The KJV Holy Bible

 

Numbers Chapter Sixteen

 

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 men:

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?

4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:

5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.

6 This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;

7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.

8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:

9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?

10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?

11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:

13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?

14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:

17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.

18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation.

20 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.

27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.

29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me.

30 But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord.

31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:

32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.

33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

34 And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.

35 And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

36 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.

38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

39 And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:

40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses.

41 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord.

42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.

43 And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.

44 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun.

47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

 

 

Esoteric Interpretation & Commentary

 

The Hermetic Blueprint of Numbers Chapter Sixteen: The Mutiny of the Mind and the Earthly Purge 

"Numbers Chapter Sixteen illustrates a catastrophic psychological crisis within the Microcosm. The dense, ambitious Intellectual and material Faculties orchestrate a full-scale mutiny against the Conscious Mind, attempting to seize Magickal Authority without undergoing the severe Alchemical Transmutation required by the Sovereign Will."

 

 

Verses 1-3: The Rebellion of the Ego and False Equality - "Now Korah... and Dathan and Abiram... rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes... 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..." 

Korah represents raw, ambitious Spiritual pride, while Dathan and Abiram symbolize the stubborn, dense earthly Passions. They lead a rebellion of two hundred and fifty prominent internal Faculties against the Awakened Conscious Will (Moses) and the legitimate Magickal Authority (Aaron). The Ego uses a deceptive spiritual bypass, claiming "all the congregation are holy" to demand immediate power. This is the dangerous illusion of the unrefined Mind, attempting to artificially democratize Spiritual Authority and bypass the strict Hermetic hierarchy that demands rigorous, methodical purification before Superconscious access is granted.

 

 

Verses 4-11: The Test of the Censers and Internal Stillness - "And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face... And he spake unto Korah... saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy... This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow..." 

Moses falling on his face signifies the active Will entering a state of absolute internal Stillness; it refuses to battle the Ego with lower Egoic force. Instead, it submits the rebellious Faculties to the ultimate test of the Divine Light. The censer represents the energetic vessel of Harmonious Intent. By ordering Korah's company to offer incense, the Conscious Mind forces these unrefined Thought-forms to interact directly with high-frequency Superconscious fire, knowing that impure Astral ambition cannot survive this supreme Alchemical confrontation.

 

 

Verses 28-33: The Earth Opens and the Reclaiming of Density - "And Moses said... If these men die the common death of all men... then the LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up... And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up... and they went down alive into the pit..." 

This is a violent, structural correction of the Microcosm. Dathan and Abiram refuse to ascend, anchoring themselves entirely in material grievance. Because these dense Passions absolutely reject Spiritual elevation, the Hermetic Law of Vibrational resonance takes effect: like attracts like. The earth (the lowest, densest frequency of the Subconscious) rips open and reclaims its own. These heavy, crystallized Egoic attachments are violently swallowed alive, permanently collapsing back into the darkest depths of the material plane where they can no longer infect the Conscious Mind.

 

 

Verses 35-40: The Fire of Transmutation and the Brazen Plates - "And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense... And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar..." 

The two hundred and fifty Intellectual Faculties attempt an unauthorized Magickal operation, generating rogue Spiritual energy. The Divine Light violently incinerates them, proving that the Superconscious Source will ruthlessly destroy any Egoic attempt to force manifestation. However, Alchemical Law dictates that energy is never truly wasted. Eleazar (the vigilant guardian of the Light) retrieves the brazen censers. Although the rebellious Thought-forms were destroyed, their raw capacity for intent (the brass) is forcefully Transmuted—beaten flat into protective plates for the inner altar. This proves that once forcefully purged of Egoic corruption, even the raw energy of rebellion can be repurposed to fortify the foundation of the Great Work.

 

 

Verses 41-50: The Psychic Plague and the Vibrational Barrier - "But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. And it came to pass... the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared... And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation... and he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed."

The immediate murmuring of the congregation represents the deep-seated terror and reactionary inertia of the lower mind. Even after witnessing the absolute destruction of Egoic rebellion, the unrefined Faculties panic, grieving for the lost familiar structures. This panic manifests as a psychic "plague"—a rapid, chaotic degradation of internal frequency that threatens to consume the entire Microcosm. Moses (the Sovereign Will) immediately commands Aaron (the Magickal Authority) to take the censer. The incense represents refined, Transmuted Spiritual focus. By running directly into the chaos and standing "between the dead and the living", the high priesthood establishes an impenetrable Vibrational barrier. It proves that legitimate Magickal Authority does not merely punish the Ego; it is the vital, active preserver of the Microcosm, halting the spread of mental necrosis and violently restoring Energetic Equilibrium.