Who was Kore in the Bible?

Kore was a Levite who served as a gatekeeper for the tabernacle or temple. He was a descendant of Korah, a prominent Levite family (1 Chronicles 9:19; 26:1).

What was Kore's role and significance?

As a gatekeeper, Kore's role was to guard the sacred spaces, a crucial duty for maintaining order and holiness in worship. His lineage from Korah connects him to a family with a complex history of both rebellion and continued service to God (Numbers 16; 1 Chronicles 26:1).

Are there any key events in Kore's life?

The Bible does not record specific events in Kore's life. His significance comes from his faithful, generational service in an assigned duty, highlighting how God uses people in seemingly ordinary roles for His purposes.

Kore

Old TestamentEgypt & WildernessMaleLevite

Kore, a Levite gatekeeper, descendant of Korah (1Ch.9.19; 26.1).

Kore

Biography

This Kore was a Levite gatekeeper and a descendant of Korah son of Ebiasaph, himself a descendant of the infamous Korah who rebelled against Moses. He appears in the genealogical registers of 1 Chronicles 9:19 and 26:1 as an ancestor of Shallum, the chief gatekeeper in the Jerusalem temple. The Korahites maintained their assigned role as gatekeepers across generations, a responsibility that required both physical vigilance and ceremonial faithfulness. Gatekeepers controlled access to the sacred precincts of the tabernacle and later the temple, ensuring that only those who were ritually qualified entered the holy courts. This Kore represents the Korahite lineage's transformation from the disgrace of their ancestor's rebellion to honorable, generations-long service in the house of God.

Significance

This Kore's significance is deeply connected to the redemptive arc of the Korahite family. That the descendants of a man destroyed for rebellion against God's appointed order would become faithful, multigenerational guardians of God's house is a powerful testament to divine mercy and the possibility of restoration. The Korahite gatekeepers did not merely serve a ceremonial function, they stood at the threshold between the holy and the common, embodying the sacred boundary that makes worship possible. Kore's place in this lineage illustrates that God's grace transforms the legacy of failure into a heritage of service, and that faithfulness in each generation can redeem the memory of an ancestor's catastrophic sin.

Verse Appearances (2)

1Chr

1Chr 9:19 1Chr 26:1

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources