Numbers 23:19-21

19 "¹God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; ²Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good

20 "Behold, I have received a command to bless; ³When He has blessed, then ⁴I cannot revoke it.

21 "⁵He has not observed misfortune in Jacob; ⁶Nor has He seen trouble in Israel; ⁷The LORD his God is with him, ⁸And the shout of a king is among them

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Numbers 23:19-21 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.