Korah

Biblical Account

Korah was a great-grandson of Levi, a grandson of Kohath, and the son of Izhar (Exodus 6:21). Among the Levites, he belonged to the Kohathites, who were responsible for the furnishings of the tabernacle. Scripture also mentions others by the same name, such as Korah the son of Esau (Genesis 36:5).

According to Numbers 16, Korah, together with the Reubenites Dathan, Abiram, and On, gathered 250 leaders of the congregation and rose up against Moses and Aaron. They protested, "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?" (Numbers 16:3). Moses pointed out that they were not content with the duties of the Levites but were seeking the priesthood as well (Numbers 16:10). He then proposed that on the following day each of them come forward with a censer so that God would show whom he had chosen.

The next day the ground split open and swallowed the households of Dathan and Abiram, along with "all the men that appertained unto Korah." The 250 men offering incense were consumed by fire that came out from the LORD (Numbers 16:31–35). Their bronze censers were hammered into broad plates to cover the altar, as a memorial that no one who was not a descendant of Aaron should offer incense (Numbers 16:38–40). When the people murmured again the following day, a plague broke out and 14,700 died. In chapter 17, the priesthood of Aaron's house is then confirmed when Aaron's rod buds.

Significance within Scripture

Numbers 26:11 records, "Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not." His descendants later served as singers and gatekeepers in the temple (1 Chronicles 6:33–37; 9:19). The superscriptions of Psalms 42, 44–49, 84, 85, 87, and 88 bear the name "the sons of Korah."

In the New Testament, Jude 1:11 groups the false teachers who had crept into the church with Cain and Balaam, saying that they "perished in the gainsaying of Core." In this verse Korah serves as the archetype of rebellion against the order God has established.

Interpretation and Issues

• Korah's own fate: The text alone does not make clear whether Korah was swallowed by the earth or burned along with the 250 men, and interpreters read it differently.
• The claim that "all the congregation are holy": Protestant interpreters generally explain that the problem was not the idea of the people's holiness itself but the attempt to seize for themselves the priesthood God had entrusted to the house of Aaron. The New Testament doctrine of the priesthood of all believers teaches that every believer approaches God through Jesus Christ; this doctrine is therefore regarded as different in nature from Korah's demand.
• Supplementary traditions: Korah also appears in Jewish literature. The Mishnah tractate Avot cites Korah and his company as an example of "a dispute not for the sake of Heaven." Midrashic traditions relate that Korah was wealthy or that he mocked Moses. These stories are later traditions not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, Korah is chiefly cited as an example of the pride and murmuring that defy the order and authority God has established. Some critics, however, contend that the passage is used to brand even legitimate concerns raised within the church as "the rebellion of Korah" and thereby to suppress criticism of pastors and other leaders. The contrast between a father who came under judgment and descendants who survived to take their place among those who sang God's praise is frequently drawn in sermons on God's grace and in Sunday school lessons.