Dathan דָּתָן
Reubenite who rebelled against Moses and Aaron
Who is Dathan in the Bible?
Dathan was a Reubenite who, along with his brother Abiram, joined Korah's rebellion against the authority of Moses and Aaron during Israel's wilderness wanderings (Numbers 16:1). When Moses summoned them to appear before him, Dathan and Abiram refused to come, instead accusing Moses of failing to lead them into the promised land (Numbers 16:12-14). As the rebellion escalated, God caused the earth to open and swallow Dathan, Abiram, and their entire households alive into the ground (Numbers 16:24-27, 31-35). This dramatic judgment, also referenced in Psalm 106:17 and Deuteronomy 11:6, serves as a biblical warning against rejecting God's appointed leaders and authority.
Biography
Dathan, along with his brother Abiram, was a descendant of Reuben who joined Korah, a Levite, in rebelling against the authority of Moses and Aaron (Num.16.1). When Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, they refused to come, accusing Moses of failing to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey (Num.16.12-14).
As the rebellion escalated, Moses warned the congregation to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Num.16.24-27). God then caused the earth to open up and swallow Dathan, Abiram, and their households, along with Korah and his followers (Num.16.31-35; Psalm Num.106.17).
The sons of Dathan and Abiram, however, did not die in this judgment (Num.26.9-11). The rebellion of Dathan and Abiram is remembered as a warning against defying God's appointed leaders (Deu.11.6).
Family
In Scripture
3 biblical books ; 2 with study contentNumbers 5 verses
- Numbers 16:1
"Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted"
- Numbers 16:12
"Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come!"
- Numbers 16:24
"“Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”"
- Numbers 16:25
"So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him."
- Numbers 16:27
"So they moved away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants."
Deuteronomy 1 verse
- Deuteronomy 11:6
"and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them."
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Psalms 1 verse
- Psalms 106:17
"The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram."
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | דָּתָן | Dathan , an Israelite |
Dathan
/ref> De 11:6; Ps 106:17). He and his brother Abiram, with others, followed Korah the Levite in disputing the authority of Moses and Aaron in the wilderness (Nu 16-17; 26; De 11:6; Ps 106:17). Other followers of Korah perished by fire before the tent of meeting, but Dathan and Abiram were swallowed up by the earth, with their families and their goods, at their tents. See KORAH.
Willis J. Beecher
dath'-e-ma (Dathema): A stronghold (1 Macc 5:29) in Gilead to which the Jews fled for refuge from the heathen (1 Macc 5:9). They were delivered by Judas and Jonathan his brother. It was within a night's march from Bos