Bible Strands
Psalms 106:17
The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist recounts Israel’s wilderness rebellion, immediately following the congregation’s envy of Moses and Aaron and preceding the fire that consumed the wicked.
The words — The Hebrew תִּפְתַּח (tif.tach) and אֶרֶץ ('E.retz) literally render "it opened" and "earth," while תִּבְלַע (tiv.La) and כָּסָה (khas) mean "it swallowed up" and "it covered."
The thread — This event is directly paralleled in Deuteronomy 11:6 and Numbers 26:10, where the earth’s action accompanies judgment on Dathan and Abiram.
Why it lands — The text reports a physical reversal where the ground actively removes rebels, demanding recognition of divine intervention against opposition.
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
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Numbers 16:29 If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.
- Numbers 26:10 And 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.