Numbers 16:40

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
memorial	זִכָּר֞וֹן zi.ka.Ron	H2146	a memento (or memorable thing · noun, common masculine singular absolute
children	לִבְנֵ֣י liv.Nei	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
Israel	יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל Yis.ra.'El	H3478	Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
that	אֲשֶׁ֨ר 'a.Sher	H834	who · relative particle
stranger	אִ֣ישׁ 'ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
seed	מִזֶּ֤רַע mi.Ze.ra'	H2233	seed · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
Aaron	אַהֲרֹן֙ 'a.ha.Ron	H175	Aharon · proper noun, a man's name
near	יִקְרַ֜ב yik.Rav	H7126	to approach (causatively · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
offer	לְהַקְטִ֥יר le.hak.Tir	H6999	to smoke · preposition + verb, hiphil infinitive construct
incense	קְטֹ֖רֶת ke.To.ret	H7004	a fumigation · noun, common feminine singular absolute
before	לִפְנֵ֣י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
LORD	יְהוָ֑ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
Korah	כְקֹ֙רַח֙ khe.Ko.rach	H7141	Korach · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
company	וְכַ֣עֲדָת֔וֹ ve.Kha.'a.da.To	H5712	a stated assemblage (specifically · conjunction + preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
LORD	יְהוָ֛ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
said	דִּבֶּ֧ר di.Ber	H1696	perhaps properly · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
hand	בְּיַד be.yad-	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
Moses	מֹשֶׁ֖ה mo.Sheh	H4872	Mosheh · proper noun, a man's name

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Numbers 3:10 And 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 d…
Numbers 18:4-7 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a…
2 Chronicles 26:16-21 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple o…
Exodus 30:7-10 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
Leviticus 22:10 There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
Numbers 1:51 And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it…
Numbers 3:38 But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aa…
1 Kings 13:1-3 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 16:35-40

We must now look back to the door of the tabernacle, where we left the pretenders to the priesthood with their censers in their hands ready to offer incense; and here we find, I. Vengeance taken on them, Num 16:35. It is probable that when the earth opened in the camp to swallow up Dathan and Abiram a fire went out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men that offered incense, while Aaron that stood with them was preserved alive. This punishment was not indeed so new a thing as the former, for Nadab and Abihu thus died; but it was not less strange or dreadful, and in it it appeared, 1. That our God is a consuming fire. Is thunder a sensible indication of the terror of his voice? Lightning is a…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 16:39

the brazen censers . . . made broad plates to be a memorial--The altar of burnt offerings, being made of wood and covered with brass, this additional covering of broad plates not only rendered it doubly secure against the fire, but served as a warning beacon to deter all from future invasions of the priesthood.

John Gill on Numbers 16:40

To be a memorial unto the children of Israel,.... The whole body of them; this explains what is meant by sign, Numbers 16:38; that it was to put or keep in mind what follows: that no stranger which is not of the seed of Aaron come near to offer incense before the Lord; not only any Gentile but any Israelite, and not any Israelite only, but any Levite; none but those of the family of Aaron might offer incense before the Lord: that he be not as Korah and as his company; this makes it clear that Korah perished at this time, though it is nowhere expressed; and it seems pretty plain from hence that he perished by fire, as his company, the two hundred fifty men with censers, did: as the Lord sa…

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John Calvin on Numbers 16:40

To be a memorial unto the children of Israel. This passage again confirms what I have just said, that God's judgments, which ought to remain in full remembrance in every age, straightway escape, and are blotted out front men's minds, unless they are provided with certain aids to meditate upon them. This, however, does not happen so much from ignorance as neglect. Wherefore we ought to be the more attentive to the aids to memory, which may retain us in the path of duty.

Dictionary and topics

Aaron — The eldest son of Amram and Jochebed, a daughter of Levi (Ex. 6:20). Some explain the name as meaning mountaineer, others mountain of strength, illuminator. He was born in Egypt three years before…
Korah — Ice, hail. (1.) The third son of Esau, by Aholibamah (Gen. 36:14; 1 Chr. 1:35). (2.) A Levite, the son of Izhar, the brother of Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron (Ex. 6:21). The institution of the…
Uzziah — A contracted form of Azari’ah the Lord is my strength. (1.) One of Amaziah’s sons, whom the people made king of Judah in his father’s stead (2 Kings 14:21; 2 Chr. 26:1). His long reign of about…
Incense · Uses of — Uses of
Priests · All except seed of Aaron excluded from being — All except seed of Aaron excluded from being
Sacrilege · .Of Korah and his group — .Of Korah and his group
Token · Cover of the altar — Cover of the altar

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Numbers 16:40

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 16:35-40

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 16:39

John Gill on Numbers 16:40

John Calvin on Numbers 16:40

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 16:40

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 16:35-40

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 16:39

John Gill on Numbers 16:40

John Calvin on Numbers 16:40

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 16:36-40

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 16:38-40

Rashi on Numbers 16:34