Numbers 16:4

³They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have taken too much upon yourselves! For everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”⁴When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. ⁵Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses, He will bring near to Himself.

Summary

In Numbers 16:4, Moses responds to the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram by falling facedown. This action symbolizes humility, submission to God, and a plea for divine intervention. Despite the unjust accusations against him, Moses does not retaliate but instead seeks God's guidance and justice. His posture reflects a deep reverence for God's authority and a reliance on His wisdom to resolve the conflict. This verse serves as a powerful example of responding to opposition with prayer, trust, and humility before the Lord.

Commentary

Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

When Moses heard these words of the rebels, he fell upon his face, to complain of the matter to the Lord, as in Num 14:5. He then said to Korah and his company, "To-morrow Jehovah will show who is His and holy, and will let him come near to Him, and he whom He chooseth will draw near to Him." The meaning of לו אשׁר is evident from בּו יבחר אשׁר. He is Jehovah's, whom He chooses, so that He belongs to Him with his whole life. The reference is to the priestly rank, to which God had chosen Aaron and his sons out of the whole nation, and sanctified them by a special consecration (Exo 28:1; Exo 29:1; Lev 8:12, Lev 8:30), and by which they became the persons "standing near to Him" (Lev 10:3), and were qualified to appear before Him in the sanctuary, and present to Him the sacrifices of the nation.