Numbers 16:31

SENTENCE EXECUTED

"And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them; and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up. And fire came forth from Jehovah, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense."

"All the men that appertained unto Korah ..." (Numbers 16:32). "All the men" here is exclusive of the ones, who along with Korah himself, were in the process of taking over the tabernacle (apparently at that very instant). Some have mistakenly inferred from this verse that Korah himself was among those swallowed up by the earth, but that is an error. "Korah was swallowed up," which one encounters here and there, means that he was thus "swallowed up" in that a powerful element of his rebellion was thus destroyed. The narrative does not mention in detail the death of Korah, but there can be no doubt whatever that he who had initiated the rebellion for the express purpose of taking over the priesthood would also most surely have been present with "his censer," as Moses had specifically challenged him to do (Numbers 16:17), and that Korah was present with the 250 princes and partook of their fate. Numbers 26:10 declares that he perished with his followers.

"All the men pertaining to Korah ..." (Numbers 16:32). This is also restricted in meaning to indicate merely those who concurred in and aided the rebellion as his followers. It does NOT include Korah's sons.

His sons did NOT perish with him, but perpetuated his family (Numbers 26:58), to which the celebrated Korahite singers of David's time belonged (1 Chronicles 6:18-22, and 1 Chronicles 9:9).[14]