Numbers 22:27

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.

Numbers 22:23

22:23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with ¹  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.

Numbers 22:21

22:21 So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Numbers 22:30

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 ²  to treat you this way?” ³  And he said, “No.”

Numbers 22:25

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. ⁴ 

Numbers 22:28-29

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 ⁵  there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now.”

Numbers 22:33

22:33 The donkey saw me and turned from me these three times. If ⁶  she had not turned from me, I would have killed you but saved her alive.”

Numbers 22:22

God Opposes Balaam

22:22 Then God’s anger was kindled ⁷  because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose ⁸  him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.

Numbers 22:32

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 ⁹  is perverse before me. ¹⁰ 

[22:23]  ¹ tn The word has the conjunction “and” on the noun, indicating this is a disjunctive vav (ו), here serving as a circumstantial clause.

[22:30]  ¹ tn Here the Hiphil perfect is preceded by the Hiphil infinitive absolute for emphasis in the sentence.

[22:30]  ² tn Heb “to do thus to you.”

[22:25]  ¹ tn Heb “he added to beat her,” another verbal hendiadys.

[22:29]  ¹ tn The optative clause is introduced with the particle לוּ (lu).

[22:33]  ¹ tc Many commentators consider אוּלַי (’ulay, “perhaps”) to be a misspelling in the MT in place of לוּלֵי (luley, “if not”).

[22:22]  ¹ sn God’s anger now seems to contradict the permission he gave Balaam just before this. Some commentators argue that God’s anger is a response to Balaam’s character in setting out – which the Bible does not explain. God saw in him greed and pleasure for the riches, which is why he was so willing to go.

[22:22]  ² tn The word is שָׂטָן (satan, “to be an adversary, to oppose”).

[22:32]  ¹ tn Heb “your way.”

[22:32]  ² tn The verb יָרַט (yarat) occurs only here and in Job 16:11. Balaam is embarking on a foolish mission with base motives. The old rendering “perverse” is still acceptable.