Numbers 16:31

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 16:31 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them;
Numbers 16:31 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 16

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
31And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them;

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these things, etc.] As soon as he had finished his discourse, which was addressed to the congregation, and, according to Josephus f231, after a long prayer to God, which that writer gives at large; immediately so it was, that the ground clave asunder that [was] under them; on which they stood, not from any natural cause, as by subterranean volcano, forcibly making their way and bursting the earth, and so getting vent, which has been thought to be the cause of earthquakes; but this was by the immediate hand and almighty power of God, and came to pass just as Moses suggested it would, and as soon as he had uttered his words, which made…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“16:31-33 Korah’s sons did not die at this time (26:10-11). In fact, his descendants eventually became gatekeepers and musicians in the Temple (1 Chr 9:19, 31; 26:19; 2 Chr 20:19; cp. the titles of Pss 42; 45–49; 84–85; 87–88).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Num 26:10, Num 26:11, Num 27:3; Deu 11:6; Psa 106:17, Psa 106:18 Numbers 16:32”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“And immediately the earth clave asunder, and swallowed them up, with their families and all their possessions, and closed above them, so that they perished without a trace from the congregation. אתם refers to the three ringleaders. "Their houses;" i.e., their families, not their tents, as in Num 18:31; Exo 12:3. "All the men belonging to Korah" were his servants; for, according to Num 26:11, his sons did not perish with him, but perpetuated his family ( Num 26:58), to which the celebrated Korahite singers of David's time belonged ( Ch1 6:18-22; Ch1 9:19). Numbers 16:34”
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Sources and verification