Numbers 23:3-13

3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go; peradventure the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell thee. And thus he went alone.

4 And God met Balaam; and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon each altar a bullock and a ram.

5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.

6 And he returned unto him, and, behold, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he and all the princes of Moab.

7 And he took up his parable and said, Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob and come, denounce Israel.

8 Why should I curse one whom God has not cursed? And why should I denounce one whom the LORD has not denounced?

9 For from the top of the rocks I have seen him, and from the hills I beheld him; behold, a people that shall dwell in confidence and shall not be counted among the Gentiles.

10 Who shall count the dust of Jacob and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

11 Then Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse my enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.

12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD has put in my mouth?

13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from which thou may see them; thou hast seen but the utmost part of them and hast not seen them all; and from there thou shalt curse them for me.

Numbers 23:3-13 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.