Numbers 23:20

23:20 Indeed, I have received a command ¹  to bless;

he has blessed, ²  and I cannot reverse it. ³ 

Numbers 23:26

23:26 But Balaam replied ⁴  to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord speaks, ⁵  I must do’?”

Numbers 22:38

22:38 Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you. Now, am I able ⁶  to speak ⁷  just anything? I must speak ⁸  only the word that God puts in my mouth.”

Numbers 24:13

24:13 ‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond ⁹  the commandment ¹⁰  of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will, ¹¹  but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak’?

Proverbs 26:25

26:25 When ¹²  he speaks graciously, ¹³  do not believe him, ¹⁴ 

for there are seven ¹⁵  abominations ¹⁶  within him.

Romans 16:18

16:18 For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds ¹⁷  of the naive.

Titus 1:16

1:16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

¹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “I have received [to] bless.” The infinitive is the object of the verb, telling what he received. Balaam was not actually commanded to bless, but was given the word of blessing so that he was given a divine decree that would bless Israel.

² sn The reference is probably to the first speech, where the Lord blessed Israel. Balaam knows that there is nothing he can do to reverse what God has said.

³ tn The verb is the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv), meaning “to cause to return.” He cannot return God’s word to him, for it has been given, and it will be fulfilled.

⁴ tn Heb “answered and said.”

⁵ tn This first clause, “all that the Lord speaks” – is a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb that comes at the end of the verse. It is something of an independent accusative case, since it is picked up with the sign of the accusative: “all that the Lord speaks, it I must do.”

⁶ tn The verb is אוּכַל (’ukhal) in a question – “am I able?” But emphasizing this is the infinitive absolute before it. So Balaam is saying something like, “Can I really say anything?”

⁷ tn The Piel infinitive construct (without the preposition) serves as the object of the verb “to be able.” The whole question is rhetorical – he is saying that he will not be able to say anything God does not allow him to say.

⁸ tn The imperfect tense is here taken as an obligatory imperfect.

⁹ tn Heb “I am not able to go beyond.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “mouth.”

¹¹ tn Heb “from my heart.”

¹² tn The particle כִּי (ki) is here interpreted with a temporal nuance. It is also possible that it could be read as concessive (so NIV, NLT “Though”).

¹³ tn The meaning of the rare Piel form of חָנַן (khanan) is “to make gracious; to make favorable.” The subject is קוֹלוֹ (qolo, “his voice”), a metonymy of cause for what he says. The idea is that what he says is very gracious in its content and its effect.

¹⁴ sn It may be that the placing of this proverb in this setting is designed to point out that the person speaking graciously is this wicked person who conceals an evil heart. Otherwise it may have in mind a person who has already proven untrustworthy but protests in order to conceal his plans. But even if that were not the connection, the proverb would still warn the disciple not to believe someone just because it sounded wonderful. It will take great discernment to know if there is sincerity behind the person’s words.

¹⁵ sn The number “seven” is used in scripture as the complete number. In this passage it is not intended to be literally seven; rather, the expression means that there is complete or total abomination in his heart. Cf. TEV “his heart is filled to the brim with hate.”

¹⁶ sn “Abomination” means something that is loathed. This is a description applied by the writer, for the hypocritical person would not refer to his plans this way.

¹⁷ tn Grk “hearts.”