Behold

A Behold picture book

The Ground Opened

Some neighbors asked a question. Nobody asked another one.

  1. Moe and his brother Aaron were in charge of the whole town. The Voice had picked them.

  2. One day, Mr. Corey, Dan, Abe and 250 town leaders came to complain. "You think you're better than everybody," they said. "But all of us are special to the Voice. Why are you the boss?"

  3. Moe said, "Tomorrow, everyone bring a pan of fire and sweet smoke to the Voice's tent. The Voice will show who he picked."

  4. The next day, the Voice said, "Get away from these people, so I can destroy them all at once." Moe and Aaron fell on their faces. "If one man does wrong, will you be angry at everyone?"

  5. So the Voice said, "Tell everyone to move away from the houses of Corey, Dan and Abe." Everyone stepped back. Dan and Abe came out and stood at their front doors, with their wives, their sons and their little children.

  6. Then the ground split open under them. It swallowed them, their houses, Corey's people, and everything they owned. Then the ground closed up. Everyone nearby heard them cry out, and ran. "The ground might swallow us too!"

  7. Then fire came out from the Voice and burned up the 250 leaders with the pans of smoke.

  8. The next day, everybody complained to Moe and Aaron. "You killed the Voice's people!" So the Voice sent a sickness. 14,700 more people died before Aaron could stop it.

The End.

The source, revealed

The Fine Print

Numbers 16; Numbers 26:9–11

Read it yourself

Where it's from

Numbers 16. It happens while Israel is camping in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. It's often called "Korah's Rebellion."

Who's who

In our story In the Bible
Moe Moses
Aaron Aaron, the high priest
Mr. Corey Korah
Dan and Abe Dathan and Abiram
The 250 town leaders 250 "princes of the assembly"
Pans of fire and sweet smoke Censers with incense
The Voice's tent The tabernacle
Houses Tents

What the text says

  • Plain words: Dathan and Abiram stood at their doors with their wives, sons and little children.

  • KJV (Numbers 16:27): "and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children."

  • Plain words: The ground opened and swallowed them and their houses.

  • KJV (Numbers 16:32): "And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods."

  • Plain words: 14,700 died in the plague.

  • KJV (Numbers 16:49): "Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah."

What we kept

  • Korah, Dathan, Abiram and 250 leaders challenge Moses and Aaron: "all the congregation are holy."
  • Moses calls for a test with censers and incense.
  • God tells Moses and Aaron to separate so he can "consume them in a moment." They fall on their faces and ask if he'll be angry with everyone for one man's sin.
  • Everyone moves away from the tents.
  • Dathan and Abiram stand at their doors with their wives, sons and little children.
  • The earth swallows them, their houses, Korah's men and their goods. People flee in fear.
  • Fire from God burns the 250 men.
  • The next day, the people complain "Ye have killed the people of the LORD," and a plague kills 14,700 until Aaron stops it.

What we changed

  • Names, and today's world: a town, houses, a town hall.
  • We left out the part about turning the burned pans into a cover for the altar (16:36–40).

Look closely

Korah's own children did not die (Numbers 26:11). The little children in the text belonged to Dathan and Abiram. And the 14,700 who died the next day weren't part of the rebellion. They died for complaining about it.

How it's usually taught

Many teachers say it shows that rebelling against the leaders God chose is rebelling against God, and that Moses' prayer shows mercy, since God first wanted to destroy everyone. Korah's descendants later became temple musicians; several Psalms are titled "for the sons of Korah." The New Testament mentions Korah as a warning (Jude 1:11).

What the story doesn't say

It never says the little children did anything. It never says the people who complained the next day deserved to die. Moses asks, "shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all?" and the story doesn't fully answer.

Talk about it

  1. Is it wrong to ask your leaders, "Why are you in charge?"
  2. Moe begged the Voice not to punish everyone. Was that a good thing to ask?
  3. What did the little children do?
  4. People who said "You killed them!" got sick and died. Is it wrong to be upset when people die?
  5. Do you believe this is good advice?

One last question

If questioning the leaders got your street swallowed up, would you ask questions?

Read Numbers 16; Numbers 26:9–11 yourself