The Bible In Paintings, #50: KORAH’S SINKING FEELING

Bing Images (where no attribution appears, the artist is unknown) ^ | c. 2200 BC -- c. 95 AD | Father, Son & Holy Spirit

[Hebrews 11:6]

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KORAH’S REBELLION

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N U M B E R S . . 1 6
New International Version, emphases added
Abridged – the complete text is in your Bible

1 4 4 5 . . B. C.

1 Korah, Dathan and Abiram became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”

4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him."

16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. 17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.” 18 So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. 20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”

22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”

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“Moses and Korah” – 1466 manuscript miniature, National Library of Poland

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“Korah’s Rebellion”

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Moses, Korah, Dathan & Abiram

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by SANDRO BOTTICELLI
“The Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron”
Fresco in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, Italy

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K O R A H ’ S

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F E E L I N G

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23 Then the Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”

25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.

28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”

31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

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“The Earth Swallows Up Korah”

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by GUSTAVE DORÉ
“Death of Korah, Dathan and Abiram”

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Holman Bible
“Destruction of Korah Dathan and Abiram”

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by MARIA HADFIELD COSWAY
“The Judgement of Korah, Dathan and Abiram”

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“The Earth Swallows Up Korah and All His Followers”

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“Korah's Rebellion” Steel engraving c.1860

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“The earth swallows Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their people”

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“Korah, Dathan And Abiram Rebel”

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“Korah, Dathan & Abiram punished by the Lord”

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NOTES ON MY SUBJECTIVE SELECTION CRITERIA

Quality
Works need not be masterpieces to qualify for inclusion here—they don’t need to be housed at the Louvre nor auctioned by Sotheby’s. They only need to successfully illustrate some aspect of the Biblical text or, frankly, just tickle my fancy, which I pray the Holy Spirit is guiding.

Pacing
The pace may seem glacial to those eager to see their favorite events. My commission is to search for art on each Bible passage in sequence; if I find enough, then it becomes the next installment, even if undramatic.

I’m just having fun—and I certainly hope you are, too!
Thank you for your understanding.

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R E S O U R C E S

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Here are links to compendia of three masters
who painted Biblical scenes prolifically:

REMBRANDT van RIJN

GUSTAV DORÉ
(241 wood engravings for
La Grande Bible de Tours)

JAMES TISSOT

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Since this series moves constantly from one Bible passage to another,
here is a fascinating and enjoyable link to assist in following along:
BIBLE TIMELINE

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Finally, here are links to the
PREVIOUS 49 POSTS IN THIS SERIES

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SPECIAL THANKS
to FReeper left that other site,
who allowed God to make her His conduit
for incomparable enthusiasm, encouragement,
education, advice and technical assistance!

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SNEAK PEEK: Next time,

AARON'S ADVENTURES

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[Hebrews 11:6]

At the Holy Spirit's prompting, I am surveying "Bible art" to give God glory, as many of these artists have done, and for my own amusement and learning; and I thought others might enjoy it and be blessed by it, too. My plan is to proceed methodically from left-to right, Genesis to Revelation, as the Lord wills. Back soon with another.

The Bible encourages us to meditate on it (Ps. 1:1-3, 119:11-16, etc.); these artists have done so, and their works can assist us and enrich our own thoughts about biblical characters, incidents and concepts, and increase our faith in He who is behind it all. As you encounter and consider these images and the related Scriptures and the Spirit enlightens your understanding, please share it with us!

But it is not only oil-on-canvas that can so help us; I refer to the astonishing video series The Chosen, which strolls through the four Gospels at the most leisurely pace. The eight episodes of Season 1 are finished, and the second of a planned seven seasons is coming soon. I say "leisurely" because after an entire year’s viewing Jesus still has only seven of the apostles (although He's preparing to call up Thomas from the minor leagues--but Thomas is skeptical, of course). Anticipating a canvas of fifty-plus hours instead of a movie's paltry two hours, The Chosen turns the characters (especially including Jesus!) into three-dimensional humans and brings the Gospels alive--you have never seen anything even remotely like it! Here is the Official Trailer.

Here is a link for free viewing of The Chosen: “Works with your phone, tablet, and you can cast to your Roku or Chromecast.” Last fall I paid $34.98 for DVDs and ongoing internet access—best 35 bucks I’ve ever spent (I don’t recall how much our marriage license cost, but then it was 42 years ago).

[Hebrews 11:6]

Ping List for the series
"THE BIBLE IN PAINTINGS"

To receive an alert for each new posting
in this series, either reply here or FRmail me.

[left that other site]

Wow! How ironic that Sandro Botticelli put The Arch of Titus in the background!

My first reaction was “Ha Ha! What an anachronism! The Arch of Titus wasn’t built till 70AD!”

But then, I thought:

Why was the Arch of Titus built in the first place?

It was built to “celebrate” the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Why was Jerusalem destroyed?

Well, the simple answer is that the Romans got sick and tired of the Jews rebelling against their “overlords”.

But the more complicated answer rests in God’s people rebelling against God. The prophets told the people again and again that idolatry would lead to destruction, dispersion, and exile. It happened more than once in the Scriptures, and here it was happening again. Jesus even predicted that in the Apostles’ lifetime, there would be “not one stone left standing upon another”.

But why put the Arch of Titus in THIS painting? Was Sandro telling us that, just like Dathan and the Sons of Korah, our own edifice can come tumbling down and swallowed up by the ground, if it is not rooted and grounded in Christ? After all, by this time the Arch was a ruin as was the rest of the Roman Empire.

Or was he just using convenient scenery he found around Rome?

Just some random musings from an Art Major!

[Hebrews 11:6]

BRILLIANT "musings," Mary-Lou! Now that's what I'm talkin-bout! See, THIS is why I keep you around.

"Just some random musings from an Art Major!" Phooey. How about insights from a Bible- and history-knowledgeable believer listening to and then channeling the Holy Spirit?!

I was confused by the arch and came nowhere near the connection you made, never really attempting to reason it through as you did; its apparent incoherence never had me more than 30% against posting it at all, primarily because of Botticelli and the title. Now you and the H.S. (you do persist in teaming up again and again) have me appreciating what turns out to be the gem of this collection. Thank you profoundly.

[left that other site]

Thank YOU for your kind words and confirmation. :-)

[Hebrews 11:6]

Keep it up!

[Maudeen]

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Num.16

I type in the scripture on Bible Gateway’s NIV Dramatized. It brings your pictures to life. There are a few dramatized choices but I personally like the one “Dramatized).

[Forgiven_Sinner]

I reviewed the art and saw how the artists influenced each other.

I also looked for a depiction of this verse: “ the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.”

but no one showed the ground closed up.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I very much enjoy reading your carefully-considered comments. They add substantially to my appreciation of the art's scriptural nexus, which is the whole point here.

but no one showed the ground closed up

Artists favor the dramatic ("look at them falling!") over the mundane ("where'd they go?"). This is a tiny example of what I face daily: not finding enough art to tell the story fully, which is my ideal. It's exactly why I promote The Chosen so fervently, because in it the Scripture comes fully alive.