Números 22:17

17 porque sin duda te honraré mucho, y haré todo lo que me dijeres; ven, pues ahora, maldíceme a este pueblo

Números 22:17 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 22:17

For I will promote thee unto very great honour
In his court, by making him some great officer there, perhaps his prime minister; so that as before he laid a bait for his covetousness, sending him large presents, and rewards of divination; here, for his pride and ambition, promising him court preferment; though Aben Ezra interprets it of mammon or riches, of which he could give him an immense sum: "in honouring I will exceedingly honour thee" ^F6; or load thee with wealth and riches; and so Balaam seems to understand it, since in his answer he says, "if Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold"; both civil honour and worldly wealth may be taken into the account, since they are both heavy and weighty things, and very desirable and ensnaring:

and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me;
give him what money he should ask of him, put him into whatsoever place and office he should desire; and though he was a sovereign prince, would be at his beck and command, and do whatever he should direct him to do in his kingdom, as well as in what concerned the affair of cursing Israel; as we find he afterwards did, with respect to sacrifices and rites relative thereunto:

come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people;
renewing the request made in the first embassy with great importunity, ( Numbers 22:6 ) but using here a different word for "cursing"; there, as Munster observes, the word signifies to curse lightly; here, to blaspheme and utterly devote to ruin; to which may be added, to curse expressly and by name, to pierce through and through, to deprive of all benefits, and to destroy utterly.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 (dam Kdbka dbk) "honorando honorabo te valde", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator.

Números 22:17 In-Context

15 Y volvió Balac a enviar otra vez más príncipes, y más honorables que los otros

16 Los cuales vinieron a Balaam, y le dijeron: Así dice Balac, hijo de Zipor: Te ruego que no dejes de venir a mí

17 porque sin duda te honraré mucho, y haré todo lo que me dijeres; ven, pues ahora, maldíceme a este pueblo

18 Y Balaam respondió, y dijo a los siervos de Balac: Aunque Balac me diera su casa llena de plata y oro, no puedo traspasar la palabra del SEÑOR mi Dios, para hacer cosa chica ni grande

19 Os ruego, por tanto, ahora, que reposéis aquí esta noche, para que yo sepa qué me vuelve a decir el SEÑOR