This sheet on Numbers 16 was written by Adam Szubin for 929 and can also be found here
That the Israelites are drawn to the words of Korach is not a surprise. From the moment they emerged safely from the sea, they have been fickle and defiant. They turned away from God in favor of a golden idol and even memories of leeks in Egypt. So, when Korach levels a well-worded charge against Moses’ leadership, it is no wonder the Israelites are captivated:
“You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the LORD’s congregation?” (Num. 16:3).
What is striking about this chapter isn’t that the Israelites are led astray; it’s the epilogue. After God sends Korach’s band down to the depths, one would expect the people to be chastened and to get back into line. Instead, with the earth calmed and the leadership question resolved, the Israelites panic: “Lo, we perish, we are lost, all of us lost!” (Num. 17:27)
The conclusion is unsettled and unsettling. Even with Korach’s demise, the people don’t understand how, in the moment, they could have known which leader to trust. Korach—like Moses—invoked God’s word. What was wrong with his words?
More critically, how will the people tell good leaders from bad in the future?
The message that elites are no better than commoners, that the people ought to govern themselves, has captivated people throughout history, from Korach to Cromwell to Lenin and into today. Even though experience teaches that successful populists will insert themselves as a new elite, often cruelly repressing dissent, it is nevertheless difficult in the moment to tell the democrat from the demagogue.
Indeed, when the earth opened her mouth and swallowed Korach’s band, the Torah records that the Israelites “nasu lekolam”, literally ran towards the voices of Korach and his band, towards the chasm (Num. 16:34). This image—a crowd blindly following a demagogue into danger—is the threat of populism made vividly real.
We can then understand why the Israelites are so shaken at the end. After the Golden Calf and the spies, the Israelites learned a clear lesson: trust in God’s word. At the end of this story, the Israelites don’t know what to do. How can they ensure they don’t follow the next demagogue down to she’ol? This is the cry of “ “Lo, we perish, we are lost, all of us lost!”
And, starkly, there is no answer provided by God or Moses. This is a burden the people alone must bear—to use their judgement to search out leaders who do justice, love mercy, and walk modestly with God.
“You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the LORD’s congregation?” (Num. 16:3).
What is striking about this chapter isn’t that the Israelites are led astray; it’s the epilogue. After God sends Korach’s band down to the depths, one would expect the people to be chastened and to get back into line. Instead, with the earth calmed and the leadership question resolved, the Israelites panic: “Lo, we perish, we are lost, all of us lost!” (Num. 17:27)
The conclusion is unsettled and unsettling. Even with Korach’s demise, the people don’t understand how, in the moment, they could have known which leader to trust. Korach—like Moses—invoked God’s word. What was wrong with his words?
More critically, how will the people tell good leaders from bad in the future?
The message that elites are no better than commoners, that the people ought to govern themselves, has captivated people throughout history, from Korach to Cromwell to Lenin and into today. Even though experience teaches that successful populists will insert themselves as a new elite, often cruelly repressing dissent, it is nevertheless difficult in the moment to tell the democrat from the demagogue.
Indeed, when the earth opened her mouth and swallowed Korach’s band, the Torah records that the Israelites “nasu lekolam”, literally ran towards the voices of Korach and his band, towards the chasm (Num. 16:34). This image—a crowd blindly following a demagogue into danger—is the threat of populism made vividly real.
We can then understand why the Israelites are so shaken at the end. After the Golden Calf and the spies, the Israelites learned a clear lesson: trust in God’s word. At the end of this story, the Israelites don’t know what to do. How can they ensure they don’t follow the next demagogue down to she’ol? This is the cry of “ “Lo, we perish, we are lost, all of us lost!”
And, starkly, there is no answer provided by God or Moses. This is a burden the people alone must bear—to use their judgement to search out leaders who do justice, love mercy, and walk modestly with God.
Adam Szubin is a Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and of Counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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