The Korahites ( ''Qārəḥî'' also בני קרח ''bənê Qōraḥ'', "sons of Korah") in the
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
were that portion of the
Kohathites that descended from the Sons of Korah. They were an important branch of the singers of the Kohathite division ().
Background
The Sons of Korah were the sons of
Moses
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
' cousin
Korah. The story of Korah is found in Numbers 16. Korah led a revolt against Moses; he died, along with all his co-conspirators, when God caused "the earth to open her mouth and swallow him and all that appertained to them" (Numbers 16:31–33). Immediately after this event, the Lord's anger burned and a plague struck killing another 14,700 Israelites. However, "the children of Korah died not" (). Several
psalms are described in their opening verses as being by the Sons of Korah: numbers
42,
44–
49,
84,
85,
87 and
88.
Some of the Korahites were also "porters" of the temple (); one of them was over "things that were made in the pans" (v31), i.e. the baking in pans for the meat-offering (). According to the genealogies in
1 Chronicles, the prophet
Samuel
Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...
was descended from Korah.
Findings
Excavations by
Yohanan Aharoni at
Tel Arad from 1962 to 1967 uncovered an 8th-century B.C. ostracon bearing an inscription that listed several family names, among which were “the sons of Korah.”
The psalms-based band
Sons of Korah take their name from the Sons of Korah in the Bible.
References
Levites
Books of Chronicles people
{{Tanakh-stub