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Josephus describes Korah as exceptionally wealthy, a detail not in the Hebrew Bible but also found in Rabbinic tradition, such as Pirkei De'Rabbi, where his wealth was described as a significant part of his rebellion and his downfall.
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Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 4.25
Classical
4 Although Moses had foreseen Korah’s slander for some time and was aware that the people had grown agitated, he was not afraid. He was emboldened by the righteousness of his guidance, knowing that Aaron’s priesthood came at God’s command rather than his own indulgence. So he approached the crowd but addressed Korah alone (without speaking to the rest), shouting to him and pointing to the two hundred fifty men: “O Korah, you and these here appear fully qualified for this honor, nor do I deny that the entire group could be equally worthy, whether or not they are as wealthy or notable as you. But I did not grant this position to my brother because of wealth, for you exceed both of us in riches, nor was it due to noble ancestry, for we share the same lineage. And it was certainly not brotherly affection, though that too might be a justifiable reason. In truth, had I bestowed such an office out of anything but regard for God and his laws, I would not have bypassed myself in favor of another, for I am closer to myself than to my brother.
Date: 93-94 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer
Rabbinic
Rabbi Phineas said: Two wealthy men arose in the world, one in Israel and one among the nations of the world, Korah in Israel, and Haman among the nations of the world, who took the treasures of the kings of Judah. (When) the king saw his wealth and his ten sons keeping guard before him, he exalted him, and aggrandized him, as it is said, "After || these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman, the son of Hammedatha" (Esth. 3:1). The king commanded concerning him that all the people should bow down and show reverence to him.
Date: 630-1030 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The Torah gives no indication that Korah was wealthy, but the rabbis here imagine a charismatic person who has amassed wealth and now wishes to amass power. These various homiletical understandings build upon the unstated assumption that Korah is the villain and build on that. Medieval ancient and modern peshat approaches offer more mundane explanations for the grammatical problem in this verse, without reflecting on Korah’s character ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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