The Meaning of Numbers 16:49 Explained

Numbers 16:49

KJV: Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

YLT: and those who die by the plague are fourteen thousand and seven hundred, apart from those who die for the matter of Korah;

Darby: Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides them that had died because of the matter of Korah.

ASV: Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides them that died about the matter of Korah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now they that died  in the plague  were fourteen  thousand  and seven  hundred,  beside them that died  about the matter  of Korah. 

What does Numbers 16:49 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 16:49 mean?

And were those who died in the plague four [and] ten thousand and seven hundred besides those who died in the incident Korah
וַיִּהְי֗וּ הַמֵּתִים֙ בַּמַּגֵּפָ֔ה אַרְבָּעָ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר אֶ֖לֶף וּשְׁבַ֣ע מֵא֑וֹת מִלְּבַ֥ד הַמֵּתִ֖ים עַל־ דְּבַר־ קֹֽרַח

וַיִּהְי֗וּ  And  were 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
הַמֵּתִים֙  those  who  died 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
בַּמַּגֵּפָ֔ה  in  the  plague 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַגֵּפָה  
Sense: blow, slaughter, plague, pestilence, strike, smite.
אַרְבָּעָ֥ה  four 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
עָשָׂ֛ר  [and]  ten 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂר 
Sense: ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers).
אֶ֖לֶף  thousand 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶלֶף 
Sense: a thousand.
וּשְׁבַ֣ע  and  seven 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, feminine singular construct
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
מֵא֑וֹת  hundred 
Parse: Number, feminine plural
Root: מֵאָה 
Sense: hundred.
מִלְּבַ֥ד  besides 
Parse: Preposition-m, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
הַמֵּתִ֖ים  those  who  died 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
דְּבַר־  the  incident 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
קֹֽרַח  Korah 
Parse: 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.