Numbers 16 38

Numbers 16:38 kjv

The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

Numbers 16:38 nkjv

The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel."

Numbers 16:38 niv

the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the LORD and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites."

Numbers 16:38 esv

As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the LORD, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel."

Numbers 16:38 nlt

Take the incense burners of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and hammer the metal into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. Since these burners were used in the LORD's presence, they have become holy. Let them serve as a warning to the people of Israel."

Numbers 16 verses

Numbers 16 38 Meaning

Numbers 16:38 details the divine command regarding the censers used by Korah and his rebellious associates. Despite their sin of unauthorized worship, their brass censers, having been presented before the Lord, absorbed a peculiar holiness. Instead of being discarded, these censers were to be hammered into thin sheets and used as an overlay for the bronze altar of burnt offering. This act served as a perpetual sign and memorial to the people of Israel, vividly proclaiming the consequence of challenging God’s established authority and the sanctity of the divinely ordained priesthood. It underscored that only the Lord appoints priests and sanctifies their instruments for proper worship.

Numbers 16 38 Context

Numbers chapter 16 describes a dramatic challenge to God’s appointed leadership and sacred order. Korah, a Levite, along with Dathan, Abiram, and On, from the tribe of Reuben, and 250 leaders of the congregation, rose up against Moses and Aaron, claiming that the whole congregation was holy and equal before God. They questioned Moses’ authority and Aaron’s exclusive priestly role, usurping the privilege of offering incense. God's response was swift and decisive: the earth opened to swallow Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their households, while fire from the Lord consumed the 250 men offering incense. Verse 38 specifically deals with the aftermath of the 250 men's demise. The divine instruction is not to discard their censers as utterly defiled, but to repurpose them. This highlights both the severity of the sin (requiring death) and a unique aspect of holiness (objects brought into God's presence, even improperly, carry a unique status) as a lasting memorial to God's uncompromising judgment on sacrilege and His unwavering commitment to His ordained structures of worship and authority. This event occurs during Israel's journey through the wilderness, a period characterized by constant challenges to divine authority and God's consistent display of His covenant faithfulness through judgment and grace.

Numbers 16 38 Word analysis

• The censers (מַחְתֹּ֣ת / makhtot): These were typically made of bronze and used to carry burning coals for offering incense. In this context, they were instruments of a sacrilegious act, yet their direct proximity to an attempt to worship the Lord imbued them with a paradoxical holiness, distinct from human sin.
• sinned (חֲטָאִ֨ים / ḥaṭaʾim): The root 'hata' means to "miss the mark." Here, it specifically denotes rebellion against divine appointment and the unauthorized invasion of sacred space and duties reserved for Aaron's priesthood.
• at the cost of their lives (בְּנַפְשֹׁתָ֜ם / bənafšotam): Literally, "with their souls/lives." This phrase underscores the capital consequence of their sin, a direct judgment from God. Their attempt to draw near to God inappropriately resulted in their death.
• hammered sheets (רִקֻּעֵי / riqqu'ei): This signifies the process of flattening and expanding the solid censers into thin, continuous metallic plates. It implies transformation and repurposing, turning objects of rebellion into a holy reminder.
• overlay (צִפּוּי / tsippuy): A covering or plating. The bronze altar already had a bronze overlay, but these censers formed an additional, distinct layer, marking it with this unique history. It becomes an indelible part of a holy fixture.
• on the altar (מִזְבֵּֽחַ / mizbeaḥ): Specifically, the great bronze altar of burnt offering, which stood at the entrance to the Tabernacle courtyard. This altar was the focal point of Israel’s atonement and access to God. Overlaying it with the censers made the rebellion a permanent reminder at the very place of sacrifice and cleansing.
• became holy (קָדְשׁ֥וּ / qādešū): Derived from the root 'q-d-sh', meaning "to be set apart, consecrated, holy." This is a crucial and often debated concept. The censers did not become holy through the men's proper worship (as their worship was illicit), but by being brought into God's immediate presence for sacred service, even in transgression. God's presence, being absolute holiness, confers a degree of consecrated status upon things brought near Him, even if it leads to the demise of the unholy person. This holiness required specific handling rather than being treated as common or profane waste.
• a sign (א֔וֹת / ʾot): A signal, marker, or token for remembrance. This object would serve as a constant visual lesson and warning for all generations, visible to anyone approaching the altar for worship.
• "offered them before the Lord, and they became holy": This phrase captures the essence of divine presence and its effect. Despite the illicit intention and the unholy hands, the very act of bringing an object into God’s sphere for supposed sacred use imparted to that object a consecrated status in God’s eyes, demanding special treatment. This demonstrates God’s own inviolable holiness that transfers even to items used improperly in His presence. It warns that dealing with holy things requires holiness from the handlers.
• "overlay on the altar...Thus they shall be a sign": This command intertwines memorial and warning with divine sovereignty. The material used in rebellion now permanently adorned the very symbol of atonement, constantly proclaiming God's justice, His unyielding standards for worship, and His chosen priesthood.

Numbers 16 38 Bonus section

The concept of objects becoming 'holy' even through an act of rebellion before the Lord highlights the profound distinction between human impurity and God's intrinsic holiness. It is not the person's righteousness or intent that makes the object holy, but the object's contact with the divine realm and divine purpose. This emphasizes the 'contagion' of holiness (qodesh), where even items presented improperly before the Most Holy God are sanctified by Him for His own purposes (memorial, warning), rather than being defiled by the sin of the one presenting them. This differentiates divine holiness from human ritual purity. The molten censers form a type of 'sanctified sin' – a paradoxical memorial of human failure transformed by divine will into a tool for future instruction. It's a reminder that God can redeem and repurpose even the most sinful of events to serve His greater, holy purposes, ultimately directing His people towards proper reverence and obedience.

Numbers 16 38 Commentary

Numbers 16:38 provides a powerful testament to God's absolute holiness, His unwavering justice, and His strict adherence to the divine order of worship and priesthood. The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram challenged the very fabric of God's covenant with Israel by disputing Moses' prophetic authority and Aaron's priestly office. God's judgment was immediate and terrifying. Yet, in the aftermath, the censers of the destroyed rebels were not merely discarded as defiled but were transformed into a sacred memorial. This unique command highlights that objects brought into contact with God's direct presence for sacred purposes (even if improperly) absorb a sanctity that sets them apart from the common. Their transformation into a hammered overlay for the bronze altar meant that every Israelite who came to offer sacrifice for their sins would be confronted by the tangible consequence of rebellion against God's appointed leaders and His sacred laws. This perpetual sign served as a stark, visual reminder that access to God, and service in His name, are strictly by His appointment and according to His established boundaries, not human presumption. It emphasized that "holiness to the Lord" is not an arbitrary status but an inherent quality of anything belonging to or used by God. The lesson extends beyond the specific incident, admonishing reverence, obedience to God’s appointed authority, and the sanctity of proper worship, a lesson vital for all generations of believers.