Original Word: קֹרַח
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Qorach
Pronunciation: koh-RAKH
Phonetic Spelling: (ko'rakh)
KJV: Korah
NASB: Korah
Word Origin: [from H7139 (קָרַח - make)]

1. ice
2. Korach, the name of two Edomites and three Israelites

Korah

From qarach; ice; Korach, the name of two Edomites and three Israelites -- Korah.

see HEBREW qarach

Word Origin
from qarach
Definition
an Edomite name, also an Isr. name
NASB Translation
Korah (26).

קֹ֫רַח₃₇ proper name, masculine Κορε (baldness ?); —

1 Edomite name:

a. Genesis 36:5,14,18; 1 Chronicles 1:35.

b. Genesis 36:16 (not ⅏; probably gloss from Genesis 36:18 Di Kau Ball and others; Holz hesitates).

2 Levite, rebel ag. Moses, Numbers 16:1 10t. 16, 17, Numbers 26:9,10; Numbers 27:3; in Geneal. Lists Exodus 6:21,24; 1 Chronicles 6:7; 1 Chronicles 6:22; ׳בֶּןקֿ 1 Chronicles 9:19; ׳בְּנֵיקֿ Numbers 26:11; especially ׳לִבְנֵיקֿ as company of Psalm-collectors (or singers), in titles: Psalm 42:1; Psalm 44:1; Psalm 45:1; Psalm 46:1; Psalm 47:1; Psalm 48:1; Psalm 49:1; Psalm 84:1; Psalm 85:1; Psalm 87:1; Psalm 88:1.

3 a 'son' of Hebron, i.e. Judahite clan 1 Chronicles 2:43 Κορεε, etc.

Name and General Scope

The Hebrew name קֹרַח (Korah) appears about thirty-seven times in the Old Testament and is borne by at least three different men. Its occurrences cluster around (1) an Edomite tribal chief in the patriarchal period, (2) a descendant of Judah in the days of the Conquest, and above all (3) a Levite who led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. A fourth and enduring use of the name surfaces in the phrase “sons of Korah,” a family of Levitical singers whose ministry supplied the headings to eleven Psalms.

Korah the Edomite Chief (Genesis 36:5, 14, 18; 1 Chronicles 1:35)

The earliest bearer of the name is Korah son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau. Listed with Teman and Omar among the chiefs of Edom, this Korah represents the political fragmentation that characterized Esau’s lineage. Scripture assigns him no further narrative, yet his presence in the genealogies underlines Edom’s rapid development into a confederation of “chiefs” even before Israel left Egypt.

Korah of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:43)

A lesser-known Korah appears among the sons of Hebron, a descendant of Judah through Caleb. The Chronicler records him simply to preserve tribal boundaries and land rights. As no exploits are attached to him, his mention serves mainly to distinguish his branch from the Levite bearing the same name.

Korah son of Izhar: Lineage and Office (Exodus 6:21; Numbers 16:1)

The most prominent Korah is the son of Izhar, grandson of Kohath, and great-grandson of Levi. As a Kohathite he was charged with transporting the holy furnishings of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:15). His pedigree placed him near the center of Israel’s cultic life, second only to the Aaronic priests.

The Rebellion: Motives and Alliance (Numbers 16:1-3)

Korah, allied with Dathan and Abiram of Reuben, gathered 250 tribal leaders and “men of renown” to contest the exclusive priesthood of Aaron. The charge, “You have gone too far! For all the congregation is holy” (Numbers 16:3), cloaked personal ambition in the language of egalitarian zeal. The alliance between a Levite (Korah) and Reubenites (Dathan and Abiram) reflects a political calculus: Korah sought priestly power, while Dathan and Abiram resented the loss of firstborn status that Reuben once held.

Divine Judgment (Numbers 16:28-35; Deuteronomy 11:6)

Moses’ challenge—“By this you will know that the LORD has sent me” (Numbers 16:28)—was met by an unprecedented sign. “The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households” (Numbers 16:32). Fire then consumed the 250 men offering unauthorized incense. Deuteronomy later recalls “what He did to Dathan and Abiram … and how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with Korah’s followers” (Deuteronomy 11:6), enshrining the episode as a perpetual warning against insurrection.

Aftermath and Preservation of a Remnant (Numbers 26:9-11)

Though Korah perished, “the sons of Korah did not die” (Numbers 26:11). This parenthetical note accentuates divine justice tempered by mercy. The spared offspring became an enduring Levitical branch.

The Sons of Korah in Temple Worship

1 Chronicles 6:31-38 traces Heman the singer back to Korah, linking the family to the temple’s musical guild. Under Jehoshaphat, “the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:19), indicating their liturgical leadership during national crisis. Eleven Psalm titles attribute authorship or performance to “the sons of Korah” (Psalms 42; 44-49; 84; 85; 87; 88). These compositions celebrate Zion (Psalm 48), long for God’s presence (Psalm 42), and proclaim eschatological hope (Psalm 46). The irony is striking: the lineage that once challenged God-ordained authority became a fountain of worship that extolled that very authority.

Subsequent Canonical Echoes

Number 16’s rebellion is cited in Jude 11, where false teachers “perish in Korah’s rebellion,” making Korah a byword for ecclesiastical revolt. Psalm headings keep the name before Israel’s worshipers, transforming an ancestral stigma into a testimony of grace.

Theological Themes

1. Authority and Ordination: Korah’s fate underscores that priestly privilege is a divine, not democratic, grant.
2. Holiness and Mediation: Approaching God on human terms invites judgment; acceptable worship comes only through God’s appointed mediator.
3. Mercy within Judgment: The spared sons illustrate covenant mercy that can redeem even a disgraced lineage.
4. Worship after Repentance: The Korahite Psalms model adoration founded on submission rather than presumption.

Practical Lessons

• Spiritual gifts do not shield against pride; they intensify responsibility.
• Popular support cannot legitimize rebellion against God’s Word.
• God may redeem a family history marred by sin, turning former rebels into servants of praise.

Thus the name קֹרַח spans warning and worship—warning to the proud who contest God’s order, and worship from descendants who learned to exalt the LORD in humble service.

וְקֹֽרַח׃ וקרח׃ כְקֹ֙רַח֙ כקרח לְקֹ֔רַח לקרח קֹ֑רַח קֹ֔רַח קֹ֖רַח קֹ֙רַח֙ קֹ֛רֶח קֹ֛רַח קֹ֜רַח קֹ֥רַח קֹ֬רַח קֹ֭רַח קֹֽרַח׃ קרח קרח׃ cheKorach ḵə·qō·raḥ ḵəqōraḥ Korach Korech lə·qō·raḥ leKorach ləqōraḥ qō·raḥ qō·reḥ qōraḥ qōreḥ veKorach wə·qō·raḥ wəqōraḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts