Numbers 22:14

Listen to Numbers 22:14
14 So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us. ”

Numbers 22:14 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 22:14

And the princes of Moab rose up
And the princes of Midian also, immediately, without entering into a parley with him, to persuade him to go with them; perceiving by his answer that it would be to no purpose, and that he was determined to do as the Lord directed him:

and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us;
as Balaam told them less than what God had said to him, so they related less to Balak than what Balaam had said to them; saying nothing of the Lord's refusing to let him go with them, but represent it as a piece of pride and obstinacy in Balaam, and which Balak was left to understand; and it seems as if he did understand it as a piece of policy in Balaam, to get a larger offer of money or honour, or both, from him, and which the following account seems to confirm.

Unlock Deeper Insights: Get Over 20 Commentaries with Plus! Subscribe Now

Numbers 22:14 In-Context

12 God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed. ”
13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you. ”
14 So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us. ”
15 Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these.
16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me,
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025