Numbers 16:26

And 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.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelite congregation immediately after confronting Dathan and Abiram, commanding them to withdraw from the rebels' encampment. This occurs at the moment of impending judgment, just before the ground opens to swallow the condemned men and their households.

The words — The imperative ס֣וּרוּ (sūru), meaning "turn away" or "depart," is paired with נָ֡א (nāʾ), an urgency particle rendered as "now" or "please." Together they issue a direct command to physically separate from the tents of the guilty.

The thread — This directive to depart and avoid contact with corruption reappears in Isaiah 52:11, 2 Corinthians 6:17, and Revelation 18:4. Each passage repeats the requirement to withdraw physically and spiritually to avoid shared guilt.

Why it lands — The text demands immediate removal from the rebels' property to prevent contamination by their sins. It requires the reader to accept that proximity to condemned wickedness carries the risk of being swept away by its consequences.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיְדַבֵּ֨רva/y.da.Berand/ he spoke אֶל־'el-to הָעֵדָ֜הha./'e.Dahthe/ congregation לֵאמֹ֗רle./Mor<to>/ saying ס֣וּרוּSu.ruturn away נָ֡אna'please מֵעַל֩me./'Alfrom/ at אָהֳלֵ֨י'o.ho.Lei[the] tents of הָאֲנָשִׁ֤יםha./'a.na.Shimthe/ men הָֽרְשָׁעִים֙ha./re.sha.'Im<the>/ wicked הָאֵ֔לֶּהha./'E.leh<the>/ these וְאַֽל־ve./'al-and/ may not תִּגְּע֖וּti.ge.'Uyou touch בְּכָל־be./khol<in>/ all אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherthatלָהֶ֑םla./Hem[belongs] to <the>/ themפֶּן־pen-lest תִּסָּפ֖וּti.sa.Fuyou should be swept away בְּכָל־be./kholwith/ all חַטֹּאתָֽם׃cha.to.Ta/msins/ their

King James Version

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

Cross-references

Isaiah 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
2 Corinthians 6:17 “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
Revelation 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.
Genesis 19:12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
Numbers 16:21 “Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”
Deuteronomy 13:17 Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers,
Acts 8:20 But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
Acts 13:51 So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
1 Timothy 5:22 Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
Matthew 10:14 And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.