What does going "alive into Sheol" mean in Numbers 16?

Question

Parshat Korach contains a curious phrase in Moses's admonition to Korach and the resulting consequences:

וְאִם־בְּרִיאָה יִבְרָא יְהֹוָה וּפָצְתָה הָאֲדָמָה אֶת־פִּיהָ וּבָלְעָה אֹתָם וְאֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם וְיָרְדוּ חַיִּים שְׁאֹלָה וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי נִאֲצוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה אֶת־יְהֹוָה׃
But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens her mouth, and swallows them up, with all that appertain to them, and they go down alive into She᾽ol; then you shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. (Num 16:30 Koren Bible)

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וַיֵּרְדוּ הֵם וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם חַיִּים שְׁאֹלָה וַתְּכַס עֲלֵיהֶם הָאָרֶץ וַיֹּאבְדוּ מִתּוֹךְ הַקָּהָל
They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into She᾽ol, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. (Num 16:33 Koren Bible)

What does the phrase "descend alive into Sheol" mean in this context? The Hebrew bible depicts Sheol as the destination of the dead, so how exactly does one descend alive into the pit called Sheol?

Answer 1

Consider the context:

31 As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 All Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us up!” 35 Fire also came forth from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.(NASB 1995)

Sheol, whether thought of spiritually or physically, was located beneath the Earth. In this case, Sheol is similar to the concept of the Underworld found in neighboring cultures, manifested physically as some type of volcanic fissure and fire. That Korah and his co-conspirators "went down alive into She᾽ol alive" (together with their possessions), means that they were alive when they fell into the chasm. Soon enough the spiritual sense of Sheol would also become their fate.

Answer 2

The Hebrew word "sheol" (שְׁאוֹל) simply means "grave" or burial place. That's what the English word "hell" used to mean (e.g. "helling potatoes"), but it has acquired many other connotations from pagan mythology and Dante's famous fictional novel.

Some English translations do preserve the original meaning, such as:

NET:
³⁰ But if the LORD does something entirely new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up along with all that they have, and they go down alive to the grave, then you will know that these men have despised the LORD!"
³³ They and all that they had went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed over them. So they perished from among the community.

NLT:
³⁰ But if the LORD does something entirely new and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and all their belongings, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have shown contempt for the LORD.”
³³ So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel.

NWT:
³⁰ But if Jehovah does something extraordinary with them and the ground opens and swallows them and everything that belongs to them and they go down alive into the Grave, you will certainly know that these men have treated Jehovah disrespectfully.
³³ So they and all who belonged to them went down alive into the Grave, and the earth covered them over, so that they perished from the midst of the congregation.

So the phrase "descend alive into Sheol" simply means "buried alive", presumably to die shortly thereafter.

Answer 3

To me, it means that instead of getting there by dying, they fall in alive.  She’ol being perceived as “under the earth.”