They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.
Parallel translations
- WEB So they, and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol. The earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly.
- KJV They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
- NKJV So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.
- NASB So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
- NLT So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They went down alive into Sheol, the earth closed over them, and they perished from the assembly. The rebels were utterly removed from God's people.
Overview
The rebels descend living into the grave, and the earth seals over them, cutting them off entirely from Israel. Their complete removal portrays the fate of those who set themselves against God. This sobering picture foreshadows the final separation of the unrepentant from the people of God (Matthew 25:46).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ezek 32:30All the leaders of the north and all the Sidonians are there; they went down in disgrace with the slain, despite the terror of their might. They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit.
- Jude 1:11Woe 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.
- Ps 55:23But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
- Ezek 32:18“Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:
- Ps 143:7Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.
- Isa 14:15But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.
- Ps 9:15The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
- Ps 69:15Do not let the floods engulf me or the depths swallow me up; let not the Pit close its mouth over me.
- Isa 14:9Sheol beneath is eager to meet you upon your arrival. It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you—all the rulers of the earth. It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 16:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.