And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
Moses said to Aaron, 'Take a container for burning incense, put fire from the altar in it, add incense, and hurry to the people. Make atonement for them because God's anger has been released and a deadly plague has already started.'
Moses urgently tells Aaron to perform a ritual to stop God's deadly plague that has begun striking the Israelites because of their rebellion.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs immediately after Korah's rebellion, where 250 men challenged Moses' and Aaron's leadership and were killed by divine judgment. The Israelites then blamed Moses and Aaron for these deaths, causing God's anger to flare again. A plague began killing people, and Moses quickly instructed Aaron to intercede as high priest to stop the destruction.
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