The Hebrew verb bala (H1104) means to swallow, to engulf, or to destroy utterly. It is used literally of swallowing food or drink, and metaphorically — often dramatically — of the earth swallowing people (Numbers 16:32), the sea swallowing enemies (Exodus 15:12), or death itself swallowing the living. The word carries a sense of complete, irreversible consumption.
The theological use of bala reveals a God who acts dramatically in history to protect His covenant people and judge rebellion. At the Red Sea, God caused the waters to bala — swallow — Pharaoh's army (Exodus 15:12). In the wilderness, the earth bala the rebellious Korah and his company (Numbers 16:32). Isaiah uses the term with stunning reversal: God Himself will bala death forever (Isaiah 25:8) — the Apostle Paul quotes this in 1 Corinthians 15:54 as the ultimate victory of resurrection: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'