he was accustomed to inquire what God’s pleasure was. He did not, therefore, at this time make this proposal hastily and at random, but by the inspiration of the Spirit had recourse to the sure judgment of God. The effect of his prayer was that... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:14

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:15

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:17

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:18

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 16:19

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Numbers 16:5

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Numbers 16:15

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Numbers 16:5

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