52 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron,.... Out of the cloud: saying; as follows.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Separate yourselves, from among this congregation,.... Not only from Korah's company, but from the congregation of the children of Israel, whom Korah had got together, besides the two hundred fifty men that were at first with him; who by their words and behaviour, and particularly by their association and standing along with him, showed them to be...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they fell upon their faces,.... That is, Moses and Aaron, in order to deprecate the wrath of God, and beseech him to avert the threatened judgment; and so the Targum of Jonathan has it, "they bowed themselves in prayer upon their faces;'' and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh; the Maker of all men, as of their bodies, which are...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... When on his face in prayer, and bid him rise up, and told him he had granted his request, and then spoke to him: saying; as follows.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Speak unto the congregation,.... Not to Korah's company, but to the people of Israel, of the several tribes that were assembled together: saying, get ye up from about the tabernacle of Korah, and Dathan, and Abiram; which was either the same with their tents, as in Numbers 16:26; though, as they were of different tribes, Korah of the tribe of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Moses rose up,.... Either from the ground, upon which he fell on his face, or from the seat on which he sat at the door of the tabernacle; though he seems to have stood there; it may be, it only signifies that he obeyed the divine order, and went about it directly, as often in Scripture persons are said to arise, when they go about any thing...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he spake unto the congregation,.... To the people of Israel assembled together on this occasion: some, out of ill will to Moses and Aaron, inclining to the side of Korah and his accomplices, and some out of curiosity to see the issue of this affair saying, depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men; these turbulent, seditious, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side,.... The place where they met together and made their general rendezvous; this it seems was encompassed on all sides by people out of the several tribes, who either wished them well in their undertaking, or were curious to know how it would issue; and Dathan and Abiram...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Moses said, hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works,.... To bring the people of Israel out of Egypt, to exchange the firstborn for the Levites, to make Aaron and his sons priests, to give the Levites to them, and to set Elizaphan over the Kohathites, things which these men found fault with, and questioned his...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
If these men die the common death of all men,.... Or "as every man dies" (r), or the generality of men, who for the most part die of one disease or another, as a fever, and the like, or through old age: or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; with such visitations as men in all ages for their sins are visited with, meaning public...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But if the Lord make a new thing,.... Or "create a creation", or "creature" (s), what never was before, or put those persons to a death that none ever in the world died of yet; what that is he means is next expressed: and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up, with all that [appertain] unto them; their persons, their wives, children and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these things,.... As soon as he had finished his discourse, which was addressed to the congregation, and, according to Josephus (u), after a long prayer to God, which that writer gives at large; immediately so it was, that the ground clave asunder that [was] under them; on which they...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up,.... Dathan and Abiram, their wives, sons, and little ones, that stood at the door of their tents with them, and all their goods, as follows: the earth, as if it was a living creature or a beast of prey, opened its mouth and swallowed them up, as such a creature does its prey: and their houses;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
They, and all that [appertained] unto them, went down alive into the pit,.... The grave which the opening earth made for them, they and their families: and the earth closed upon them; and covered them over; this it did of itself, as Aben Ezra remarks: this was a wonderful instance of almighty power, that it should open in such large fissures as to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them,.... Or because of it, as Aben Ezra; their cry was so loud, their shrieks so dreadful and piercing, that the Israelites about them fled to get out of the sound of them, as well as for their own safety. The Targum of Jonathan not only represents their cry as terrible, but gives the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And there came out a fire from the Lord,.... Flashes of lightning from the cloud in which he was: and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense; not that it reduced them to ashes, but took away their lives, struck them dead at once, in like manner as Nadab and Abihu were, who though said to be devoured by the fire, yet their...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... Immediately after these men were consumed by fire from him; out of the same cloud from whence that proceeded, he spoke: saying: as follows.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest,.... His eldest son, that was to succeed him as high priest, and who perhaps was upon the spot to see the issue of things; and who, rather than Aaron, is bid to do what follows, partly because Aaron was now officiating, burning incense, and that he might not be defiled with the dead bodies; and partly...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The censers of these sinners against their own souls,.... Who by burning incense in them sinned, and by sinning hurt and ruined their souls: let them make them broad plates [for] a covering of the altar; the altar of burnt offering, which, though it had a covering of brass, another made of these were to be over it, for the further security of it,...