Numbers 16:21

Num 16:21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

Ver. 21. Separate yourselves.] Good men are taken away from the evil to come. When God pulls away the pillars, what will become of the building? Lot was no sooner taken out of Sodom, but Sodom was taken out of the world.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

16:21-26 The Lord threatened to destroy the entire community because of its pervasive sin (cp. Gen 18:16-33). Moses and Aaron interceded to narrow the Lord’s judgment down to those who were guilty of this particular rebellion.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(21) Separate yourselves from among this congregation . . . —By their obedience to the summons of Korah the congregation generally, or at Yeast a large portion of it, had made themselves partakers in his sin, and had become obnoxious to the Divine wrath.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Separate yourselves, from among this congregation,.... Not only from Korah's company, but from the congregation of the children of Israel, whom Korah had got together, besides the two hundred fifty men that were at first with him; who by their words and behaviour, and particularly by their association and standing along with him, showed them to be on his side, which greatly provoked the Lord:

that I may consume them in a moment; by fire from him, as the two hundred fifty men were afterwards consumed, Num 16:35.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To wit, Korah and his two hundred and fifty men, and the people whom he gathered against Moses and Aaron, Num 16:19.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

21. Separate yourselves — This command to withdraw themselves from the congregation was not obeyed, but through intercession the command was tacitly countermanded.

Consume them — By assembling at the instigation of Korah this whole congregation had avowed their adherence to the rebels.

In a moment — Here is an outflashing of justice untempered by mercy.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That I may consume them in a moment. Literally, "and I will consume them." The same thing must be said of this as of Num_14:11, Num_14:12.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

SEPARATE YOURSELVES FROM AMONG THIS CONGREGATION, THAT I MAY CONSUME THEM IN A MOMENT. One may ask: If [the whole people of] Israel did not sin and did not rebel against their teacher, why was [G-d’s] wrath upon them, saying, that I may consume them in a moment? And if [on the other hand] they also rebelled [against Moses] as did Korach and his company, how could Moses and Aaron say [on their behalf]: shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation? Now Rabbeinu Chananel wrote as follows: “Separate yourselves from among this congregation means the congregation of Korach, not the congregation of the children of Israel. [But Moses and Aaron, thinking that G-d referred to all the people], said: O G-d, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin etc. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, informed Moses that He did not want to destroy the whole congregation of the children of Israel, but only the congregation of Korach. Therefore He explained to him: ‘When I said, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, the meaning was: Get you up from about the dwelling of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram. He told them, Get you up from about the dwelling etc., because perhaps when Korach and his company would see them going away, they might repent.”These are his [Rabbeinu Chananel’s] words, which are not right, for it would not be correct to say about Korach, Dathan, and Abiram — three men — Separate yourselves from among ‘this congregation,’ for they were not “a congregation,” since the Israelites were not among them, and Aaron was going about in the midst of the congregation that offered the incense! Besides, the expression separate ‘yourselves’ alludes only to Moses and Aaron, just like Get you up from among the congregation. Similarly, that I may consume them in a moment refers to a plague, which consumes a mighty and large people in a moment [and cannot therefore refer only to Korach, Dathan, and Abiram]. And [finally], far be it [from us to say] that Moses did not understand his own prophecy and made a mistake therein!But the meaning thereof is as follows: At first the heart of the people was on the side of Moses and Aaron, but when Korach and his company took every man his censer and laid incense thereon and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron, Korach called together all the congregation and told them that he was concerned about the honor of all of them. This was pleasing to them, so they all assembled to see peradventure it will be right in the eyes of G-d, and the service [of the offerings] will return to their firstborn, this being the meaning of the verse, And Korach assembled all the congregation against them. Thus they [all] became liable to destruction because they cast aspersions on their teacher, which is like casting aspersions on the Divine Presence, and they [likewise] rejected in their hearts the prophecy of a prophet, for which they were liable to death by the hand of Heaven. But Moses and Aaron spoke up in their defense, saying that it was only Korach who sinned in this matter, for he was the cause of it all and it was he who incited them, therefore it was right that he alone should die, in order to publicize and make known his punishment to the [whole] community.This is indeed the way of those who plead for mercy, for they mitigate the [severity of the] people’s sin, and put [the blame for] it upon the individual who caused it, because he at any rate is [certainly] guilty. And so did David say, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done iniquitously; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house. And the punishment [i.e., the plague in the days of David] came upon the people as well [despite David accepting the blame himself] because of their own sin, for they should have given the [half-] shekels themselves [in order to be counted] — if [we say that] the punishment was on account of that sin, as our Rabbis explained it. For the king had not commanded them not to give the [half-] shekels, as he only wanted to know their numbers, therefore their guilt and his guilt in this incident was equal. Moreover, in addition to [being punished for] the census, there was a punishment upon the people [already] at the beginning of this matter, as it is written, And again the anger of the Eternal was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them, [saying: ‘Go, number Israel and Judah’]., Verse 1.Now Rashi wrote there: “I do not know why [G-d’s anger was kindled against Israel].” And I say by way of explanation that Israel was punished because of the delay in the building of the Sanctuary, since the ark went from tent to tent as a stranger in the Land, and none of the tribes bestirred themselves to say, “Let us seek G-d and build a house to His Name, just as it is written, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come.” [This situation continued] until David was roused to action in this matter after many years and a long period of time [had elapsed since he had become king], as it is said, And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and the Eternal had given him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet: ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of G-d dwelleth within curtains.’ Now G-d, blessed be He, prevented David [from building the Sanctuary], because He said, for thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in My sight, and thus the building was [further] delayed until the reign of Solomon. But had Israel really desired this matter [and really wanted to build the Sanctuary], and had they bestirred themselves to action from the start, it would have been done [already] in the days of one of the Judges, or in the days of Saul, or even in the days of David. For had the tribes of Israel aroused themselves in this matter, he [David] would not have been [considered] the builder, but Israel would have been the builders. But since the people did not concern themselves about it, and David was the one who was troubled about it and called for action, and it was he who prepared all the materials [for the House of G-d], 29:2. he was the builder. However, since he was a man of judgment, guided [in his actions] by the attribute of justice, he was not fit for [the task of building] the House of Mercy, mentions for the first time that one of the gates on the eastern side of the wall surrounding Jerusalem was called by the people Shaarei Harachamim — the “Gates of Mercy” — a name which is still used to this day. Since no definite source is known for the name given to this gate, it is possible that it is derived from this concept of the Sanctuary as “the House of Mercy,” and thus the name “Gates of Mercy” is a shortened form of “the gates of the House of Mercy.” See II Chronicles 23:19 for such usage in the Scriptures: the gates of the House of the Eternal. therefore the building [of the Sanctuary] was delayed as long as David lived due to the negligence of Israel [in not coming forth themselves to build it], and therefore the [Divine] wrath was upon them. It was for this reason that the place which the Eternal shall choose … to put His Name there came to be known, as a result of their punishment through the plague., at the moment that the plague ceased, by the treshing-floor of Aravnah the Jebusite,” and on that spot David built the altar. This is the meaning of Ramban’s statement that ‘the place which G-d shall choose’ came to be known [i.e., identified] through the punishment and plague which came upon Israel for their indolence in the pursuit of the building of the Sanctuary. But had the people bestirred themselves to action, the place would have been identified through a more pleasant way. This is Ramban’s clear intention.Scripture alludes to all this when it says, For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all places wherein I have walked among all the children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying: Why have ye not built Me a house of cedar?, 7:6-7. Thus Scripture is blaming [the people] because the Divine Presence was walking about among all Israel from tent to tent, and from tabernacle ] is clearly based on this verse in Chronicles. In II Samuel 7:6 the reading is: in a tent and in a tabernacle. to tabernacle, and there was not one among all the Judges of Israel, who were their shepherds, that bestirred himself in this matter. Scripture also states that G-d too kept distant from them, and did not tell any one of them to build the House, but “now that you [David] have aroused yourself to do it, thou didst well that it was in thy heart, and I will now command that it should be built by thy son Solomon, who will be a man of peace.”

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.