The Meaning of Numbers 16:40 Explained

Numbers 16:40

KJV: To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

YLT: a memorial to the sons of Israel, so that a stranger who is not of the seed of Aaron doth not draw near to make a perfume before Jehovah, and is not as Korah, and as his company, -- as Jehovah hath spoken by the hand of Moses to him.

Darby: as a memorial to the children of Israel, that no stranger who is not of the seed of Aaron come near to burn incense before Jehovah, that he be not as Korah, and as his band, as Jehovah had said to him through Moses.

ASV: to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, that is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before Jehovah; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as Jehovah spake unto him by Moses.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[To be] a memorial  unto the children  of Israel,  that  no stranger,  which [is] not of the seed  of Aaron,  come near  to offer  incense  before  the LORD;  that he be not as Korah,  and as his company:  as the LORD  said  to him by the hand  of Moses. 

What does Numbers 16:40 Mean?

Context Summary

Numbers 16:36-50 - "between The Dead And The Living"
The censers served as plates for the altar. Even evil men and evil things will be made to subserve the divine purposes. See Acts 2:23. What a wonderful anticipation of our Lord's eternal priesthood and intercession is furnished by this picture of Aaron waving his censer between the living and the dead, and arresting the plague! On which side do you stand? Are you among the living, or among the dead? Is Christ to you a savor of life unto life or of death unto death? Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall enlighten thee.
The priesthood and the incense-offering had been usurped by Korah to his destruction; but as exercised by God's appointed priest, they brought life. It is an awful thing for mortal man to intrude into the sacred prerogatives of Christ. See 1 Timothy 2:5. [source]

Chapter Summary: Numbers 16

1  The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
23  Moses separates the people from the rebels' tents
31  The earth swallows up Korah, and a fire consumes others
36  The censers are reserved to holy use
41  14,700 are slain by a plague, for murmuring against Moses and Aaron
46  Aaron by incense stays the plague

What do the individual words in Numbers 16:40 mean?

[to be] a memorial to the sons of Israel to the end that - no should come near son of a foreigner who not a descendant of Aaron is to offer incense before Yahweh that not he might become like Korah and his companions just as had said Yahweh through Moses to him
זִכָּר֞וֹן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לְ֠מַעַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־ יִקְרַ֜ב אִ֣ישׁ זָ֗ר אֲ֠שֶׁר לֹ֣א מִזֶּ֤רַע אַהֲרֹן֙ ה֔וּא לְהַקְטִ֥יר קְטֹ֖רֶת לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־ יִהְיֶ֤ה כְקֹ֙רַח֙ וְכַ֣עֲדָת֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה בְּיַד־ מֹשֶׁ֖ה לֽוֹ

זִכָּר֞וֹן  [to  be]  a  memorial 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זִכָּרֹון  
Sense: memorial, reminder, remembrance.
לִבְנֵ֣י  to  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
לְ֠מַעַן  to  the  end  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  - 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לֹֽא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִקְרַ֜ב  should  come  near 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרַב  
Sense: to come near, approach, enter into, draw near.
אִ֣ישׁ  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
זָ֗ר  of  a  foreigner 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: זוּר 
Sense: to be strange, be a stranger.
מִזֶּ֤רַע  a  descendant 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
אַהֲרֹן֙  of  Aaron 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַהֲרֹון  
Sense: brother of Moses, a Levite and the first high priest.
לְהַקְטִ֥יר  to  offer 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
קְטֹ֖רֶת  incense 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: קְטֹרֶת  
Sense: incense, smoke, odour of (burning) sacrifice.
לִפְנֵ֣י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
יְהוָ֑ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְלֹֽא־  that  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִהְיֶ֤ה  he  might  become 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְקֹ֙רַח֙  like  Korah 
Parse: Preposition-k, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹרַח  
Sense: son of Izhar, grandson of Kohath, great grandson of Levi and leader of the rebellion of the Israelites against Moses and Aaron while in the wilderness; punished and died by an earthquake and flames of fire.
וְכַ֣עֲדָת֔וֹ  and  his  companions 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֵדָה  
Sense: congregation, gathering.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר  just  as 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
דִּבֶּ֧ר  had  said 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
יְהוָ֛ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּיַד־  through 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
מֹשֶׁ֖ה  Moses 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹשֶׁה  
Sense: the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus.
לֽוֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular