Numbers 16:11
Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Moses points out that the real target of their rebellion isn't Aaron, but God himself, because Aaron is simply God's chosen minister. Their grumbling isn't just about a person, but about God's established order and authority.
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram lead a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, challenging their authority and the divine appointment of the priesthood. Moses, after falling on his face in prayer, proposes a divine test involving censers and incense to settle the dispute. This verse is Moses' response to Korah's defiance, accusing him and his followers of rebelling not just against him and Aaron, but against God himself.
When a group felt wronged and challenged Moses and Aaron's authority, Moses cut to the heart of the matter. He pointed out that their complaint wasn't just against a person, but against God himself.
The Invisible Enemy
The rebellion led by Korah wasn't just a political or social dispute; it was a spiritual one. Moses, in this verse, confronts them directly by stating they have gathered 'against the LORD.'
Moses's follow-up question, 'And what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?' isn't just rhetorical. It's a sharp challenge to their petty grievances and misplaced anger.
Beyond Personal Slight
The rebels were focused on what they perceived as Aaron's elevated status. Moses forces them to see the bigger picture:
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of the one true God of Israel, revealing His eternal, self-existent, and personal nature as the Redeemer of His people.
lun · Hebrew Verb
To complain, murmur, or express discontent, often against God or His appointed leaders, reflecting a lack of faith in His providence and authority.
This verse arises from a critical moment where Korah and his followers challenged the divine order of the priesthood established by God through Moses and Aaron. Their rebellion wasn't just against human leaders, but against God's own appointment, highlighting the severe consequences of questioning God's authority and established structures.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites are liberated from slavery in Egypt by God's mighty hand, led by Moses.
c. 1446-1445 BC
Tabernacle Consecration and Priesthood Established
God institutes the tabernacle worship and specifically appoints Aaron and his sons as priests, and the Levites for service, a divine order that Korah challenges.
c. 1445 BC— this verse
The Rebellion of Korah
Korah, along with 250 leaders and others, challenges Moses and Aaron's authority and the established priesthood, leading to divine judgment.
c. 1445 BC
Divine Judgment on Rebels
God intervenes dramatically, consuming the rebels, with the earth swallowing Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and fire consuming the 250 offering incense.
This passage highlights that rejecting human leaders appointed by God is equivalent to rejecting God himself, mirroring how Korah's rebellion against Aaron was seen as rebellion against the LORD.
Luke 10:16Jesus' words, 'Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me,' show the principle that rejecting a divinely appointed messenger is rejecting the one who sent them, directly paralleling the murmuring against Aaron.
Romans 13:1-2Paul's teaching that governing authorities are established by God and resisting them is resisting God's ordinance underscores the gravity of Korah's actions as rebellion against divine order, not just against Moses and Aaron.
Jude 1:11Jude describes those who follow the 'way of Cain' and 'perish in Korah's rebellion,' linking this ancient rebellion to a persistent pattern of rejecting God's appointed authority and leadership.
1 Corinthians 10:10The warning against grumbling and complaining, drawing from Israel's wilderness experiences, directly echoes the spirit of Korah's rebellion and serves as a caution against the same destructive attitude.
gillNumbers 16:11: "For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?"
For which cause, both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord,.... For gathering together against his ministers, whom he had put into office to act under him, and endeavouring to overturn a constitution of his erecting, and resisting and not submitting to an ordinance of his, is interpreted gathering against him, and acting…
calvinNumbers 16:1-50: "Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:"
And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?
Congregatique sunt adversum Mosen et…
Moses points out that the real target of their rebellion isn't Aaron, but God himself, because Aaron is simply God's chosen minister. Their grumbling isn't just about a person, but about God's established order and authority.
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram lead a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, challenging their authority and the divine appointment of the priesthood. Moses, after falling on his face in prayer, proposes a divine test involving censers and incense to settle the dispute. This verse is Moses' response to Korah's defiance, accusing him and his followers of rebelling not just against him and Aaron, but against God himself.
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram lead a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, challenging their authority and the divine appointment of the priesthood. Moses, after falling on his face in prayer, proposes a divine test involving censers and incense to settle the dispute. This verse is Moses' response to Korah's defiance, accusing him and his followers of rebelling not just against him and Aaron, but against God himself.
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c. 1445 BC
Plague and Atonement
After the congregation murmurs against Moses and Aaron, a plague breaks out, which Aaron stops by making atonement.
"Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”" — Moses points out that the real target of their rebellion isn't Aaron, but God himself, because Aaron is simply God's chosen minister. Their grumbling isn't just about a person, but about God's establ…
