Numbers 16:23-27·~1 min

Moses Separates the People

The LORD tells Moses to command the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

T²³hen the LORD said to Moses, ²⁴“Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

Moses goes with Israel’s elders and warns the people to keep away from these wicked men and all they own. The congregation withdraws, while Dathan and Abiram stand defiantly at their tents with their families.

²⁵So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶And he warned the congregation, “Move away now from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” ²⁷So they moved away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants.

Section summaryThe LORD tells Moses to move the congregation away from the rebels’ dwellings, and Moses warns the people not to share in their sin or their fate. The people withdraw while Dathan and Abiram remain standing at their tents with their households.

Role in the chapterThis short section draws a visible line between the rebels and the rest of Israel. It makes separation itself an act of survival, preparing the congregation to witness judgment without being swept into it.