And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
Parallel translations
- WEB and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? Do you seek the priesthood also?
- BSB He has brought you near, you and all your fellow Levites, but you are seeking the priesthood as well.
- NKJV and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also?
- NASB and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? But are you seeking the priesthood as well?
- NLT Korah, he has already given this special ministry to you and your fellow Levites. Are you now demanding the priesthood as well?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God had brought the Levites near, yet now they sought the priesthood as well. Their rebellion was rooted in covetous discontent.
Overview
Moses exposes the heart of the rebellion: not satisfied with their privileged nearness to God, they craved the priestly office too. This grasping for what God had not given reveals the sin of envy and pride. It stands in contrast to Christ, who did not grasp at status but humbled himself in obedience to the Father (Philippians 2:5-8).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Matt 20:21–22And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
- Num 3:10And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
- Phil 2:3Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
- Num 18:7Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for everything of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
- Prov 13:10Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.
- Rom 12:10Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
- 3 Jn 1:9I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
- Luke 22:24And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 16:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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