The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.
Parallel translations
- WEB The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
- KJV The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
- NKJV The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, And covered the faction of Abiram.
- NASB The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And engulfed the company of Abiram.
- NLT Because of this, the earth opened up; it swallowed Dathan and buried Abiram and the other rebels.
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
The earth opened and swallowed Dathan and Abiram's company. It matters because God decisively judged open rebellion against His order.
Overview
In Korah's rebellion the ground split and engulfed the ringleaders and their households (Numbers 16:31-33). This dramatic judgment vindicated God's appointed leaders. It stands as a solemn warning that God takes rebellion against His established authority with utmost seriousness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Deut 11:6and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them.
- Num 26:10And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign.
- Num 16:29–33If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 106:17 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.