可拉是利未支派的人，他与流便支派的达坦和亚比兰一起，领导了一场针对摩西和亚伦的叛乱。显然，他们的叛乱是由于他们在旷野中没有地方可去而引起的。这件事发生在以色列人从南方接近迦南地，并派出探子侦察那块地之后。十二个探子中有十个说那块地对他们来说太强了，那里有巨人。摩西于是告诉全体会众，他们都必须在旷野中度过四十年，直到那一代人全部死亡。

在这个故事中，摩西和亚伦代表主。当可拉和他的反叛者抱怨他们，并从祭坛上取火烧香时，他们代表了将善的东西（祭坛上的火）与恶的东西（反叛摩西）相混合的亵渎行为。这三个反叛的领袖和他们的追随者与会众分开，被地里开的坑吞没了。在我们的生活中，邪恶的东西也需要被分开，并被赶走。

(参考: 详解启示录324 [6])

4630. A certain spirit was once present, but was invisible over my head. I detected his presence from a stink that was like that of rotten teeth, and after that a stench like that coming from burnt horn or bone. Then a large crowd of spirits like this one came on the scene, rising up like a cloud from below, not far from my back; and because these too were invisible I presumed that they were particularly clever but nevertheless evil. I was told that where the spiritual sphere obtained they were not visible, but where the natural sphere did so they were visible. For people who are so naturally-minded that they give no thought to spiritual matters and do not believe in the existence of hell or of heaven, and yet are clever in their dealings, are like those spirits and are called 'the invisible natural ones'. But they are sometimes made known to others by their stink described above.