1
Nu 16:1-30.
英文原文
Nu 16:1-30.
THE REBELLION OF KORAH.
1, 2. Now Korah, the son of Izhar--Izhar, brother of Amram
(Ex 6:18),
was the second son of Kohath, and for some reason unrecorded he had been supplanted by a descendant of the fourth son of Kohath, who was appointed prince or chief of the Kohathites
(Nu 3:30).
Discontent with the preferment over him of a younger relative was probably the originating cause of this seditious movement on the part of Korah.
Dathan and Abiram, . . . and On--These were confederate leaders in the rebellion, but On seems to have afterwards withdrawn from the conspiracy [compare
Nu 16:12, 24, 25, 27; 26:9; De 11:6; Ps 106:17].
took men--The latter mentioned individuals, being all sons of Reuben, the eldest of Jacob's family, had been stimulated to this insurrection on the pretext that Moses had, by an arbitrary arrangement, taken away the right of primogeniture, which had vested the hereditary dignity of the priesthood in the first-born of every family, with a view of transferring the hereditary exercise of the sacred functions to a particular branch of his own house; and that this gross instance of partiality to his own relations, to the permanent detriment of others, was a sufficient ground for refusing allegiance to his government. In addition to this grievance, another cause of jealousy and dissatisfaction that rankled in the breasts of the Reubenites was the advancement of Judah to the leadership among the tribes. These malcontents had been incited by the artful representations of Korah
(Jude 11),
with whom the position of their camp on the south side afforded them facilities of frequent intercourse. In addition to his feeling of personal wrongs, Korah participated in their desire (if he did not originate the attempt) to recover their lost rights of primogeniture. When the conspiracy was ripe, they openly and boldly declared its object, and at the head of two hundred fifty princes, charged Moses with an ambitious and unwarrantable usurpation of authority, especially in the appropriation of the priesthood, for they disputed the claim of Aaron also to pre-eminence
[Nu 16:3].
3
無標題
3. 他們聚集攻擊摩西、亞倫——聚集的似乎是叛黨全體；他們立論的根據是：全民既已被分別出來歸於聖事
(Ex 19:6)， 便同樣有資格在壇上獻祭；而且神既藉帳幕和雲柱恩典地住在他們中間，便顯明祂樂意從別人手中、也從他們手中一樣地接受祭物。
英文原文
3. they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron--The assemblage seems to have been composed of the whole band of conspirators; and they grounded their complaint on the fact that the whole people, being separated to the divine service
(Ex 19:6),
were equally qualified to present offerings on the altar, and that God, being graciously, present among them by the tabernacle and the cloud, evinced His readiness to receive sacrifices from the hand of any others as well as from theirs.
4
無標題
4. 摩西聽見這話，就俯伏在地——這俯伏的姿態不僅表明他謙卑懇切地求神介入、使他脫離那虛妄可憎的指控，也表明他對這行徑中所包藏那膽大妄為之罪的強烈感受。論到亞倫，他既曾親自帶頭作亂
[Nu 12:1]， 人對他或許另有想法；但對摩西在此艱難關頭的處境，我們不能不深表同情。然而他是個敬虔的人，他所採取的審慎之策，大概是他在禱告中所蒙賜的那屬天智慧的指引。
英文原文
4. when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face--This attitude of prostration indicated not only his humble and earnest desire that God would interpose to free him from the false and odious imputation, but also his strong sense of the daring sin involved in this proceeding. Whatever feelings may be entertained respecting Aaron, who had formerly headed a sedition himself
[Nu 12:1],
it is impossible not to sympathize with Moses in this difficult emergency. But he was a devout man, and the prudential course he adopted was probably the dictate of that heavenly wisdom with which, in answer to his prayers, he was endowed.
5
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5-11. 他對可拉和可拉的一切黨羽說話——先向他們開口，不僅因為這一黨由他的親表兄弟率領，摩西或許指望在那邊更有影響力，也因為他們駐紮在帳幕附近；更因為勸戒出自一個本身是利未人、又與全家一同被排除於祭司職分之外的人之口，分量就更重。但要使爭論有個了結，他提出了一個試驗，足以給神的選召作決定性的憑證。
到了早晨——按字面是「在清晨」，東方人通常在此時集議公事。
耶和華必指示誰是屬他的……就是他所揀選的那人，必使他親近自己——即以某種可見的、或神蹟式的悅納記號，為那人的職事作見證。
英文原文
5-11. he spake unto Korah and unto all his company--They were first addressed, not only because they were a party headed by his own cousin and Moses might hope to have more influence in that quarter, but because they were stationed near the tabernacle; and especially because an expostulation was the more weighty coming from him who was a Levite himself, and who was excluded along with his family from the priesthood. But to bring the matter to an issue, he proposed a test which would afford a decisive evidence of the divine appointment.
Even to-morrow--literally, "in the morning," the usual time of meeting in the East for the settlement of public affairs.
the Lord will show who are his, . . . even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him--that is, will bear attestation to his ministry by some visible or miraculous token of His approval.
6
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6, 7. 可拉和你的一切黨羽啊，要拿你們的香爐等——意即：你們既覬覦祭司之職，那麼就去罷，去履行這職任中最高的一項——燒香；若蒙悅納，也好。摩西此舉何等寬宏——他如今既樂意見神的百姓作祭司，正如先前樂意見他們作先知一樣
(Nu 11:29)。 但他警告他們，這是一場危險的試驗。
英文原文
6, 7. Take your censers, Korah, and all his company, &c.--that is, since you aspire to the priesthood, then go, perform the highest function of the office--that of offering incense; and if you are accepted well. How magnanimous the conduct of Moses, who was now as willing that God's people should be priests, as formerly that they should be prophets
(Nu 11:29).
But he warned them that they were making a perilous experiment.
12
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12-14. 摩西打發人去召大坍和亞比蘭——另作單獨的會見，因他們作亂的緣由不同：可拉是埋怨祭司之職專歸亞倫一家，他們則反對摩西在民政上的至上權。他們拒絕應召；其拒絕所持的理由似是而非——說他們在曠野逗留之久，是因首領有甚麼隱秘自私的目的，正像領瞎子般隨己意帶着他們走。
英文原文
12-14. Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram--in a separate interview, the ground of their mutiny being different; for while Korah murmured against the exclusive appropriation of the priesthood to Aaron and his family, they were opposed to the supremacy of Moses in civil power. They refused to obey the summons; and their refusal was grounded on the plausible pretext that their stay in the desert was prolonged for some secret and selfish purposes of the leader, who was conducting them like blind men wherever it suited him.
15
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15. 摩西甚發怒——他雖是世上最謙和的人〔Nu 12:3〕， 面對這些不義無據的指控，卻抑制不住義憤；他心情極其激動，便以簡短的呼喊——半是禱告、半是激昂的自證清白——表達出來。（參
1Sa 12:3）。
對耶和華說：求你不要顧念他們的供物——他稱之為「他們的」供物，因為這祭雖由可拉及其利未同道獻上，卻是全體叛黨為裁決摩西和亞倫之爭的聯合上訴。
英文原文
15. Moses was very wroth--Though the meekest of all men
[Nu 12:3],
he could not restrain his indignation at these unjust and groundless charges; and the highly excited state of his feeling was evinced by the utterance of a brief exclamation in the mixed form of a prayer and an impassioned assertion of his integrity. (Compare
1Sa 12:3).
and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering--He calls it their offering, because, though it was to be offered by Korah and his Levitical associates, it was the united appeal of all the mutineers for deciding the contested claims of Moses and Aaron.
16
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16-18. 摩西對可拉說：明天你和你的一切同黨，並亞倫，都要站在耶和華面前——即站在「帳幕門口」
(Nu 16:18)， 使聚集的百姓可以觀看這試驗，並因結果而得應當的教訓。
英文原文
16-18. Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord--that is, at "the door of the tabernacle"
(Nu 16:18),
that the assembled people might witness the experiment and be properly impressed by the issue.
17
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17. 二百五十個香爐——大概是埃及家庭中常見的小盤，家用來向家神燒香；這些盤大概就在他們離開時所借的珍物之中〔Ex 12:35, 36〕。
英文原文
17. two hundred fifty censers--probably the small platters, common in Egyptian families, where incense was offered to household deities and which had been among the precious things borrowed at their departure
[Ex 12:35, 36].
20
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20, 21. 耶和華對摩西、亞倫說：你們離開這會眾——要看這激動場面的好奇心吸引了大批群眾，看來民心已被叛黨對摩西和亞倫的鼓噪所煽惑，趨於作惡。他們的行徑中有些十分惹神不悅；因為在祂的榮光顯現之後——如在亞倫就職之時
(Le 9:23)， 如今為堅定其聖職——祂吩咐摩西和亞倫從會眾中退出，「好在轉眼之間把他們滅絕」。
英文原文
20, 21. the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation--Curiosity to witness the exciting spectacle attracted a vast concourse of the people, and it would seem that the popular mind had been incited to evil by the clamors of the mutineers against Moses and Aaron. There was something in their behavior very offensive to God; for after His glory had appeared--as at the installation of Aaron
(Le 9:23),
so now for his confirmation in the sacred office--He bade Moses and Aaron withdraw from the assembly "that He might consume them in a moment."
22
無標題
22. 他們就俯伏在地，說：神啊，萬人之靈的神啊——他們禱告中那仁慈的迫切，格外顯得可佩，因為這代求是為他們的仇敵而獻上的。
英文原文
22. they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh--The benevolent importunity of their prayer was the more remarkable that the intercession was made for their enemies.
24
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24-26. 你吩咐會眾說……離開會幕——摩西在執行這使命時，有長老陪同。如此多尊貴人物的聯合而懇切的勸請，產生了所要的效果，使百姓確信自己的罪，並使他們從那些注定被毀的人中退出，免得因有分於他們的罪而與他們一同滅亡。
英文原文
24-26. Speak unto the congregation, . . . Get you up from about the tabernacle--Moses was attended in the execution of this mission by the elders. The united and urgent entreaties of so many dignified personages produced the desired effect of convincing the people of their crime, and of withdrawing them from the company of men who were doomed to destruction, lest, being partakers of their sins, they should perish along with them.
27
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27. 可拉、大坍、亞比蘭的帳棚——可拉既屬哥轄族，他的帳棚不可能在流便支派的營中；似乎他自己也不在大坍、亞比蘭與其家眷所站的那個地點。他們那挑釁的姿態，顯示出他們膽大妄為、不知悔改的性情，對神對人同樣漠視。
英文原文
27. the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram--Korah being a Kohathite, his tent could not have been in the Reubenite camp, and it does not appear that he himself was on the spot where Dathan and Abiram stood with their families. Their attitude of defiance indicated their daring and impenitent character, equally regardless of God and man.
28
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28-34. 摩西說：我行這一切事，為要叫你們知道耶和華差遣我來——正如摩西所預言，地震的可怖災變將那些不敬虔的叛徒活埋在墳墓之中，這便為摩西的使命作了神聖的印證，並使旁觀者心生肅然的敬畏。
英文原文
28-34. Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works--The awful catastrophe of the earthquake which, as predicted by Moses, swallowed up those impious rebels in a living tomb, gave the divine attestation to the mission of Moses and struck the spectators with solemn awe.
35
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35. 有火從耶和華那裏出來——即從雲中出來。這似乎描述了可拉以及與他一同覬覦祭司職任之利未人的毀滅。（參見
Nu 26:11, 58； 1Ch 6:22, 37。）
英文原文
35. there came out a fire from the Lord--that is, from the cloud. This seems to describe the destruction of Korah and those Levites who with him aspired to the functions of the priesthood. (See
Nu 26:11, 58; 1Ch 6:22, 37).
37
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37-40. 你告訴祭司以利亞撒——選擇他，是免得大祭司因進到死屍中間而染了不潔。
英文原文
37-40. Speak unto Eleazar--He was selected lest the high priest might contract defilement from going among the dead carcasses.
39
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39, 40. 那些銅香爐……錘成片子用以包壇，作為記念——燔祭壇既以木製，外覆銅，這些寬片的額外遮蓋不僅使其對火雙重穩妥，更作為警告標記，阻止一切將來對祭司職任的侵犯。
英文原文
39, 40. the brazen censers . . . made broad plates to be a memorial--The altar of burnt offerings, being made of wood and covered with brass, this additional covering of broad plates not only rendered it doubly secure against the fire, but served as a warning beacon to deter all from future invasions of the priesthood.
41
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41. 以色列人向摩西、亞倫發怨言說：你們殺了耶和華的百姓——這是何等奇怪的群眾偏見與激情的表現——竟為拯救叛徒的領袖而歸咎！然而摩西與亞倫卻為百姓代求——大祭司甚至冒著自己的性命去行善給那悖逆的種族。
英文原文
41. the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord--What a strange exhibition of popular prejudice and passion--to blame the leaders for saving the rebels! Yet Moses and Aaron interceded for the people--the high priest perilling his own life in doing good to that perverse race.
48
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48. 他站在活人死人中間——瘟疫似乎從營的邊緣開始。亞倫在這可記念的作為中，是基督的預表。
英文原文
48. he stood between the living and the dead--The plague seems to have begun in the extremities of the camp. Aaron, in this remarkable act, was a type of Christ.
Nu 16:1-30.
可拉的叛亂
1, 2. 利未的曾孫、可拉——以斯哈是暗蘭的兄弟
(Ex 6:18)， 是哥轄的次子；不知何故，他被哥轄第四子的後裔所取代，那人被立為哥轄人的族長或首領
(Nu 3:30)。 一個較晚的親屬反居其上，這種不滿大概就是可拉發動這場叛亂的最初緣由。
大坍、亞比蘭……與安——這些人都是叛亂中的結盟首領，但安似乎後來退出了這項陰謀〔參
Nu 16:12, 24, 25, 27; 26:9; De 11:6; Ps 106:17〕。
聚集了人——後面提到的這幾個人，都是流便——雅各長子——的子孫；他們之所以受煽動而作亂，藉口是說摩西憑一己之意的安排，褫奪了長子名分；而這名分本使每家的長子享有祭司職的世襲尊榮，摩西卻有意把這聖職的世襲行使權轉到自己家族中的一個支系。他們又說，這種偏袒自家親屬、永久損害他人的惡例，已足以構成拒絕順服其政權的理由。除了這層積怨，還有另一種妒恨啃噬着流便人的心——猶大竟被提升為眾支派的領袖。可拉巧言煽惑了這些心懷不滿的人
(Jude 11)， 他們的營地既在營盤南面，與可拉頻繁往來甚為便利。可拉除自身所受的委屈外，也同他們一樣渴望（這念頭或許正由他首倡）恢復那失落了的長子權。叛亂一經醞釀成熟，他們便公開而大膽地宣告其目的，率領二百五十位首領，指控摩西野心勃勃、越權篡奪——尤其是在祭司職分的擅專上，因為連亞倫居首位的資格他們也一併質疑
[Nu 16:3]。