Numbers 22:37

37 And Balak said to Balaam, I sent messengers to call thee; why camest thou not anon to me? whether for I may not yield meed to thy coming? (And Balak said to Balaam, I sent messengers to call thee; why did thou not come at once to me? did you think that I would not reward thee for coming?)

Numbers 22:37 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 22:37

And Balak said unto Balaam
Upon their meeting together:

did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee?
or "in sending send" {u}; the first messengers in a very pressing manner, with great importunity, to give thee an invitation to come to me, and those men of rank and quality, with rewards of divination in their hands, and yet the invitation was rejected; and after them other messengers, more in number and greater in dignity, with larger offers and promises; and now indeed thou art come, but with much ado, what is the meaning of all this?

wherefore camest thou not unto me?
at first, without showing so much indifference and reluctance, and which obliged me to send another message to thee:

am I not able to promote thee to honour?
to give thee wealth and riches, and put thee into high places of honour and profit? hadst thou any doubt in thy mind about it, either concerning my ability or will to do it?

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 (ytxlv xlv) "mittendo misi", Pagninus, Montanus.

Numbers 22:37 In-Context

35 The angel said, (Nay,) Go thou with these men, but beware, that thou speak not [any] other thing than (what) I shall command to thee. Therefore Balaam went with the princes (And so Balaam went forth with Balak's leaders).

36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was nigh, he went out into the coming of him, in (Ar,) the city of Moabites, which is set in the last coast of (the) Arnon. (And when Balak heard that Balaam was near, he went out to meet him, at Ar, the city of the Moabites, which is set on their most distant border, by the Arnon River.)

37 And Balak said to Balaam, I sent messengers to call thee; why camest thou not anon to me? whether for I may not yield meed to thy coming? (And Balak said to Balaam, I sent messengers to call thee; why did thou not come at once to me? did you think that I would not reward thee for coming?)

38 To whom Balaam answered, Lo! I am present, (but) whether I shall be able to speak (any) other thing than that, that God shall put in my mouth? (To whom Balaam answered, Lo! I am present, but do not think that I shall speak anything, other than what God himself shall put in my mouth!)

39 Therefore they went forth together, and they came into a city, which was in the last coast of his realm (which was Kiriathhuzoth, that is, the City of Huzoth).