There were an awful lot of rebellions and grumblings from the Israelites in their history. First of all in this chapter we learn of the rebellion against Moses' and Aaron's leadership by Korah (a Levite), Dathan and Abiram, backed by 250 leaders. This was quite a revolt which even involved an attempt to take over the priesthood! When Moses tried to talk to Dathan and Abiram they ignored and insulted him.
So Moses summoned Korah and his 250 followers to a meeting the next day in front of the Tabernacle, to which they had to bring censers with fire and incense. When they came God told Moses and Aaron to stand clear as he was about to act. Then he told the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and the earth opened up and swallowed them and their families! Then God burnt alive their 250 followers and told Eleazar the priest to gather the dead men's censers and hammer them into bronze sheets to overlay the altar.
Even after all the demonstration of God's solidarity with Moses and Aaron the whole Israelite community started grumbling again about what had happened on the previous day. God was furious and sent a plague to punish the people and killed 14,700 people! It only didn't kill more because Aaron ran and made atonement with his censer with incense and fire from the altar.
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