The leaders of this rebellion were Korah-a Levite of the Kohathite branch of the tribe and thus a kinsman of Moses and Aaron-and Dathan, Abiram, and On, who were Reubenites. Perhaps these Reubenites felt slighted because their tribe had lost the rights of the firstborn and they wanted a larger role in the nation. [1] These men gained the support of250 other men (perhaps a round number) from the other tribes who were leaders among the Israelites. [source][source][source]
These men intended to overthrow the constitution that God had handed down for Israel and to replace it with one that seemed better to them. They based their action on the truth that the whole congregation was holy ( Exodus 19:5-6). They inferred from this that all Israelites therefore had the right to serve in the priesthood. They failed to appreciate the fact that God had chosen the Levites for special priestly service because the nation as a whole had apostatized at Sinai ( Exodus 32). They also failed to see that divine election to priestly service, which had been the privilege of the entire nation, did not in itself constitute qualification for priestly service. This depended on obedience to God"s covenant ( Exodus 19:5). [source][source][source]
The rebels attributed Moses and Aaron"s prominence in the leadership of Israel to personal ambition rather than to obedience to God"s commands. [source][source][source]