Números 22

Números 22

MacArthur - Throughout these chapters Balaam himself used the name “Lord,” i.e., Israel’s God (Nu 22:13, 18–19; 23:3, 12; 24:13). In Nu 22:18 he even called the Lord, “the LORD my God.” In this verse it must be assumed that Balaam expected the God of Israel to speak to him. As a pagan prophet he would anticipate making contact with the gods of any people. (MSB) HCSB Note - Balaam, a renowned pagan divination expert (Joshua 13:22), and his oracles of blessing upon Israel. As the very antithesis of the great prophet Moses, this prophet sought Israel's demise at the bidding of the Moabite king Balak. Instead Balaam was used by God in a manner like Moses to pronounce future divine blessing for Israel. Moses is curiously absent from the story, probably because of his sin of rebellion and irreverence at Meribah (Nu 20:2-13). In this section God demonstrated that He can use even a pagan wizard to bring blessing to His people. And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam - He must have had a large residence that would allow him to accommodate this evil entourage. Numbers 22:9 Then God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" BGT Numbers 22:9 καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Βαλααμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τί οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὗτοι παρὰ σοί NET Numbers 22:9 And God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" NLT Numbers 22:9 That night God came to Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men visiting you?" ESV Numbers 22:9 And God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" NIV Numbers 22:9 God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?" KJV Numbers 22:9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? YLT Numbers 22:9 And God cometh in unto Balaam, and saith, 'Who are these men with thee?' LXE Numbers 22:9 And God came to Balaam, and said to him, Who are these men with thee? ASV Numbers 22:9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? CSB Numbers 22:9 Then God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?" NKJ Numbers 22:9 Then God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" NRS Numbers 22:9 God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" NAB Numbers 22:9 Then God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men visiting you?" NJB Numbers 22:9 God came to Balaam and said, 'Who are these men staying with you?' GWN Numbers 22:9 God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?" God: Nu 22:20 Ge 20:3 31:24 41:25 Da 2:45 4:31,32 Mt 7:22 24:24 Joh 11:51 What men: Ge 3:9-11 4:9 16:8 Ex 4:2 2Ki 20:14,15 Numbers 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries AN AMAZING DIVINE ADDRESS! Then God came to Balaam - This is amazing condescension that Elohim would appear to a pagan diviner. This could indicate that this was a dream or vision. Where is not stated. Obviously it was not at his residence. Recall that God appeared to Abimelech of Gerar in Ge 20:6-7, to Pharaoh in dreams (Ge 41:25) and even to King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream (Da 2:1-45) and visions (Da 4:1-18). Merrill points out that "As the sovereign God He rules and overrules in prophetic revelation as well as in all other areas of life. He therefore accommodated Himself to the crass manipulations of an Amorite diviner, though in the end God showed Himself to be the divine “Manipulator.”" (BKC) and said, "Who are these men with you?" - Clearly this is rhetorical for the omniscient God knew the visitors and their purpose. This question was a way to open the conversation as God did with Adam and Eve in Ge 3:9+ and with Cain in Ge 4:9. Numbers 22:10 Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, BGT Numbers 22:10 καὶ εἶπεν Βαλααμ πρὸς τὸν θεόν Βαλακ υἱὸς Σεπφωρ βασιλεὺς Μωαβ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς πρός με λέγων NET Numbers 22:10 Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message to me, saying, NLT Numbers 22:10 Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: ESV Numbers 22:10 And Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, NIV Numbers 22:10 Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: KJV Numbers 22:10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, YLT Numbers 22:10 And Balaam saith unto God, 'Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me: LXE Numbers 22:10 And Balaam said to God, Balac son of Sepphor, king of Moab, sent them to me, saying, ASV Numbers 22:10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, CSB Numbers 22:10 Balaam replied to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent this message to me: NKJ Numbers 22:10 So Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, NRS Numbers 22:10 Balaam said to God, "King Balak son of Zippor of Moab, has sent me this message: NAB Numbers 22:10 Balaam answered God, "Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me the message: NJB Numbers 22:10 Balaam said to God, 'Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message, GWN Numbers 22:10 Balaam answered, "Balak, son of King Zippor of Moab, sent them with this message: Numbers 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries BALAAM RESPONDS TO YAHWEH'S QUESTION Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me - Balaam is straightforward in his answer to God. Numbers 22:11 'Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt and they cover the surface of the land; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out.'" BGT Numbers 22:11 ἰδοὺ λαὸς ἐξελήλυθεν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἰδοὺ κεκάλυφεν τὴν ὄψιν τῆς γῆς καὶ οὗτος ἐγκάθηται ἐχόμενός μου καὶ νῦν δεῦρο ἄρασαί μοι αὐτόν εἰ ἄρα δυνήσομαι πατάξαι αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκβαλῶ αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς NET Numbers 22:11 "Look, a nation has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Come now and put a curse on them for me; perhaps I will be able to defeat them and drive them out." NLT Numbers 22:11 'Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.'" ESV Numbers 22:11 'Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.'" NIV Numbers 22:11 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.'" KJV Numbers 22:11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. YLT Numbers 22:11 Lo, the people that is coming out from Egypt and covereth the eye of the land, -- now come, pierce it for me; it may be I am able to fight against it, and have cast it out;' LXE Numbers 22:11 Behold, a people has come forth out of Egypt, and has covered the face of the land, and it has encamped near to me; and now come, curse it for me, if indeed I shall be able to smite it, and cast it out of the land. ASV Numbers 22:11 Behold, the people that is come out of Egypt, it covereth the face of the earth: now, come curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out. CSB Numbers 22:11 'Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.'" NKJ Numbers 22:11 `Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.'" NRS Numbers 22:11 'A people has come out of Egypt and has spread over the face of the earth; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.'" NAB Numbers 22:11 'This people that came here from Egypt now cover the face of the earth. Please come and lay a curse on them for us; we may then be able to give them battle and drive them out.'" NJB Numbers 22:11 "Look, a people coming from Egypt has overrun the whole countryside. Come now and curse them for me; I may then be able to defeat them and drive them out." ' GWN Numbers 22:11 'Some people have just come from Egypt and are spreading out all over the countryside. Now come and curse them for me. Maybe I'll be able to fight them and force them out.'" Numbers 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries BALAAM ESSENTIALLY QUOTES BALAKS WORDS TO GOD Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt and they cover the surface of the land - Balaam quotes almost verbatim the message he received from the messengers, recalling Balak's declaration in Nu 22:5 "Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me." now come, curse them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out - Balaam continues his quote from Balak passed on by the messengers and recorded in Nu 22:6 = “Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land." Numbers 22:12 God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." BGT Numbers 22:12 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Βαλααμ οὐ πορεύσῃ μετ᾽ αὐτῶν οὐδὲ καταράσῃ τὸν λαόν ἔστιν γὰρ εὐλογημένος NET Numbers 22:12 But God said to Balaam, "You must not go with them; you must not curse the people, for they are blessed." NLT Numbers 22:12 But God told Balaam, "Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!" ESV Numbers 22:12 God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." NIV Numbers 22:12 But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed." KJV Numbers 22:12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. YLT Numbers 22:12 and God saith unto Balaam, 'Thou dost not go with them; thou dost not curse the people; for it is blessed.' LXE Numbers 22:12 And God said to Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them, neither shalt thou curse the people; for they are blessed. ASV Numbers 22:12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed. CSB Numbers 22:12 Then God said to Balaam, "You are not to go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed." NKJ Numbers 22:12 And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." NRS Numbers 22:12 God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." NAB Numbers 22:12 But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them and do not curse this people, for they are blessed." NJB Numbers 22:12 God said to Balaam, 'You are not to go with them. You are not to curse the people, for they are blessed.' GWN Numbers 22:12 But God said to Balaam, "Don't go with them! Don't curse these people, because they are blessed." Thou shalt: Nu 22:20 Job 33:15-17 Mt 27:19 thou shalt not curse: Nu 22:19 23:3,13-15,19,23 Mic 6:5 for they: Nu 23:20 Ge 12:2 22:16-18 De 23:5 33:29 Ps 144:15 146:5 Ro 4:6,7 11:29 Eph 1:3 Numbers 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries GOD'S CLEAR RESPONSE God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." - Note God gives in essence a three part answer to Balaam (1) do not go, (2) do not curse, (3) they are blessed. God's response is crystal clear and concise. Years before the patriarch Isaac discovered that the blessing could not be reversed once it was pronounced "Then (WHEN ESAU ANSWERED - Ge 27:32) Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” (Ge 27:33) In Genesis 12:2+ God promised Abram "I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing." NET Note - The two verbs are negated imperfects; they have the nuance of prohibition: You must not go and you must not curse. Milgrom - Three times in the Bible God appears to non-Israelites in order to warn them not to carry out their intentions; the other occasions are Genesis 31:24 (Laban) and Genesis 20:3 (Abimelech). (Ibid) Numbers 22:13 So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak's leaders, "Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you." BGT Numbers 22:13 καὶ ἀναστὰς Βαλααμ τὸ πρωὶ εἶπεν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν Βαλακ ἀποτρέχετε πρὸς τὸν κύριον ὑμῶν οὐκ ἀφίησίν με ὁ θεὸς πορεύεσθαι μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν NET Numbers 22:13 So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, "Go to your land, for the LORD has refused to permit me to go with you." NLT Numbers 22:13 The next morning Balaam got up and told Balak's officials, "Go on home! The LORD will not let me go with you." ESV Numbers 22:13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Go to your own land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you." NIV Numbers 22:13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you." KJV Numbers 22:13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. YLT Numbers 22:13 And Balaam riseth in the morning, and saith unto the princes of Balak, 'Go unto your land, for Jehovah is refusing to suffer me to go with you;' LXE Numbers 22:13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balac, Depart quickly to your lord; God does not permit me to go with you. ASV Numbers 22:13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land; for Jehovah refuseth to give me leave to go with you. CSB Numbers 22:13 So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak's officials, "Go back to your land, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you." NKJ Numbers 22:13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission to go with you." NRS Numbers 22:13 So Balaam rose in the morning, and said to the officials of Balak, "Go to your own land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you." NAB Numbers 22:13 The next morning Balaam arose and told the princes of Balak, "Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you." NJB Numbers 22:13 In the morning Balaam got up and said to the chiefs sent by Balak, 'Go back to your country, for Yahweh will not let me go with you.' GWN Numbers 22:13 When Balaam got up in the morning, he said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you." for the Lord: Nu 22:14 De 23:5 Numbers 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries GO HOME WITHOUT ME! GOD REFUSED! So Balaam arose in the morning - This supports the premise that God appeared to him in the night, probably in a dream or vision. And said to Balak's leaders, "Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you." - Balaam complies with Yahweh's directions. So far we might be able to conclude that here's a man in touch with God, talking to God and hearing from God. Here's a man who knows that God has spoken to him, and he cannot curse what God has blessed. Or at least that's what it looks like at this juncture. As Bell says "He first appears as a man of integrity, who attempts a literal obedience to the will of God." Notice that Balaam does not fully explain why he cannot go with them for he knew cursing Israel was doomed to fail! Milgrom has an interesting comment that "Balaam omits the full reason—that cursing Israel is an exercise in futility—not because he hoped later to change God’s mind but because it would have brought the story to an end had the emissaries reported this reason to Balak." (Ibid)