Numbers 22:12

12 And god sayed vnto Balam: thou shalt not goo with them nether curse the people for they are blessed.

Numbers 22:12 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 22:12

And God said unto Balaam, thou shalt not go with them
Which is a denial of the first thing Balak requested, "come now, therefore" ( Numbers 22:6 )

thou shall not curse the people;
which was the principal thing desired, and in order to which he was solicited to go with the messengers; but this is absolutely forbidden:

for they are blessed;
by the Lord himself, with an irrevocable blessing, and therefore it would be vain and fruitless, as well as dangerous for him to attempt to curse them, ( Genesis 12:3 ) this may have a special respect to the blessing of Jacob by Isaac, which could not be reversed by the solicitations of Esau, and which descended to Jacob's posterity, the Israelites, ( Genesis 27:33 ) .

Numbers 22:12 In-Context

10 And Balam sayed vnto god: Balac the sonne of Ziphor kynge of Moab hath sent vnto me sayenge:

11 beholde there is a people come out of Egipte and couereth the face of the erthe: come now therfore and curse me them that so peraduenture I maye be able to ouercome them in batell and to dryue the out.

12 And god sayed vnto Balam: thou shalt not goo with them nether curse the people for they are blessed.

13 And Balam rose vp in the mornynge and sayed vnto the lordes of Balac: gett you vnto youre lande for the Lorde will not suffre me to goo with you.

14 And the lordes of Moab rose vpp and went vnto Balac and sayed Balam wolde not come with vs.