One of the most remarkable features of Korach’s rebellion is the extraordinary coalition he manages to assemble. At first glance, the various groups that join him seem to have little in common.

Korach himself is a Levite whose grievance appears to be that Aaron and his descendants have been granted the priesthood. Datan and Aviram, on the other hand, come from the tribe of Reuven and have no interest in the priesthood. Their complaint is political. Reuven was Jacob’s firstborn, and they may have felt deprived of the leadership role that had passed to Moses from the tribe of Levi and to Judah in the future. The 250 “princes of the congregation” appear to represent yet another group—tribal leaders who resented Moses’ authority and wished to increase their own influence.

What united these disparate factions was not a shared vision but a shared resentment. Each group had its own agenda, yet Korach succeeded in weaving them together under a single........

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