Numbers 16:1-3

Numbers 16:1-3

[1] 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  [2] And they rose up  before  Moses,  with certain  of the children  of Israel,  two hundred  and fifty  princes  of the assembly,  famous  in the congregation,  men  of renown:  [3] 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? 

What does Numbers 16:1-3 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The leaders of this rebellion were Korah-a Levite of the Kohathite branch of the tribe and thus a kinsman of Moses and Aaron-and Dathan, Abiram, and On, who were Reubenites. Perhaps these Reubenites felt slighted because their tribe had lost the rights of the firstborn and they wanted a larger role in the nation. [1] These men gained the support of250 other men (perhaps a round number) from the other tribes who were leaders among the Israelites.
These men intended to overthrow the constitution that God had handed down for Israel and to replace it with one that seemed better to them. They based their action on the truth that the whole congregation was holy ( Exodus 19:5-6). They inferred from this that all Israelites therefore had the right to serve in the priesthood. They failed to appreciate the fact that God had chosen the Levites for special priestly service because the nation as a whole had apostatized at Sinai ( Exodus 32). They also failed to see that divine election to priestly service, which had been the privilege of the entire nation, did not in itself constitute qualification for priestly service. This depended on obedience to God"s covenant ( Exodus 19:5).
The rebels attributed Moses and Aaron"s prominence in the leadership of Israel to personal ambition rather than to obedience to God"s commands.