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Going Biblical: Fascinating Divine Punishments Recounted in the Old Testament

Khalid Elhassan May 9, 2025 19 min

Punishment - The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden — The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Encyclopedia Britannica

12. Questioning Just What Was So Special About Moses

The Book of Numbers, chapter 16, narrates the consequences of rebellion against those appointed by God to lead. Korah, a Levite (a member of the ancient Israelite tribe of Levi) was a cousin of Moses and Aaron. He, along with Dathan, Abiram, and On from the tribe of Reuben, and supported by 250 leading Israelites, challenged the leadership. The rebels argued that all Israelites were holy, accused Moses and Aaron of elevating themselves above their congregation, and questioned their special status.

In response, Moses proposed a test: the rebels and Aaron would each present censers with incense before the Lord, and He would indicate His chosen leader. The next day, as the community gathered at the Tent of Meeting, God’s presence appeared, and He was not happy.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.