The Beginning:
Korah, a Levite, joined with Dathan and Abiram from the tribe of Reuben, along with 250 well-known community leaders, to oppose Moses and Aaron. They accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves and claimed that the whole congregation was holy. Moses responded by placing the matter before the LORD, proposing a test involving censers and incense to reveal whom God had chosen.
The Middle:
Moses confronted Dathan and Abiram, who refused his summons and charged him with failing to bring Israel into a good land. The next day Korah gathered the assembly against Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the tent of meeting, where the glory of the LORD appeared. God announced judgment, and Moses instructed the people to separate from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. The ground opened and swallowed Dathan and Abiram’s households, and fire from the LORD consumed the 250 men offering incense.
The End:
The following day the congregation complained that Moses and Aaron had “killed the people of the LORD,” and a plague broke out. Moses told Aaron to take a censer and make atonement, and Aaron stood “between the dead and the living” until the plague was stopped. To confirm Aaron’s priestly office, leaders from the tribes brought staffs to the tabernacle, and Aaron’s staff budded, blossomed, and bore almonds—God’s sign that He had chosen the Aaronic priesthood.
This account centers on God’s holiness and His right to appoint leaders and order worship within His covenant people. The rebellion was not merely political; it challenged God’s chosen mediators (Moses as covenant leader and Aaron as priest) and treated sacred access as a human entitlement. God’s judgment shows that approaching Him on one’s own terms is dangerous, while the stopping of the plague through priestly intercession highlights God’s provision of mediation and atonement for the community. The budding staff further underscores that legitimate priestly authority is God-given, confirmed by His action rather than popular approval.
In the ancient Near East, incense and censers were closely tied to priestly service in temples. Numbers 16 reflects this wider cultural reality: offering incense was a recognized marker of priestly privilege, which explains why the contest focused on censers—an act that publicly tested who was authorized to perform sacred duties at the sanctuary.
“The man whom I choose shall be the one whose staff buds.” — Numbers 17:5
Answer the questions below. When you choose an option, you will see the result and an explanation.
1. What sign confirmed that God had chosen Aaron’s priestly office?
2. How was the plague stopped after the congregation complained against Moses and Aaron?