Bible Strands
Numbers 26:9
and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah who rebelled against the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the second census of Israel in the plains of Moab, listing the descendants of Eliab immediately after the rebellion account. The text explicitly identifies Dathan and Abiram as the sons chosen by the congregation who rebelled against Moses and Aaron alongside Korah's followers.
The words — The Hebrew construction הֽוּא־דָתָן וַ/אֲבִירָ֜ם (hu'- da.Tan va./'a.vi.Ram) literally translates to "that was Dathan and Abiram." This emphatic phrasing isolates these two individuals from the preceding genealogical list to mark them as the specific instigators of the revolt.
The thread — The rebellion is tracked in Numbers 16:1 as the opening of the Korahite uprising and in Psalms 106:17 where the earth swallows Dathan and covers Abiram's assembly. Their prior status as congregation-appointed leaders is noted in Numbers 1:16 before their condemnation.
Why it lands — The text states that divine judgment falls on appointed leaders who oppose God's chosen authority. Readers must acknowledge that genealogical standing and congregational selection provide no immunity when they actively rebel against the LORD.
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
King James Version
And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the Lord:
Cross-references
- Numbers 1:16 These men were appointed from the congregation; they were the leaders of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel.
- Numbers 16:1 Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted
- Psalms 106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.
- Jude 1:11 Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed for profit into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.