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Numbers 24:20-22
New English Translation
Numbers 24:20-22
New English Translation
Balaam’s Final Prophecies
20 Then Balaam[a] looked on Amalek and delivered this oracle:[b]
“Amalek was the first[c] of the nations,
but his end will be that he will perish.”
21 Then he looked on the Kenites and uttered this oracle:
“Your dwelling place seems strong,
and your nest[d] is set on a rocky cliff.
22 Nevertheless the Kenite will be consumed.[e]
How long will Asshur take you away captive?”
Footnotes
- Numbers 24:20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 24:20 tn Heb “and he lifted up his oracle and said.” So also in vv. 21, 23.
- Numbers 24:20 sn This probably means that it held first place, or it thought that it was “the first of the nations.” It was not the first, either in order or greatness.
- Numbers 24:21 sn A pun is made on the name Kenite by using the word “your nest” (קִנֶּךָ, qinnekha); the location may be the rocky cliffs overlooking Petra.
- Numbers 24:22 tc Heb “Nevertheless Cain will be wasted; how long will Asshur take you captive?” Cain was believed to be the ancestor of the Kenites. The NAB has “yet destined for burning, even as I watch, are your inhabitants.” Asshur may refer to a north Arabian group of people of Abrahamic stock (Gen 25:3), and not the Assyrian empire.
New English Translation (NET)
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