What Does Numbers 16:5 Mean in the King James?
And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse makes nearness the proof of belonging: the LORD names whom he chooses and brings that one close.
THE MEANING
The LORD makes known who is his and who is set apart; human claims do not decide it. The one he chooses is the one he brings near, and the repeated promise makes that nearness both an intimate welcome and a public distinction.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie is that claiming sacred standing makes someone God’s own or gives them a right to approach; the verse places both recognition and nearness in God’s choice.
THE ROOT
וְהִקְרִיב
wehikhriv
GROWS FROM
קרב
q-r-b
to approach or bring near
English “come near” can sound like movement alone, but קרב (qarab, approach) also gives קָרְבָּן (qorban, drawing near) and קָרוֹב (qarov, near or kin). The verse repeats this root in a causative form: nearness is not merely claimed; the LORD brings the chosen one into it.
ALSO GROWS
qorban: An approach; something brought near.
קָרְבָּן
Its name carries the approach itself, echoing the chosen person whom the verse says the LORD brings near.
qarov: Near; a near relation.
קָרוֹב
Nearness also describes kinship, so belonging and approach echo one another in the verse.
הַקָּדוֹשׁ
ha-qadosh
GROWS FROM
קדש
q-d-sh
to set apart, mark as distinct
“holy” in this verse is ha-qadosh. The verse places קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, set apart) beside קרב (qarab, bring near): being set apart and being brought near are not opposites here. The distinction becomes visible as the LORD identifies and draws the chosen one close.
ALSO GROWS
qodesh: What is set apart or sacred.
קֹדֶשׁ
The verse’s “holy” names a distinction that the LORD makes known.
qiddesh: To set apart or dedicate.
קִדֵּשׁ
This verbal branch shows “holy” as an act of distinction, paired here with the act of bringing near.
THE PATTERN
Scripture presents nearness to God as something the LORD grants and brings about, not merely something a person claims.
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.THE THREAD
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.“Causest to approach” uses the same root, קרב (qarab, bring near), as Numbers 16:5. Psalm 65:4 makes the pairing even clearer: the one God chooses is the one he brings near, and nearness opens into dwelling in his courts.
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