Komentarz do Liczb 26:10

ויהיו לנס AND THEY BECAME A נס — a sign and a reminder in order that no stranger should bring himself near to raise further dispute concerning the priesthood (cf. Numbers 17:5).

ותבלע אותם ואת קרח במות העדה באכול האש, “it (the earth) swallowed them and Korach when the congregation died when the fire consumed them;” the verse introduces the name Korach between the words “it swallowed” and the words “when the fire consumed,” in order to teach us that Korach was both swallowed by the earth and burned by the fire. (I already mentioned this in Numbers 16,30).

A symbol and a reminder. That is to say that the term נס ["banner"] has the connotation of something high [which is visible to all], similar to כנס על הגבעה ["like a banner on top of the hill"] (Yeshayahu 30:17), and כנשוא נס הרים ["a banner raised over the mountains"] (Yeshayahu 18:3).

V. 10. נס .ויהיו לנס ist ein hochaufgestecktes Zeichen dem zur Orientierung, der einem bestimmten Ziele in einer bestimmten Richtung zu folgen hat. Datan und Abirams Untergang war eine solche hervorragende Gottestat, allen denen zur Orientierung, die der Belehrung über die einzuschlagende oder zu vermeidende Lebensrichtung bedürfen. In der späteren hebräischen Sprache ist der Ausdruck נסים für alle zu unserer Belehrung geschehenen hervorragenden Gottestaten sehr gebraucht.

ויהיו לנס, “they remained as an example.” Their fate was a warning for the Israelites not to question the institution of the hereditary priesthood (Rashi).