Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jerry Shepherd <jshepherd53 AT gmail.com>]

Hi Karl,

 

You said: "Ever had your mind run ahead of your fingers and you end up with gaps in your writing? I usually catch them, but looks like I missed one here."

 

No problem – I do that a lot myself.

 

You said: "Actually, there were more people involved in the rebellion than were physically present before Moses, because some of the people listed in verses 1–2 were not physically present, as revealed in verse 12. But they were still represented by Korah and any who accompanied him."  And "If they were physically present, then Moses wouldn’t have had to send for them as listed in verse 12."

 

Good points, Karl.  Things depend on how one understand the structure of the narrative in vv. 1-17.  While there are other options, I take it as a narrative of a single event as follows:

 

Vv. 1-4 – Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and 250 other council members come together as a group and approach Moses and Aaron.

 

Vv. 5-11 – Moses proposes the test for the next morning with the censers.

 

Vv. 12-14. – Nothing has been said about Dathan and Abiram having left from this encounter.  There are various ways this could be understood.  One scenario is that when this large group comes to Moses, it was a representative group, led by Korah, that actually approached close to Moses to confront him, perhaps at the entrance to, or even inside his tent.   After Moses issues his ultimatum, he sends someone to get Dathan and Abiram, who are there but standing in the background, to come and receive the same ultimatum.  They refuse, but it is not completely clear what it is they are refusing.  Are they refusing to come closer to talk to Moses, or are they refusing to come the next morning and participate in the censer contest?

 

Vv. 15-17 – Moses reissues the command to Korah and his followers.

 

So on this scenario, Dathan and Abiram are "present," but not perhaps always within actual earshot of the conversation between Moses and Korah; and there are several commentaries that adopt this is as the most likely scenario.  Of course, there are other ways of viewing the narrative structure.

 

Blessings,

 

Jerry

Jerry Shepherd

Taylor Seminary

Edmonton, Alberta

jshepherd53 AT gmail.com