Abiram
Abiram was a member of the Tribe of Reuben, the son of Eliab, who, along with his brother Dathan, joined Korah in the conspiracy against Moses and Aaron. He and all the conspirators, with their families and possessions, were swallowed up by the ground (Numbers 16:1-40; Numbers 26:9-11; Psalms 106:17).
Quotes about
[edit]- When they envied Moses in the camp, / And Aaron the saint of the Lord, / The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, / And covered the faction of Abiram. / A fire was kindled in their company; / The flame burned up the wicked.
- Psalms 106:16-18 NKJV.
- Know today that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastening of the Lord your God, His greatness and His mighty hand and His outstretched arm— [...] and what He did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, their households, their tents, and all the substance that was [a]in their possession, in the midst of all Israel.
- Deuteronomy 11:2;6 NKJV.
- Now Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth son[a] of Reuben, took two hundred fifty Israelite men, leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men, and they confronted Moses. They assembled against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. So why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
- Numbers 16:1-3 NRSVUE.
- Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! Is it too little that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also lord it over us? It is clear you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come!”
- Numbers 16:12-14 NRSVUE.
- So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him. He spoke to the congregation, saying, “Turn away from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be swept away for all their sins.” So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances of their tents, together with their wives, their children, and their little ones. [...] Moses said: [...] But if the Lord creates something new and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”
As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them was split apart.- Numbers 16:25-27; 28;30-31 NRSVUE.
