Numbers 16:31
New International Version
As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart

New Living Translation
He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them.

English Standard Version
And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.

Berean Standard Bible
As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open,

King James Bible
And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:

New King James Version
Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them,

New American Standard Bible
And as he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;

NASB 1995
As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;

NASB 1977
Then it came about as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground that was under them split open;

Legacy Standard Bible
And it happened that as he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;

Amplified Bible
As soon as Moses finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split open;

Christian Standard Bible
Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open.

American Standard Version
And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when Moshe had finished saying all of these words, the Earth was opened under them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And when he ceased speaking all these words, the ground clave asunder beneath them.

Contemporary English Version
As soon as Moses said this, the ground under the men opened up

Douay-Rheims Bible
And immediately as he had made an end of speaking, the earth broke asunder under their feet:

English Revised Version
And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
As soon as he had finished saying all this, the ground under them split,

Good News Translation
As soon as he had finished speaking, the ground under Dathan and Abiram split open

International Standard Version
Just as he finished saying all these things, the ground under them split open.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground did cleave asunder that was under them.

Literal Standard Version
And it comes to pass at his finishing speaking all these words, that the ground which [is] under them cleaves,

Majority Standard Bible
As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open,

New American Bible
No sooner had he finished saying all this than the ground beneath them split open,

NET Bible
When he had finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open,

New Revised Standard Version
As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them was split apart.

New Heart English Bible
It happened, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split apart that was under them;

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground cleaved asunder that was under them:

World English Bible
As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart.

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass at his finishing speaking all these words, that the ground which is under them cleaveth,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Earth Swallows Korah
30But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.” 31 As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open, 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions.…

Cross References
Jude 1:11
Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah's rebellion.

Numbers 16:30
But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."

Numbers 16:32
and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households--all Korah's men and all their possessions.

Numbers 20:3
The people quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD!

Isaiah 24:19
The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.


Treasury of Scripture

And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split asunder that was under them:

Numbers 26:10,1
And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign…

Numbers 27:3
Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons.

Deuteronomy 11:6
And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:

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Numbers 16
1. The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
23. Moses separates the people from the rebels' tents
31. The earth swallows up Korah, and a fire consumes others
36. The censers are reserved to holy use
41. 14,700 are slain by a plague, for murmuring against Moses and Aaron
46. Aaron by incense stays the plague














Verse 31. - The ground clave asunder that was under them. As it sometimes does during an earthquake. In this case, however, the event was predicted, and wholly supernatural. The sequence of the narrative would lead us to suppose that the earth opened beneath the tents of Dathan and Abiram in the camp of Reuben. It is difficult to think of the gulf as extending so far as to involve the tent of Korah in the Kohathite lines in the same destruction, while there is nothing to suggest the idea that the earth opened in more than one place. It is true that the camps of the Reubenites and of the Kohathites were more or less contiguous; but when it is remembered that there were 46,500 adult males in the former, and 8600 males in the latter, and that a broad space must have been left between the two lines of encampment, it is obviously improbable that Korah's tent was in a practical sense "near" to those of Dathan and Abiram, unless indeed he had purposely removed it in order to be under the protection of his Reubenite partisans. It is very observable that not a word is said here as to the fate of Korah himself. It is implied in verse 40 that he had perished, and it is apparently asserted in Numbers 26:10 that he was swallowed up with Dathan and Abiram (see the note there). On the other hand, Deuteronomy 11:6; Psalm 106:17 speak of the engulfing of the other two without any mention of Korah himself sharing their fate; and while "all the men that appertained unto Korah" perished, his own sons did not (Numbers 26:11). On these grounds it is held by most commentators that Korah died by fire among those who offered incense (verse 35). This, however, is untenable, because "the two hundred and fifty men who offered incense" are distinctly mentioned as having been his partisans (verse 2), and are always counted exclusive of Korah himself. On the whole, while it is certain that the narrative is very obscure, and the question very doubtful, it seems most agreeable to all the testimonies of Holy Scripture to conclude -

1. That Korah had left his own place, and had some sort of dwelling (mischan) either in common with Dathan and Abiram, or hard by their tents.

2. That the earth opened and swallowed up the mishcan, of Korah, and the tents of Dathan and Abiram.

3. That Korah's men (see next verse) and their property were swallowed up with his mishcan, and (as far as we can tell) Korah himself also. If this be correct, then the much disputed heading of the chapter in the A.V. will be right after all.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
As soon as [Moses] had finished
כְּכַלֹּת֔וֹ (kə·ḵal·lō·ṯōw)
Preposition-k | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3615: To be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent

saying
לְדַבֵּ֕ר (lə·ḏab·bêr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

this,
הָאֵ֑לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

the ground
הָאֲדָמָ֖ה (hā·’ă·ḏā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 127: Ground, land

beneath them
תַּחְתֵּיהֶֽם׃ (taḥ·tê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of

split open,
וַתִּבָּקַ֥ע (wat·tib·bā·qa‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1234: To cleave, to rend, break, rip, open


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OT Law: Numbers 16:31 It happened as he made an end (Nu Num.)
Numbers 16:30
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