Numbers 16:15
New International Version
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”

New Living Translation
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not accept their grain offerings! I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, and I have never hurt a single one of them.”

English Standard Version
And Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”

Berean Standard Bible
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”

King James Bible
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

New King James Version
Then Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.”

New American Standard Bible
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Pay no attention to their offering! I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.”

NASB 1995
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering! I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.”

NASB 1977
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering! I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Moses became very angry and said to Yahweh, “Do not regard their offering! I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.”

Amplified Bible
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Pay no attention to their offering! I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I harmed any one of them.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then Moses became angry and said to the LORD, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Moses became angry and said to the LORD, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”

American Standard Version
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto Jehovah, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

Contemporary English Version
Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, "Don't listen to these men! I haven't done anything wrong to them. I haven't taken as much as a donkey."

English Revised Version
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Moses became angry and said to the LORD, "Don't accept their offering. I haven't taken anything from them, not even a donkey. And I haven't mistreated any of them."

Good News Translation
Moses became angry and said to the LORD, "Do not accept any offerings these men bring. I have not wronged any of them; I have not even taken one of their donkeys."

International Standard Version
Moses was very angry, so he told the LORD, "Please don't accept their offering. I haven't taken even one donkey from them nor have I hurt even one of them."

Majority Standard Bible
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, ?Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.?

NET Bible
Moses was very angry, and he said to the LORD, "Have no respect for their offering! I have not taken so much as one donkey from them, nor have I harmed any one of them!"

New Heart English Bible
Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, "Do not respect their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Moses was very wroth, and said to the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

World English Bible
Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And it is very displeasing to Moses, and he says to YHWH, “Do not turn to their present; I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I afflicted one of them.”

Young's Literal Translation
And it is very displeasing to Moses, and he saith unto Jehovah, 'Turn not Thou unto their present; not one ass from them have I taken, nor have I afflicted one of them.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And it will be kindled to Moses greatly, and he will say to Jehovah, Thou wilt not turn to their gift: not one ass did I take from them, and I did not evil to one of them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Moses therefore being very angry, raid to the Lord: Respect not their sacrifices: thou knowest that I have not taken of them so much as a young ass at any time, nor have injured any of them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Moses, being very angry, said to the Lord: “Do not look with favor on their sacrifices. You know that I have not accepted from them, at any time, so much as a young donkey, nor have I afflicted any of them.”

New American Bible
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Pay no attention to their offering. I have never taken a single donkey from them, nor have I wronged any one of them.”

New Revised Standard Version
Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, “Pay no attention to their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed any one of them.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Moses was greatly displeased, and said to the LORD, Respect not thou their offerings, because I have not taken an ass from one of them, neither have I hurt one of them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And it was very evil to Moshe and he said to LORD JEHOVAH, “Do not be changed by their offerings, because I have not taken a donkey of one of them, neither have I done evil to one of them.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD: 'Respect not thou their offering; I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Moses was exceeding indignant, and said to the Lord, Do thou take no heed to their sacrifice: I have not taken away the desire of any one of them, neither have I hurt any one of them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Korah's Rebellion
14Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!” 15Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.” 16And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.…

Cross References
Exodus 32:19-20
As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain. / Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.

1 Samuel 12:3-5
Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.” / “You have not cheated us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.” / Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is a witness,” they replied.

1 Kings 18:36-40
At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. / Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.” / Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench. ...

2 Kings 1:9-12
Then King Ahaziah sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. So the captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down!’” / Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men. / So the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. And the captain said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down at once!’” ...

Nehemiah 5:14-19
Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. / The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people. But I did not do this, because of my fear of God. / Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land. ...

Psalm 7:3-5
O LORD my God, if I have done this, if injustice is on my hands, / if I have rewarded my ally with evil, if I have plundered my foe without cause, / then may my enemy pursue me and overtake me; may he trample me to the ground and leave my honor in the dust. Selah

Psalm 26:1-2
Of David. Vindicate me, O LORD! For I have walked with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. / Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.

Psalm 35:11-14
Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about. / They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul. / Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered. ...

Psalm 69:4
Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me—my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.

Jeremiah 18:19-23
Attend to me, O LORD. Hear what my accusers are saying! / Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them. / Therefore, hand their children over to famine; pour out the power of the sword upon them. Let their wives become childless and widowed; let their husbands be slain by disease, their young men struck down by the sword in battle. ...

Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. / Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Matthew 10:14-15
And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. / Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Matthew 23:29-36
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. / And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ / So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. ...

Mark 3:5
Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored.

Luke 9:54-56
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” / But Jesus turned and rebuked them. / And He and His disciples went on to another village.


Treasury of Scripture

And Moses was very wroth, and said to the LORD, Respect not you their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

very wroth

Numbers 12:3
(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Exodus 32:19
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

respect

Numbers 16:6,7
This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; …

Genesis 4:4,5
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: …

Isaiah 1:10-15
Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah…

I have not.

1 Samuel 12:3,4
Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you…

Acts 20:33,34
I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel…

1 Corinthians 9:15
But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.

Jump to Previous
Accept Angry Ass Asses Attention Displeasing Donkey Harm Harmed Hurt Offering Regard Respect Single Turn Wrong Wronged Wroth
Jump to Next
Accept Angry Ass Asses Attention Displeasing Donkey Harm Harmed Hurt Offering Regard Respect Single Turn Wrong Wronged Wroth
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














Then Moses became very angry
The Hebrew word for "angry" here is "חָרָה" (charah), which conveys a deep, burning anger. This is not a casual irritation but a righteous indignation. Moses, as a leader chosen by God, is deeply disturbed by the rebellion of Korah and his followers. His anger is not self-serving but is rooted in a zeal for God's holiness and order. Historically, Moses' anger is justified as he is defending God's honor and the integrity of the leadership God has established.

and said to the LORD
Moses' immediate response to his anger is to turn to the LORD in prayer. This reflects a profound relationship with God, where Moses consistently seeks divine guidance and intervention. The Hebrew verb "אָמַר" (amar) indicates a direct and personal communication with God, highlighting Moses' role as an intercessor for the people. In the scriptural context, this demonstrates the importance of bringing grievances and concerns before God rather than acting out of human emotion alone.

Do not accept their offering!
The word "accept" in Hebrew is "פָּנָה" (panah), which means to turn towards or regard. Moses is asking God to reject the rebellious offering of Korah and his followers. This plea underscores the principle that not all offerings are pleasing to God, especially those that come from a place of rebellion or insincerity. In the broader biblical narrative, this highlights the importance of the heart's posture in worship and offering to God.

I have not taken so much as a donkey from them
Moses defends his integrity by stating he has not taken even a donkey, a common and valuable possession in ancient times. The Hebrew word for "donkey" is "חֲמוֹר" (chamor), symbolizing Moses' honesty and selflessness. This assertion is significant in the historical context, as leaders often exploited their positions for personal gain. Moses' statement is a testament to his faithful stewardship and integrity as a leader.

nor have I wronged any of them
The Hebrew word for "wronged" is "רָעַע" (ra'a), meaning to harm or treat badly. Moses declares his innocence and fairness in dealing with the Israelites. This phrase emphasizes the biblical principle of justice and righteousness in leadership. Moses' leadership is characterized by fairness and a commitment to God's laws, serving as a model for godly leadership throughout the scriptures.

(15) I have not taken one ass from them . . . --In answer to the accusation preferred against him in Numbers 16:13, Moses vindicates himself from the charge of oppression or extortion.

Verse 15. - And Moses was very wroth. The bitter taunts of the Reubenites had just enough semblance of truth in them to make them very hard to bear, and especially the imputation of low personal ambition; but it is impossible to say that Moses did not err through anger. Respect not thou their offering. Cf. Genesis 4:4. It is not quite clear what offering Moses meant, since they do not seem to have wished to offer incense. Probably it was equivalent to saying, Do not thou accept them when they approach thee; for such approach was always by sacrifice (cf. Psalm 109:7). I have not taken one ass from them. Cf. 1 Samuel 12:3. The ass was the least valuable of the ordinary live stock of those days (cf. Exodus 20:17). The Septuagint has here οὐκ ἐπιθύμημα οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν εἴληφα, which is apparently an intentional paraphrase with a reference to the tenth commandment (οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις κ.τ.λ.). Neither have I hurt one of them. As absolute ruler he might have made himself very burdensome to all, and very terrible to his personal enemies. Compare Samuel's description of the Eastern autocrat (1 Samuel 8:11-17).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Moses
לְמֹשֶׁה֙ (lə·mō·šeh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

became very
מְאֹ֔ד (mə·’ōḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 3966: Vehemence, vehemently, wholly, speedily

angry
וַיִּ֤חַר (way·yi·ḥar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2734: To glow, grow warm, to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy

and said
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the LORD,
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

“Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

regard
תֵּ֖פֶן (tê·p̄en)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6437: To turn, to face, appear, look

their offering.
מִנְחָתָ֑ם (min·ḥā·ṯām)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4503: A donation, tribute, a sacrificial offering

I have not
לֹ֠א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

taken
נָשָׂ֔אתִי (nā·śā·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

one
אֶחָ֤ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

donkey
חֲמ֨וֹר (ḥă·mō·wr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2543: A male ass

from them
מֵהֶם֙ (mê·hem)
Preposition-m | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

or mistreated
הֲרֵעֹ֖תִי (hă·rê·‘ō·ṯî)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7489: To spoil, to make, good for, nothing, bad

a single
אַחַ֥ד (’a·ḥaḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

one of them.”
מֵהֶֽם׃ (mê·hem)
Preposition-m | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They


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OT Law: Numbers 16:15 Moses was very angry and said (Nu Num.)
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