Numbers 22:17

22:17 For I will honor you greatly, ¹  and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.’”

Numbers 23:7

23:7 Then Balaam ²  uttered ³  his oracle, saying,

“Balak, the king of Moab, brought me ⁴  from Aram,

out of the mountains of the east, saying,

‘Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me;

come, denounce Israel.’ ⁵ 

[22:17]  ¹ tn The construction uses the Piel infinitive כַּבֵּד (kabbed) to intensify the verb, which is the Piel imperfect/cohortative אֲכַבֶּדְךָ (’akhabbedkha). The great honor could have been wealth, prestige, or position.

[23:7]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:7]  ³ tn Heb “took up.”

[23:7]  ⁴ tn The passage calls for a past tense translation; since the verb form is a prefixed conjugation, this tense should be classified as a preterite without the vav (ו). Such forms do occur, especially in the ancient poetic passages.

[23:7]  ⁵ sn The opening lines seem to be a formula for the seer to identify himself and the occasion for the oracle. The tension is laid out early; Balaam knows that God has intended to bless Israel, but he has been paid to curse them.