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But Korah was not satisfied. He wanted to act as a priest. To that end, he advanced what [[political science]] calls a [[populism|populist argument]]. He argued that no person in [[Israel]] was any more holy than any other person, and therefore the reservation of the priesthood to [[Aaron]] and his sons was unfounded and uncalled-for. Korah directed his argument to [[Moses]], in the belief that Moses had made the decision to establish the [[Aaronic priesthood]] to the exclusion of all other bloodlines. But his argument was clearly false, and his motive was self-aggrandizement, not a genuine concern for the welfare of the Israelites.<ref name=Olitzky/><ref name=Nickels/><ref name=ebibleteacher>"[http://www.ebibleteacher.com/children/lessons/OT/Exodus/korah.htm Korah Rebels, Moses Sins]." eBibleTeacher.com, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=Kabbalah>"[http://www.everburninglight.org/Korah.html Korah]." EverBurningLight.org, 2003. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=Smith>"[http://www.biblestudytools.net/Dictionaries/SmithsBibleDictionary/smt.cgi?number=T2613 Korah]." Smith's Bible Dictionary, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=chabad>"[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246641/jewish/Korahs-Rebellion.htm Korah's Rebellion]." Our Biblical Fathers, Chabad.org., n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref> Furthermore, this was a power struggle within the leadership, a far more dangerous source of trouble than a rebellion by an ordinary layman.<ref name=Nickels/>

But Korah was not satisfied. He wanted to act as a priest. To that end, he advanced what [[political science]] calls a [[populism|populist argument]]. He argued that no person in [[Israel]] was any more holy than any other person, and therefore the reservation of the priesthood to [[Aaron]] and his sons was unfounded and uncalled-for. Korah directed his argument to [[Moses]], in the belief that Moses had made the decision to establish the [[Aaronic priesthood]] to the exclusion of all other bloodlines. But his argument was clearly false, and his motive was self-aggrandizement, not a genuine concern for the welfare of the Israelites.<ref name=Olitzky/><ref name=Nickels/><ref name=ebibleteacher>"[http://www.ebibleteacher.com/children/lessons/OT/Exodus/korah.htm Korah Rebels, Moses Sins]." eBibleTeacher.com, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=Kabbalah>"[http://www.everburninglight.org/Korah.html Korah]." EverBurningLight.org, 2003. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=Smith>"[http://www.biblestudytools.net/Dictionaries/SmithsBibleDictionary/smt.cgi?number=T2613 Korah]." Smith's Bible Dictionary, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=chabad>"[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246641/jewish/Korahs-Rebellion.htm Korah's Rebellion]." Our Biblical Fathers, Chabad.org., n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref> Furthermore, this was a power struggle within the leadership, a far more dangerous source of trouble than a rebellion by an ordinary layman.<ref name=Nickels/>

In Rabbinical literature, Korah was a wealthy man, a codiscoverer of one of the treasuries of [[Joseph]] in [[Egypt]],<ref name=Jastrow>Jastrow M, Mendelsohn CJ, Schechter S, ''et al.'' "[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=362&letter=K Korah]." The Jewish Encyclopedia, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=Ginzberg>Ginzberg L, ''[http://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol3/p08.htm The Legends of the Jews]'', Vol. III(8). Philologos, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref> and that the immediate provocation of the revolt was the selection of [[Elzaphan]], son of [[Uzziel]], as the Levites' captain.<ref name=Jastrow/><ref name=Ginzberg/><ref name=chabad/> The Rabbinical literature also suggests that Korah's wife helped provoke him to his rash acts.<ref name=Jastrow/><ref name=Ginzberg/>

In Rabbinical literature, Korah was a wealthy man, a codiscoverer of one of the treasuries of [[Joseph]] in [[Egypt]],<ref name=Jastrow>Jastrow M, Mendelsohn CJ, Schechter S, ''et al.'' "[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=362&letter=K Korah]." The Jewish Encyclopedia, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=Ginzberg>Ginzberg L, ''[http://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol3/p08.htm The Legends of the Jews]'', Vol. III(8). Philologos, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref> and that the immediate provocation of the revolt was the selection of [[Elzaphan]], son of [[Uzziel]], as the Kohathites' captain.<ref name=Jastrow/><ref name=Ginzberg/><ref name=chabad/> The Rabbinical literature also suggests that Korah's wife helped provoke him to his rash acts.<ref name=Jastrow/><ref name=Ginzberg/>

Korah gathered to him three confederates, who came, perhaps by no accident, from the tribe of [[Reuben (tribe)|Reuben]]. The Reubenites camped to the south of the [[Tabernacle]] and were thus the "neighbors" of the Kohathites.<ref name=chabad/> The particular Reubenites who joined Korah were [[Dathan]], [[Abiram]], and [[On]].<ref name=Ginzberg/> He also recruited two hundred fifty prominent Israelites, apparently chosen from all the tribes and not Levites only.<ref name=Blank>Blank, Wayne. "[http://www.keyway.ca/htm2000/20000215.htm Korah's Rebellion]." Daily Bible Study, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=Beecher>Beecher WJ, "[http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T5364 Entry for Korah]," International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, gen. ed. 1915. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=ebibleteacher/><ref name=chabad/><ref name=Zadok>Bar Tzadok, Ariel, "[http://koshertorah.com/PDF/korah.pdf Korah: A Lesson in Arrogance]." Kosher Torah, 2000. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref> Some commentators suggest that this is a sign that Moses and Aaron were not popular leaders, and that most good leaders do not remain popular for long.<ref name=Dunagan>Dunagan M, "[http://www.ch-of-christ.beaverton.or.us/Korahs_Rebellion.htm Korah's Rebellion]," Beaverton Church of Christ, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref>

Korah gathered to him three confederates, who came, perhaps by no accident, from the tribe of [[Reuben (tribe)|Reuben]]. The Reubenites camped to the south of the [[Tabernacle]] and were thus the "neighbors" of the Kohathites.<ref name=chabad/> The particular Reubenites who joined Korah were [[Dathan]], [[Abiram]], and [[On]].<ref name=Ginzberg/> He also recruited two hundred fifty prominent Israelites, apparently chosen from all the tribes and not Levites only.<ref name=Blank>Blank, Wayne. "[http://www.keyway.ca/htm2000/20000215.htm Korah's Rebellion]." Daily Bible Study, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=Beecher>Beecher WJ, "[http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T5364 Entry for Korah]," International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, gen. ed. 1915. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref><ref name=ebibleteacher/><ref name=chabad/><ref name=Zadok>Bar Tzadok, Ariel, "[http://koshertorah.com/PDF/korah.pdf Korah: A Lesson in Arrogance]." Kosher Torah, 2000. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref> Some commentators suggest that this is a sign that Moses and Aaron were not popular leaders, and that most good leaders do not remain popular for long.<ref name=Dunagan>Dunagan M, "[http://www.ch-of-christ.beaverton.or.us/Korahs_Rebellion.htm Korah's Rebellion]," Beaverton Church of Christ, n.d. Accessed December 6, 2008.</ref>