Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 11:6
and 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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The speaker addresses the Israelites, recalling wilderness events as they prepare to enter the land. He points to a specific historical judgment to ground his warning in witnessed reality.
The words — The text highlights עָשָׂה (‘a.Sah), meaning "he did," and אֲשֶׁר (’a.Sher), functioning as a relative pronoun "which" or "what." These terms anchor the verse in a direct report of divine action rather than abstract theology.
The thread — This event recurs in Numbers 16:1 and Numbers 26:9 as the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, and in Psalms 106:17 as a poetic reminder of the earth swallowing the conspirators. The narrative consistently tracks the same historical judgment across legal, historical, and poetic genres.
Why it lands — The text states that God actively judged Dathan and Abiram, their households, and their tents by opening the earth. It requires the reader to treat witnessed history as the foundation for present obedience and to recognize that covenant loyalty carries concrete consequences.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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:
Cross-references
- Numbers 26:9 and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah who rebelled against the LORD.
- Psalms 106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.
- Numbers 16:1 Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted
- Numbers 27:3 “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the followers of Korah who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons.