Numbers 22:38

38 Balaam answered, "I came, didn't I? But now, what power do I have? I can say only what God tells me to say."

Numbers 22:38 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 22:38

And Balaam said unto Balak, lo, I am come unto thee
And therefore let nothing more be said of what is past: and as for future things,

have I now any power at all to say anything?
that would be agreeable to the king, and answer his purpose in sending for him, namely, to curse the people of Israel; he suggests that he had not, he was under the powerful restraint of God; he could not say what he himself was inclined to say, and what the king would have him say, and he expected he should; he could not say as some in ( Psalms 12:4 ) : the word

that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak;
whether agreeable to Balak's will and design or not, and whether for or against Israel: however, it being expressed in such indefinite terms might leave room for Balak to hope it might answer his expectations and wishes.

Numbers 22:38 In-Context

36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at Ar, a city on the Arnon River at the border of Moab.
37 Balak said to him, "Why didn't you come when I sent for you the first time? Did you think I wasn't able to reward you enough?"
38 Balaam answered, "I came, didn't I? But now, what power do I have? I can say only what God tells me to say."
39 So Balaam went with Balak to the town of Huzoth,
40 where Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.