Numbers 23:13-23

13 And Balac said to him, Come yet with me to another place where thou shalt not see the people, but only thou shalt see a part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.
14 And he took him to a high place of the field to the top of the quarried , and he built there seven altars, and offered a calf and a ram on altar.
15 And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will go to enquire of God.
16 And God met Balaam, and put a word into his mouth, and said, return to Balac, and thus shalt thou speak.
17 And he returned to him: and he also was standing by his whole-burnt-sacrifice, and all the princes of Moab with him; and Balac said to him, What has the Lord spoken?
18 And he took up his parable, and said, rise up, Balac, and hear; hearken as a witness, thou son of Sepphor.
19 God is not as man to waver, nor as the son of man to be threatened; shall he say and not perform? shall he speak and not keep ?
20 Behold, I have received to bless: I will bless, and not turn back.
21 There shall not be trouble in Jacob, neither shall sorrow be seen in Israel: the Lord his God with him, the glories of rulers in him.
22 It was God who brought him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn.
23 For there is no divination in Jacob, nor enchantment in Israel; in season it shall be told to Jacob and Israel what God shall perform.

Numbers 23:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 23

This chapter gives an account of the sacrifices offered by Balak and Balaam, and how God met Balsam, and put a word into his mouth, which he delivered in the presence of the king of Moab and his princes, Nu 23:1-7, the substance of which are, the separate state and condition of Israel from other nations, their number, and the happiness of the righteous at death, Nu 23:8-10, which made Balak uneasy, since instead of cursing he blessed Israel, and therefore he had him to another place to take a view of the people, Nu 23:11-13 where having offered sacrifices, another word was put into the mouth of Balaam, and which he also delivered before the king and his nobles, Nu 23:14-18, in which were expressed the unchangeableness of God, the irreversibleness of the blessing of Israel, the strength, safety, happiness, and glory of that people, Nu 23:19-24 which made Balak more uneasy still; but willing to try him a third time, he carried him to another place, and there built altars, and offered sacrifices, the consequence of which is related in the next chapter, Nu 23:25-30.

Footnotes 3

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.