The number 14700 refers to the count of those who died in the plague that struck Israel after the people grumbled against Moses and Aaron following Korah's rebellion, in addition to those who died directly in the uprising.
In Numbers 17:14 it is stated that 14,700 people died in the plague God sent as punishment after the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron following Korah's rebellion. This number comes in addition to those who died as a direct result of Korah's rebellion, and it underscores the seriousness of opposing God's chosen leaders. The plague was stopped when Aaron, at Moses' command, took his censer and stood between the living and the dead to make atonement for the people. This act symbolizes the life-giving power of intercession and priesthood—that a mediator consecrated by God can stand in the gap between judgment and grace. In many Norwegian and Western Bible versions, this verse is numbered as Numbers 16:49, while in the Hebrew Bible (Masoretic Text) it is numbered as 17:14. The difference arises from varying chapter divisions in the Hebrew and Greek-Latin traditions. In rabbinic tradition, Aaron's action with the censer is highlighted as a model of intercession and the principle of atonement. According to Midrash, Moses learned the secret of incense's power to stop death from the angel of death himself when he ascended Mount Sinai (Talmud, Shabbat 89a). The number 14,700 can be seen as composed of 14,000 plus 700. Both parts are multiples of 7, a number that in biblical symbolism represents completeness and divine order, underscoring that the judgment was complete and in accordance with God's will.*