ButוְifאִםYHWHיְהוָהcreatesיִבְרָאsomething new,בְּרִיאָהand the groundוּ הָאֲדָמָהopensפָצְתָהits mouthאֶת פִּיהָand swallowsוּבָלְעָהthemאֹתָםandוְallאֶת כָּלthatאֲשֶׁרis theirs,לָהֶםand they go downוְיָרְדוּaliveחַיִּיםto Sheol,שְׁאֹלָהthen you shall knowוִידַעְתֶּםthatכִּיtheseהָאֵלֶּהmenהָאֲנָשִׁיםhave spurnedנִאֲצוּYHWH.”אֶת יְהוָה
Numbers 16:30
Study it in the app“But if YHWH creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and all that is theirs, and they go down alive to Sheol, then you shall know that these men have spurned YHWH.””
With the Hebrew beneath
Numbers 16:30, word by word
- YHWHיְהוָהyehva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehva” appears- createsיִבְרָאyivra
create
To bring something new into being; only God does this.
Where else “yivra” appears- something newבְּרִיאָהberia
new thing, something created
Something created, a new thing that did not exist before. It is found only in Numbers 16:30.
Where else “beria” appears- and the groundאֲדָמָהadama
soil
Farmland, or dust.
Where else “adama” appears- opensפָצְתָהfatsta
open the mouth
To part the lips to speak or devour.
Where else “fatsta” appears- its mouthפִּיpi
mouth
The part of the face with which one speaks, eats and kisses.
Where else “pi” appears- and swallowsבָלְעָהvala
swallow
Swallow, swallow up; hence, destroy.
Where else “vala” appears- and they go downיָרְדוּyardu
go down
To go from a higher place to a lower one, like from the mountain to the valley.
Where else “yardu” appears- aliveחַיִּיםchayim
alive
Having life, not dead.
Where else “chayim” appears- to Sheolשְׁאֹלָsheola
Sheol
Sheol: in the Old Testament, the place of the dead, the grave, where all go down at death.
Where else “sheola” appears- then you shall knowידַעְתֶּםydatem
know a person
To know someone.
Where else “ydatem” appears- menאֲנָשִׁיםanashim
man
An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.
Where else “anashim” appears- have spurnedנִאֲצוּniatsu
despise
To turn away with scorn, as from YHWH.
Where else “niatsu” appears
The context
29If these men die as all human beings die, and the fate of all human beings is visited on them, YHWH has not sent me.
30 · This verse (above)
31And it happened, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground that was under them split open.