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Text -- Numbers 22:1-38 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Balaam Refuses to Curse Israel
22:1 The Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River across from Jericho .
22:2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that the Israelites had done to the Amorites .
22:3 And the Moabites were greatly afraid of the people , because they were so numerous . The Moabites were sick with fear because of the Israelites .
22:4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian , “Now this mass of people will lick up everything around us, as the bull devours the grass of the field . Now Balak son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at this time .
22:5 And he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor , which is by the Euphrates River in the land of Amaw , to summon him, saying , “Look , a nation has come out of Egypt . They cover the face of the earth , and they are settling next to me.
22:6 So now , please come and curse this nation for me, for they are too powerful for me . Perhaps I will prevail so that we may conquer them and drive them out of the land . For I know that whoever you bless is blessed , and whoever you curse is cursed .”
22:7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand . They came to Balaam and reported to him the words of Balak .
22:8 He replied to them, “Stay here tonight , and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam .
22:9 And God came to Balaam and said , “Who are these men with you?”
22:10 Balaam said to God , “Balak son of Zippor , king of Moab , has sent a message to me, saying,
22:11 “Look , a nation has come out of Egypt , and it covers the face of the earth . Come now and put a curse on them for me; perhaps I will be able to defeat them and drive them out .”
22:12 But God said to Balaam , “You must not go with them; you must not curse the people , for they are blessed .”
22:13 So Balaam got up in the morning , and said to the princes of Balak , “Go to your land , for the Lord has refused to permit me to go with you.”
22:14 So the princes of Moab departed and went back to Balak and said , “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Balaam Accompanies the Moabite Princes
22:15 Balak again sent princes , more numerous and more distinguished than the first .
22:16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor : ‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming to me.
22:17 For I will honor you greatly , and whatever you tell me I will do . So come , put a curse on this nation for me.’”
22:18 Balaam replied to the servants of Balak , “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold , I could not transgress the commandment of the Lord my God to do less or more .
22:19 Now therefore, please stay the night here also , that I may know what more the Lord might say to me.”
22:20 God came to Balaam that night , and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but the word that I will say to you, that you must do .”
22:21 So Balaam got up in the morning , saddled his donkey , and went with the princes of Moab .
God Opposes Balaam
22:22 Then God’s anger was kindled because he went , and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.
22:23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand , so the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field . But Balaam beat the donkey , to make her turn back to the road .
22:24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a path among the vineyards , where there was a wall on either side .
22:25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord , she pressed herself into the wall , and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall . So he beat her again .
22:26 Then the angel of the Lord went farther , and stood in a narrow place , where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left .
22:27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord , she crouched down under Balaam . Then Balaam was angry , and he beat his donkey with a staff .
22:28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey , and she said to Balaam , “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times ?”
22:29 And Balaam said to the donkey , “You have made me look stupid ; I wish there were a sword in my hand , for I would kill you right now .”
22:30 The donkey said to Balaam , “Am not I your donkey that you have ridden ever since I was yours until this day ? Have I ever attempted to treat you this way ?” And he said , “No .”
22:31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes , and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand ; so he bowed his head and threw himself down with his face to the ground.
22:32 The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times ? Look , I came out to oppose you because what you are doing is perverse before me.
22:33 The donkey saw me and turned from me these three times . If she had not turned from me, I would have killed you but saved her alive .”
22:34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord , “I have sinned , for I did not know that you stood against me in the road . So now , if it is evil in your sight , I will go back home .”
22:35 But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam , “Go with the men , but you may only speak the word that I will speak to you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak .
Balaam Meets Balak
22:36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming , he went out to meet him at a city of Moab which was on the border of the Arnon at the boundary of his territory .
22:37 Balak said to Balaam , “Did I not send again and again to you to summon you? Why did you not come to me ? Am I not able to honor you?”
22:38 Balaam said to Balak , “Look , I have come to you. Now , am I able to speak just anything ? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth .”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Balaam |
Balak |
Angel |
ASS |
ABEL-SHITTIM |
Moabites |
DIVINATION |
Sorcery |
Greed |
MOAB; MOABITES |
MAGIC; MAGICIAN |
Temptation |
Heathen |
Hypocrisy |
CHARM |
Worldliness |
WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL |
Zippor |
MOAB |
Donkey |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Num 22:1; Num 22:1; Num 22:1; Num 22:1; Num 22:4; Num 22:5; Num 22:5; Num 22:5; Num 22:5; Num 22:6; Num 22:6; Num 22:6; Num 22:6; Num 22:7; Num 22:8; Num 22:11; Num 22:11; Num 22:11; Num 22:12; Num 22:12; Num 22:13; Num 22:13; Num 22:14; Num 22:15; Num 22:15; Num 22:16; Num 22:17; Num 22:18; Num 22:18; Num 22:18; Num 22:19; Num 22:19; Num 22:22; Num 22:22; Num 22:23; Num 22:24; Num 22:24; Num 22:25; Num 22:29; Num 22:30; Num 22:30; Num 22:31; Num 22:32; Num 22:32; Num 22:33; Num 22:34; Num 22:34; Num 22:34; Num 22:35; Num 22:35; Num 22:37; Num 22:37; Num 22:38; Num 22:38; Num 22:38
NET Notes: Num 22:1 For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
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NET Notes: Num 22:4 The word is simply “company,” but in the context he must mean a vast company – a horde of people.
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NET Notes: Num 22:6 The verb is the Piel imperfect of בָּרַךְ (barakh), with the nuance of possibility: “whomever you may ...
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NET Notes: Num 22:8 The verb לִין (lin) means “to lodge, spend the night.” The related noun is “a lodge” – a hotel o...
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NET Notes: Num 22:11 The verb is the Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. It either carries the force of an imperfect tense, or it may be subordinated to the prece...
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NET Notes: Num 22:12 The word בָּרוּךְ (barukh) is the Qal passive participle, serving here as the predicate adjective afte...
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NET Notes: Num 22:13 The main verb is the Piel perfect, “he has refused.” This is followed by two infinitives. The first (לְתִת...
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NET Notes: Num 22:17 The construction uses the Piel infinitive כַּבֵּד (kabbed) to intensify the verb, which is the Piel imperfec...
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NET Notes: Num 22:18 In the light of subsequent events one should not take too seriously that Balaam referred to Yahweh as his God. He is referring properly to the deity f...
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NET Notes: Num 22:19 This clause is also a verbal hendiadys: “what the Lord might add to speak,” meaning, “what more the Lord might say.”
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NET Notes: Num 22:23 The word has the conjunction “and” on the noun, indicating this is a disjunctive vav (ו), here serving as a circumstantial clause.
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NET Notes: Num 22:32 The verb יָרַט (yarat) occurs only here and in Job 16:11. Balaam is embarking on a foolish mission with base motives. Th...
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NET Notes: Num 22:33 Many commentators consider אוּלַי (’ulay, “perhaps”) to be a misspelling in the MT in place of &...
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NET Notes: Num 22:35 The Hebrew word order is a little more emphatic than this: “but only the word which I speak to you, it you shall speak.”
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NET Notes: Num 22:37 Balak again refers to his ability to “honor” the seer. This certainly meant payment for his service, usually gold ornaments, rings and jew...
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