Numbers 16:21

Summary

The verse records a divine command addressed to Moses and Aaron, instructing them to separate themselves from the congregation, followed by a statement of intent to destroy that congregation instantly. The Hebrew structure links a plural imperative of separation with a first-person verb of consumption, connected by a purpose/result clause.

Key words

• hiBadelu ("separate yourselves", H0914) — niphal imperative plural, reflexive/passive form indicating the addressees themselves must perform the act of separation, not that someone separates them.
• edah ("congregation", H5712) — feminine singular noun with definite article and demonstrative ha-zot ("this"), specifying a particular, identified group rather than congregations in general.
• 'akhaLeh ("I may consume", H3615H) — piel imperfect with prefixed va- ("so"/"and"), first person singular; the piel stem intensifies the basic sense of finishing/consuming, and the va- conjunction ties it to the preceding imperative as a resulting or purposed action.
• keRaga' ("like a moment", H7281) — noun with preposition ke- ("like"), forming an adverbial phrase of time that qualifies the manner and speed of the consuming action.

What the text says

The verse opens with the niphal imperative hiBadelu, a form that places the action reflexively on the subject: the addressees are told to remove themselves, rather than being removed by an external agent. This is followed by the prepositional phrase mi-Tokh ha-edah ha-zot ("from among this congregation"), where the construct noun Tokh ("among") plus the definite, demonstrative-marked edah narrows the reference to one specific assembly, distinguished from any other.

The second clause begins with the conjunction va- attached to 'akhaLeh, an imperfect piel verb in the first person. The piel stem here intensifies the root idea of completion or finishing (H3615 base), yielding "to consume completely." The conjunction va- creates a logical link to the imperative: the separation is tied to the following action, functioning as a purpose or consequence marker ("so that" or "and then"). The object marker 'oTam ("them") specifies the congregation as the recipient of the action. The final phrase ke-Raga' uses the comparative preposition ke- with the noun Raga' ("moment"), producing an adverbial expression describing the swiftness of the consuming action — "like a moment," i.e., in an instant.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ke-Raga' as εἰς ἅπαξ ("at once," literally "unto once"), while the Vulgate uses repente ("suddenly"). Both convey suddenness but differ slightly in emphasis: the Greek stresses singularity/completeness of the act ("once for all"), whereas the Latin stresses abruptness in time ("suddenly"). The Hebrew ke-Raga' literally compares the action to the brevity of "a moment," a nuance not fully replicated by either the Greek "once" or Latin "suddenly."