In brief
Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, of the tribe of Reuben, lived during Israel's forty years in the wilderness. With Korah the Levite and two hundred and fifty leaders, they rose up against Moses and Aaron, challenging the authority God had given them. They refused to come when Moses summoned them. The judgment was terrible: the earth opened and swallowed them with their households. Scripture often recalls their end as a warning against rebellion toward God.
What does the name Dathan and Abiram mean?
The name Dathan is sometimes linked to a word related to spring or law, though this is uncertain. Abiram is generally understood as my father is exalted. The Bible explains neither name; it presents them as sons of Eliab, of the tribe of Reuben (Numbers 16:1).
The story of Dathan and Abiram
A revolt organized with Korah
Numbers 16:1-3Korah, a Levite, rebels together with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On, son of Peleth, all of the tribe of Reuben. Two hundred and fifty men of renown join them. They accuse Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above the Lord's assembly. Under the cover of equality, they challenge the calling God had entrusted to his servants.
We will not come up
Numbers 16:12-15Moses sends for Dathan and Abiram, but they refuse, saying they will not come up. They twist history by calling Egypt a land flowing with milk and honey, and they accuse Moses of wanting to kill them in the wilderness and of lording it over them. Moses, very angry, declares before God that he has not even taken one donkey from them.
The people told to separate
Numbers 16:23-27God orders the assembly to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Moses goes to them with the elders and tells the people to move away from the tents of these wicked men and to touch nothing that belongs to them. Dathan and Abiram come out and stand at the entrances of their tents with their families, without repenting.
The earth opens its mouth
Numbers 16:28-35Moses announces a sign: if the earth opens to swallow them, it will be known that they have despised the Lord. As soon as he finishes speaking, the ground splits and swallows them with their households and possessions. They go down alive into the realm of the dead. All Israel flees at their cries, and fire from the Lord consumes the two hundred and fifty men offering incense.
A warning for the generations
Numbers 26:9-11At the second census, the text recalls that Dathan and Abiram rose up against Moses and Aaron during the rebellion against the Lord. The earth swallowed them, and they became a warning to the people. It also notes that the sons of Korah did not die, a sign that God deals with each person individually in his judgment.
What Dathan and Abiram teaches us
- Rebelling against the servants God has appointed can, at its root, be rebellion against God himself.
- Bitterness rewrites the past: Dathan and Abiram ended up calling Egypt, the land of slavery, a land flowing with milk and honey.
- Refusing to come when called closes the door to dialogue and repentance.
- God calls his people to separate from evil rather than join it, even by mere proximity.
- The judgments recorded in Scripture are given as warnings, so that we may choose humility and obedience.
Key verses
Moses sends for Dathan and Abiram, and they answer that they will not come up. This refusal sums up their hardened hearts, closed to correction as well as to reconciliation.
Moses warns the people to move away from these men's tents. God protects those who separate from evil and refuse to take part in rebellion.
The earth swallowed them, and they became a warning to the people. Their story was preserved to teach later generations to fear God.
The psalmist remembers that the earth opened and swallowed Dathan. Israel made this episode part of its memory of prayer and repentance.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Dathan and Abiram rebel?
According to Numbers 16, they challenged the authority of Moses and Aaron, claiming that the whole assembly was holy. They also accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness and of wanting to rule over them. Their refusal to come shows a heart closed to God.
What do the names Dathan and Abiram mean?
Abiram is generally understood as my father is exalted. The meaning of Dathan is less certain; some link it to a word related to spring or law. The Bible gives no explanation, but identifies them as sons of Eliab, of the tribe of Reuben.
Where can I find the story of Dathan and Abiram in the Bible?
The main account is in Numbers 16. Their rebellion is recalled in Numbers 26:9-11, in Deuteronomy 11:6 and in Psalm 106:17. The New Testament also alludes to the rebellion of Korah, with whom they were associated, in Jude 11.