The infamous and insidious insurgence led by Korah & Co. against Moses is the subject matter of
Numbers 16. But who were the ringleaders, Abravanel asks? What brought these noisome plaintiffs to
collude against the prophet? What rankled them?
“Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with
Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of
Reuben, took men. And they rose up in face of Moses, with certain
Children of Israel – two hundred and fifty men. They were princes of the
congregation, the elect men of the assembly, men of renown.”
Korah made a play for the office of the high priest. Here was the pretender’s thinking. Kohath, son of
Levi, had four sons. They were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Moses, a son of Amram (the eldest
son of Kohath) assumed the role as king of the Hebrews. Korah calculated that Kohath’s second son,
Izhar, should have gotten the nod to become high priest. Korah was Izhar’s oldest, thus the agitator felt
the high priesthood should have gone to him. “Now Korah…took men.”
Dathan and Abiram feigned to be the champion of all Hebrew firstborns. Firstborn’s
prominence within the societal hierarchy should have gained them, they argued, esteem and position.
Practically, they sought official status in the Tabernacle. Yet, they were yanked from office, replaced by
Levites. Humiliation was unbearable, a stinging – public – slap in the face. For but a short time in the
desert, firstborns had served in the Tabernacle and offered sacrifices as Hebrew grandees. Moses placed
fellow Levites in that high position. “And they rose up in face of Moses…”
The tribe of Reuben, too, acted perfidiously. They advanced that as Jacob’s firstborn, that tribe
should have landed or bagged a national station of authority. Instead, they griped, Moses usurped what
rightfully belonged to them and gave it to Judah. Consequently, Judah’s tribe led the encampment in the
vanguard. Rulership went to them. In time, when the Holy Land would be divvied up among the twelve
tribes, Judah received territory first. Firstborn status also went to the tribe of Joseph. To peg a verse to
Reuben’s rowdies’ claim we have: “And they assembled together against Moses and against Aaron…”
Admittedly, the super-charged Korah & Co. narrative in Numbers 16 is chock-full of intrigue, resulting in
Moses’ call for explicit divine intervention, miracle. The Creator complied; He bid the earth to swallow
up the firebrands.
We bring only Abravanel’s initial comments. For the full discussion, see Abravanel’s World.
