New King James Version
Numbers 16:3
3They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
Numbers 16:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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?
- New International Version (NIV)They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?"
- New Living Translation (NLT)They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the Lord’s people?”
Context of Numbers 16:3
1Now 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; 2and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” 4So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face; 5and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him.
Read all of Numbers 16Numbers 16:3 word by word
וַיִּֽקָּהֲל֞וּ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶם֮ רַב־לָכֶם֒ כִּ֤י כָל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם יְהוָ֑ה וּמַדּ֥וּעַ תִּֽתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they gathered themselves togetherקָהַלqâhal · to gatherH6950
- against Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- and against Aaronאַהֲרֹן'ahărôn · AaronH175
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- too muchרַבrab · manyH7227
- upon you, seeing all the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
- holyקָדוֹשׁqâdôsh qâdôsh · holyH6918
- every one of them, and the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- amongתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- them: wherefore then lift ye upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: exaltH5375
- yourselves above the congregationקָהָלqâhâl · assemblyH6951
Cross-references for Numbers 16:3
- Numbers 16:11Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?”
- Numbers 12:1Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
- Numbers 14:1So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.
- Psalms 106:16When they envied Moses in the camp, And Aaron the saint of the Lord,
- Acts 7:39whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,
- Exodus 19:6And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
- Ezra 9:2For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”
- Isaiah 1:11“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.
- Jeremiah 7:3Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
- Matthew 3:9and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
- Romans 2:28For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;
- Numbers 14:14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
- Numbers 35:34Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”
- Exodus 29:45I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God.
- Psalms 68:17The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
Commentaries on Numbers 16:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Ye take too much upon you - The original is simply לכם רב rab lachem, too much for you. The spirit of this saying appears to me to be the following: - "Holy offices are not equally distributed: you arrogate to yourselves the most important ones, as if your superior holiness entitled you alone to them; whereas all the congregation are holy, and have an equal right with you to be employed in the most holy services." Moses retorts this saying Numbers 16:7…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3All the congregation are holy - Compare the marginal reference. Korah‘s object was not to abolish the distinction between the Levites and the people, but to win priestly dignity for himself and his kinsmen Numbers 16:10. This ultimate design is masked for the present in order to win support from the Reubenites by putting forward claims to spiritual equality on behalf of every Israelite.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The rebels "envied Moses, as well as Aaron" (Psalm 106:16). They claimed Moses and Aaron had overstepped their authority because all Israelites were God's chosen people (Exodus 19:6). Their protest for equality against Moses and Aaron's authority probably intended to replace it with their own.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron--The assemblage seems to have been composed of the whole band of conspirators; and they grounded their complaint on the fact that the whole people, being separated to the divine service (Ex 19:6), were equally qualified to present offerings on the altar, and that God, being graciously, present among them by the tabernacle and the cloud, evinced His readiness to receive sacrifices from…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 16:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries