民数记 23
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
巴勒和巴蘭獻祭
23 巴蘭對巴勒說：“你要在這裡給我築七座祭壇，給我預備七頭公牛，七隻公綿羊。” 2 巴勒照著巴蘭吩咐的行了；巴勒和巴蘭在每座祭壇上獻一頭公牛和一隻公綿羊。 3 巴蘭對巴勒說：“你要站在你的燔祭旁邊，我要往前去，或者耶和華會來迎見我；他指示我甚麼，我必告訴你。”於是巴蘭上了一塊高地。 4 神迎見巴蘭；巴蘭對 神說：“我已經預備了七座祭壇，在各座祭壇上獻了一頭公牛和一隻公綿羊。” 5 耶和華把話傳給巴蘭，又說：“你要回到巴勒那裡去，要這樣這樣說。” 6 他就回到巴勒那裡，見他和摩押所有的領袖都站在燔祭旁邊。
巴蘭第一次預言
7 巴蘭就作歌，說：
“巴勒把我從亞蘭領出來，
摩押王引我出東山，說：
‘來吧，為我咒罵雅各，
來啊，咒罵以色列。’
8 神沒有咒詛的，我怎能咒詛呢？
耶和華沒有咒罵的，我怎能咒罵呢？
9 我從高峰觀看他們，
從山上眺望他們；
這是獨居的民族，
不列在萬國之中。
10 誰能數算雅各的灰塵？
誰能計算以色列的四分之一呢？
願我的死像正直人的死，
願我之終如正直人之終。”
11 巴勒對巴蘭說：“你向我作的是甚麼事呢？我領你來咒詛我的仇敵，你反倒給他們祝福。” 12 巴蘭回答，說：“耶和華傳給我的話，我怎能不謹慎說呢？”
13 巴勒對巴蘭說：“請你與我到另一個地方去，從那裡你可以看見他們；不過你不能看見他們全部，只能看見他們邊界的一部分；在那裡你要為我咒詛他們。” 14 於是巴勒帶巴蘭到了瑣腓田，上了毘斯迦山頂，築了七座祭壇，在每座祭壇上獻了一頭公牛和一隻公綿羊。 15 巴蘭對巴勒說：“你要在這裡站在你的燔祭旁邊，等我到那邊去迎見耶和華。” 16 耶和華見了巴蘭，把話傳給他，說：“你回到巴勒那裡去，要這樣這樣說。” 17 巴蘭回到巴勒那裡，見他站在自己的燔祭旁邊，摩押的領袖也與他在那裡。巴勒問巴蘭：“耶和華說了甚麼話呢？”
巴蘭第二次預言
18 巴蘭作歌，說：
“巴勒啊，要起來聽；
西撥的兒子啊，側耳聽我。
19 神不是人，必不致說謊，
也不是人子，必不致後悔。
他說話，怎能不作？
他發言，怎能不作成？
20 我奉命來祝福；
神要賜福，我不能改變。
21 在雅各中不見罪孽，
在以色列中也不見患難；
耶和華他們的 神與他們同在，
有君王歡呼的聲音在他們中間。
22 領他們出埃及的 神，
對他們有如野牛的角。
23 在雅各中沒有觀兆的，
在以色列中也沒有占卜；
到了適當的時候，必有話對雅各和以色列說：
‘ 神為他們行了何等的大事！’
24 這民族起來有如母獅，
挺身好像公獅；
不吃下獵物，不喝被殺的人的血，
決不臥下。”
25 巴勒對巴蘭說：“你一點不要咒詛他們，也不要祝福他們。” 26 巴蘭回答巴勒說：“我不是告訴過你說：‘耶和華吩咐我的，我都必要遵行’嗎？”
27 巴勒對巴蘭說：“你來，我領你到另一個地方去，或者 神喜歡你，你就可以在那裡為我咒詛他們。” 28 於是，巴勒領巴蘭到了俯視曠野的毘珥山頂去。 29 巴蘭對巴勒說：“你要在這裡給我築七座祭壇，也要為我預備七頭公牛和七隻公綿羊。” 30 巴勒就照著巴蘭所說的行了，在每座祭壇上，獻上一頭公牛和一隻公綿羊。
Numbers 23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Balaam’s Oracles
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 2 So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the Lord[a] will meet with me. I will tell you whatever He reveals to me.” So he went to a barren hill.
4 God[b] met with him and Balaam said to Him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”
6 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.
Balaam’s First Oracle
7 Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak brought me from Aram;(A)
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel!”(B)
8 How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
There is a people living alone;(C)
it does not consider itself among the nations.
10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob
or numbered the dust clouds[c] of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright;
let the end of my life be like theirs.
11 “What have you done to me?” Balak asked Balaam. “I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them!”
12 He answered, “Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth?”(D)
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.” 14 So Balak took him to Lookout Field[d] on top of Pisgah, built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I seek the Lord over there.”
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then He said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”
17 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak, get up and listen;
son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!
19 God is not a man who lies,
or a son of man who changes His mind.
Does He speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfill?(E)
20 I have indeed received a command to bless;
since He has blessed,[e] I cannot change it.
21 He considers no disaster for Jacob;
He sees no trouble for Israel.[f]
The Lord their God is with them,(F)
and there is rejoicing over the King among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
He is like the horns of a wild ox for them.[g](G)
23 There is no magic curse against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said about Jacob and Israel,
“What great things God has done!”
24 A people rise up like a lioness;
They rouse themselves like a lion.(H)
They will not lie down until they devour the prey
and drink the blood of the slain.
25 Then Balak told Balaam, “Don’t curse them and don’t bless them!”
26 But Balaam answered him, “Didn’t I tell you: Whatever the Lord says, I must do?”(I)
Balaam’s Third Oracle
27 Again Balak said to Balaam, “Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.[h](J)
29 Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”(K) 30 So Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:3 DSS, LXX, Sam read Maybe God
- Numbers 23:4 DSS, Sam read The Angel of God
- Numbers 23:10 Or numbered a fourth
- Numbers 23:14 Or to the field of Zophim
- Numbers 23:20 Sam, LXX read since I will bless
- Numbers 23:21 Or not observe sin in Jacob; not see wrongdoing
- Numbers 23:22 Or Egypt; they have the horns of a wild ox
- Numbers 23:28 Or overlooks Jeshimon
Numbers 23
Lexham English Bible
Balaam’s Oracles
23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me this: seven altars. And prepare for me this: seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 And Balak did just as Balaam spoke, and Balak offered Balaam a bull and a ram on the altar. 3 And Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself at your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell to you.” So he went to a barren height.
4 And God met with Balaam, and he said to him, “I have arranged seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.” 5 Yahweh put a word in the mouth of Balaam and said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” 6 So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. 7 And he lifted up his oracle and said,
“From Aram Balak lead me,
from the mountains of the east the king of Moab,
‘Go for me, curse Jacob,
and go, denounce Israel.’
8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed,
and how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?
9 Because from the top of the rocks I see him,
from hilltops I watch him.
Behold, a people who dwell alone,
they do not consider themselves among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob,
or as a number the fourth part of Israel?
Let my life die the death of an upright person,
and let my end be like his!”
11 And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have surely blessed them!” 12 He answered and said, “Should I not speak[a] what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”
13 Then Balak said, “Please walk with me to another place where you will see them, but you will only see part of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam[b] said to Balak, “Station yourself here at the burnt offering while I myself meet with Yahweh there.” 16 Then Yahweh met with Balaam, and he put a word in his mouth, and he said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” 17 He came to him, and behold, he was standing at his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” 18 Then he uttered[c] his oracle, and said,
“Stand up, Balak, and hear;
listen to me, son of Zippor!
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of humankind,
that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
And has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;
when he has blessed, I cannot cause it to return.
21 He has no regard for evil in Jacob,
and he does not see trouble in Israel;
Yahweh his God is with him,
and a shout[d] of a king is among them.[e]
22 God, who brings them out from Egypt,
is like the strength[f] of a wild ox for them.[g]
23 Because there is no sorcery against Jacob,
and there is no divination against Israel.
Now[h] it will be said to Jacob and Israel,
what God has done!
24 Look! the people will rise like the lion;
he raises himself and will not lie down
until he eats the prey
and drinks the blood of the slain.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them[i] at all, nor bless them[j] at all!” 26 But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Whatever Yahweh speaks I will do’?”
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please, come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be acceptable to[k] God, and you will curse for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks down on the face of the Jeshimon.[l] 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me these seven altars, and prepare for me these seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 Balak did just as Balaam said, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:12 Literally “Should I not observe to speak”
- Numbers 23:15 Hebrew “He”
- Numbers 23:18 Literally “he lifted up”
- Numbers 23:21 Or “a blast”
- Numbers 23:21 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 23:22 Or “like the horns”
- Numbers 23:22 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 23:23 Or “At the right time”
- Numbers 23:25 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 23:25 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 23:27 Literally “it will be right in the eyes of”
- Numbers 23:28 Or “the wasteland”
Numbers 23
New English Translation
Balaam Blesses Israel
23 [a] Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 So Balak did just as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam then offered on each[b] altar a bull and a ram. 3 Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself[c] by your burnt offering, and I will go off; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me[d] I will tell you.”[e] Then he went to a deserted height.[f]
4 Then God met Balaam, who[g] said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 5 Then the Lord put a message[h] in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.”[i]
6 So he returned to him, and he was still[j] standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam[k] uttered[l] his oracle, saying,
“Balak, the king of Moab, brought me[m] from Aram,
out of the mountains of the east, saying,
‘Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’[n]
8 How[o] can I curse[p] one whom God has not cursed,
or how can I denounce one whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see them;[q]
from the hills I watch them.[r]
Indeed, a nation that lives alone,
and it will not be reckoned[s] among the nations.
10 Who[t] can count[u] the dust[v] of Jacob,
or number[w] the fourth part of Israel?
Let me[x] die the death of the upright,[y]
and let the end of my life[z] be like theirs.”[aa]
Balaam Relocates
11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary[ab] you have only blessed them!”[ac] 12 Balaam replied,[ad] “Must I not be careful[ae] to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”[af] 13 Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there.”
14 So Balak brought Balaam[ag] to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah,[ah] where[ai] he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And Balaam[aj] said to Balak, “Station yourself here[ak] by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there.” 16 Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message[al] in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” 17 When Balaam[am] came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”
Balaam Prophesies Again
18 Balaam[an] uttered[ao] his oracle, and said,
“Rise up,[ap] Balak, and hear;
Listen to me, son of Zippor:
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a human being,[aq] that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen?[ar]
20 Indeed, I have received a command[as] to bless;
he has blessed,[at] and I cannot reverse it.[au]
21 He[av] has not looked on iniquity in Jacob,[aw]
nor has he seen trouble[ax] in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
his acclamation[ay] as king is among them.
22 God brought them[az] out of Egypt.
They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull.[ba]
23 For there is no spell[bb] against[bc] Jacob,
nor is there any divination against Israel.
At this time[bd] it must be said[be] of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘Look at[bf] what God has done!’
24 Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness,
and like a lion raises himself up;
they will not lie down until they eat their[bg] prey,
and drink the blood of the slain.”[bh]
Balaam Relocates Yet Again
25 Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all[bi] nor bless them at all!”[bj] 26 But Balaam replied[bk] to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord speaks,[bl] I must do’?”
27 Balak said to Balaam, “Come, please; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God[bm] to let you curse them for me from there.”[bn] 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks toward the wastelands.[bo] 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:1 sn The first part of Balaam’s activity ends in disaster for Balak—he blesses Israel. The chapter falls into four units: the first prophecy (vv. 1-10), the relocation (vv. 11-17), the second prophecy (vv. 18-24), and a further location (vv. 25-30).
- Numbers 23:2 tn The Hebrew text has “on the altar,” but since there were seven of each animal and seven altars, the implication is that this means on each altar.
- Numbers 23:3 tn The verb הִתְיַצֵּב (hityatsev) means “to take a stand, station oneself.” It is more intentional than simply standing by something. He was to position himself by the sacrifice as Balaam withdrew to seek the oracle.
- Numbers 23:3 tn Heb “and the word of what he shows me.” The noun is in construct, and so the clause that follows functions as a noun clause in the genitive. The point is that the word will consist of divine revelation.
- Numbers 23:3 tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. This clause is dependent on the clause that precedes it.
- Numbers 23:3 sn He went up to a bald spot, to a barren height. The statement underscores the general belief that such tops were the closest things to the gods. On such heights people built their shrines and temples.
- Numbers 23:4 tn The relative pronoun is added here in place of the conjunction to clarify that Balaam is speaking to God and not vice versa.
- Numbers 23:5 tn Heb “word.”
- Numbers 23:5 tn Heb “and thus you shall speak.”
- Numbers 23:6 tn The Hebrew text draws the vividness of the scene with the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh)—Balaam returned, and there he was, standing there.
- Numbers 23:7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:7 tn Heb “took up.”
- Numbers 23:7 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.
- Numbers 23:7 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.
- Numbers 23:8 tn The figure is erotesis, a rhetorical question. He is actually saying he cannot curse them because God has not cursed them.
- Numbers 23:8 tn The imperfect tense should here be classified as a potential imperfect.
- Numbers 23:9 tn Heb “him,” but here it refers to the Israelites (Israel).
- Numbers 23:9 sn Balaam reports his observation of the nation of Israel spread out below him in the valley. Based on that vision, and the Lord’s word, he announces the uniqueness of Israel—they are not just like one of the other nations. He was correct, of course; they were the only people linked with the living God by covenant.
- Numbers 23:9 tn The verb could also be taken as a reflexive—Israel does not consider itself as among the nations, meaning, they consider themselves to be unique.
- Numbers 23:10 tn The question is again rhetorical; it means no one can count them—they are innumerable.
- Numbers 23:10 tn The perfect tense can also be classified as a potential nuance. It does not occur very often, but does occur several times.
- Numbers 23:10 sn The reference in the oracle is back to Gen 13:16, which would not be clear to Balaam. But God had described their growth like the dust of the earth. Here it is part of the description of the vast numbers.
- Numbers 23:10 tn Heb “and as a number, the fourth part of Israel.” The noun in the MT is not in the construct state, and so it should be taken as an adverbial accusative, forming a parallel with the verb “count.” The second object of the verse then follows, “the fourth part of Israel.” Smr and the LXX have “and who has numbered” (וּמִסְפָּר, umispar), making this colon more parallel to the preceding one. The editor of BHS prefers this reading.
- Numbers 23:10 tn The use of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) for the subject of the verb stresses the personal nature—me.
- Numbers 23:10 sn Here the seer’s words link with the promise of Gen 12:3, that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed. Since the blessing belongs to them, the upright (and not Balak), Balaam would like his lot to be with them.
- Numbers 23:10 tn Heb “my latter end.”
- Numbers 23:10 tn Heb “his.”
- Numbers 23:11 tn The Hebrew text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) here to stress the contrast.
- Numbers 23:11 tn The construction is emphatic, using the perfect tense and the infinitive absolute to give it the emphasis. It would have the force of “you have done nothing but bless,” or “you have indeed blessed.” The construction is reminiscent of the call of Abram and the promise of the blessing in such elaborate terms.
- Numbers 23:12 tn Heb “he answered and said.” The referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:12 tn The verb שָׁמַר (shamar) means “to guard, watch, observe” and so here with a sense of “be careful” or even “take heed” (so KJV, ASV). The nuance of the imperfect tense would be obligatory: “I must be careful”—to do what? to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth. The infinitive construct “to speak” is therefore serving as the direct object of שָׁמַר.
- Numbers 23:12 tn The clause is a noun clause serving as the direct object of “to speak.” It begins with the sign of the accusative, and then the relative pronoun that indicates the whole clause is the accusative.
- Numbers 23:14 tn Heb “he brought him”; the referents (Balak and Balaam) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:14 tn Some scholars do not translate this word as “Pisgah,” but rather as a “lookout post” or an “elevated place.”
- Numbers 23:14 tn Heb “and he built.”
- Numbers 23:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:15 tn The verse uses כֹּה (koh) twice: “Station yourself here…I will meet [the Lord] there.”
- Numbers 23:16 tn Heb “word.”
- Numbers 23:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:18 tn Heb “he.” The antecedent has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:18 tn Heb “took up.”
- Numbers 23:18 tn The verb probably means “pay attention” in this verse.
- Numbers 23:19 tn Heb “son of man.”
- Numbers 23:19 tn The verb is the Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “to cause to rise; to make stand”). The meaning here is more of the sense of fulfilling the promises made.
- Numbers 23:20 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.
- Numbers 23:20 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.
- Numbers 23:20 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.
- Numbers 23:21 tn These could be understood as impersonal and so rendered “no one has discovered.”
- Numbers 23:21 sn The line could mean that God has regarded Israel as the ideal congregation without any blemish or flaw. But it could also mean that God has not looked on their iniquity, meaning, held it against them.
- Numbers 23:21 tn The word means “wrong, misery, trouble.” It can mean the idea of “disaster” as well, for that too is trouble. Here it is parallel to “iniquity” and so has the connotation of something that would give God reason to curse them.
- Numbers 23:21 tn The people are blessed because God is their king. In fact, the shout of acclamation is among them—they are proclaiming the Lord God as their king. The word is used normally for the sound of the trumpet, but also of battle shouts, and then here acclamation. This would represent their conviction that Yahweh is king. On the usage of this Hebrew word see further BDB 929-30 s.v. תְּרוּעָה; HALOT 1790-91 s.v.
- Numbers 23:22 tn The form is the Hiphil participle from יָצַא (yatsaʾ) with the object suffix. He is the one who brought them out.
- Numbers 23:22 sn The expression is “the horns of the wild ox” (KJV “unicorn”). The point of the image is strength or power. Horns are also used in the Bible to represent kingship (see Pss 89; 132).
- Numbers 23:23 tn The words נַחַשׁ (nakhash, “magic curse, omen”) and קֶסֶם (qesem, “prediction, divination”) describe two techniques of consulting gods. The first concerns omens generally, perhaps the flight of birds (HALOT 690 s.v.). The second relates to casting lots, sometimes done with arrows (Ezek 21:26). See N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCB), 295-296.
- Numbers 23:23 tn The ASV says “with Jacob,” but most translations use “against” (both are theoretically possible) because of the context, esp. v. 20.
- Numbers 23:23 tn The form is the preposition “like, as” and the word for “time”—according to the time, about this time, now.
- Numbers 23:23 tn The Niphal imperfect here carries the nuance of obligation—one has to say in amazement that God has done something marvelous or “it must be said.”
- Numbers 23:23 tn The words “look at” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:24 tn The pronoun “their” has been supplied for clarity; it is not present in the Hebrew text.
- Numbers 23:24 sn The oracle compares Israel first to a lion, or better, lioness, because she does the tracking and hunting of food while the lion moves up and down roaring and distracting the prey. But the lion is also the traditional emblem of Judah, Dan and Gad, as well as the symbol of royalty. So this also supports the motif of royalty as well as power for Israel.
- Numbers 23:25 tn The verb is preceded by the infinitive absolute: “you shall by no means curse” or “do not curse them at all.” He brought him to curse, and when he tried to curse there was a blessing. Balak can only say it would be better not to bother.
- Numbers 23:25 tn The same construction now works with “nor bless them at all.” The two together form a merism—“don’t say anything.” He does not want them blessed, so Balaam is not to do that, but the curse isn’t working either.
- Numbers 23:26 tn Heb “answered and said.”
- Numbers 23:26 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.”
- Numbers 23:27 tn Heb “be pleasing in the eyes of God.”
- Numbers 23:27 sn Balak is stubborn, as indeed Balaam is persistent. But Balak still thinks that if another location were used it just might work. Balaam had actually told Balak in the prophecy that other attempts would fail. But Balak refuses to give up so easily. So he insists they perform the ritual and try again. This time, however, Balaam will change his approach, and this will result in a dramatic outpouring of power on him.
- Numbers 23:28 tn Or perhaps as a place name, “Jeshimon” (cf. 21:20).
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