Numbers 23

KJV · Chapter 23/36

1And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.

2And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.

3And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.

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

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

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

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

8How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?

9For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

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

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

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

13And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.

14And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

15And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the Lord yonder.

16And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.

17And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the Lord spoken?

18And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

20Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

21He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.

22God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.

23Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

24Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

25And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

26But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do?

27And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.

28And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.

29And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

30And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Despite Balak's pressure, Balaam is only able to pronounce blessings over Israel instead of curses, in two consecutive prophetic oracles, to the great frustration of the Moabite king.

Explanation

This chapter shows the power of God's sovereignty even over prophets hired for money: no matter how many times Balak changes location and offers more sacrifices, God simply does not allow Balaam to speak anything other than the truth He had already declared about Israel — blessing, not curse. The declaration 'God is not a man, that he should lie' (v. 19) is one of the most quoted theological statements in the Bible about the absolute reliability of God's word, contrasting with human inconstancy. Balak's growing frustration, as he tries to manipulate the outcome through rituals repeated in different places, ironically shows the futility of trying to control or bargain with God through religious formulas.

Fun facts

  • The phrase 'God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent' (v. 19) is quoted almost word for word in 1 Samuel 15:29, becoming a recurring theological formula in biblical tradition about God's unchanging nature.
  • Balak takes Balaam to three different locations (Bamoth-baal, Pisgah, and later Peor in the next chapter) reflecting the common pagan belief of the time that regional gods had power limited to specific territories — a belief the biblical narrative systematically disproves, showing the God of Israel as sovereign over all the earth.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Numbers 23:1Balaam asks Balak to build seven altars and prepare seven bulls and seven rams, starting the first attempt at a ritual curse.
  2. Numbers 23:2Balak does exactly as asked, and the two offer a bull and a ram on each of the seven altars.
  3. Numbers 23:3Balaam asks Balak to stay by the burnt offering while he goes off alone, hoping the LORD will come to meet him and reveal something for him to pass on.
  4. Numbers 23:4God does meet Balaam, and he reports what he has done: prepared seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each one.
  5. Numbers 23:5The LORD puts words in Balaam’s mouth and instructs him to go back to Balak and say exactly that.
  6. Numbers 23:6Balaam goes back and finds Balak still standing by his burnt offering, surrounded by the princes of Moab.
  7. Numbers 23:7Balaam then recites his first poem, explaining that he was brought from far away specifically to curse Jacob and denounce Israel.
  8. Numbers 23:8But he asks: how can he curse whom God does not curse, or denounce whom the LORD does not denounce?
  9. Numbers 23:9He describes Israel, seen from the rocks above, as a people that lives apart, not mixing with the other nations.
  10. Numbers 23:10Balaam is amazed at the sheer size of the people, impossible to count, and even wishes for himself a death as righteous as theirs.
  11. Numbers 23:11Balak reacts furiously, asking what Balaam had done, since he had called him to curse his enemies and instead he only blessed them.
  12. Numbers 23:12Balaam defends himself: he can only say exactly what the LORD puts in his mouth, nothing more.
  13. Numbers 23:13Balak insists on trying again, proposing to take him to another place, from where he would see only part of the people, hoping for a different outcome.
  14. Numbers 23:14Balak takes him to the field of Zophim, at the top of Pisgah, and repeats the same ritual: seven altars, with a bull and a ram on each.
  15. Numbers 23:15Balaam again asks Balak to stay by the burnt offering while he goes to meet the LORD.
  16. Numbers 23:16Again the LORD meets Balaam, puts a word in his mouth, and instructs him to go back and say exactly that to Balak.
  17. Numbers 23:17Balaam returns and finds Balak waiting by the burnt offering with the princes; Balak anxiously asks what the LORD had said.
  18. Numbers 23:18Balaam begins his second poem asking Balak for attention, formally addressing him by his father’s name.
  19. Numbers 23:19In this verse, Balaam states that God does not change His mind like a human being, nor does He promise something only to go back on it. It is part of his explanation to Balak for why he cannot simply curse Israel: the blessing had already been given by God and would not be revoked just because the king was paying for something else.
  20. Numbers 23:20He explains that he received a command to bless, and that once God has blessed, it is not in his power to reverse it.
  21. Numbers 23:21Balaam declares that he sees no wickedness or iniquity in Israel, because the LORD is with them, and among the people there is something like the shout of a victorious king.
  22. Numbers 23:22He repeats the reminder that it was God who brought the people out of Egypt, comparing their strength to that of a wild ox.
  23. Numbers 23:23Balaam declares that no sorcery or divination can really work against Israel. This is the third time in the chapter that he tries to curse the people at Balak’s request and instead ends up blessing them — reinforcing the idea that God’s protection over Israel could not be bought or reversed by outside rituals.
  24. Numbers 23:24Balaam describes the people rising up like a lion that will not rest until it has completely devoured its prey — an image of unstoppable strength.
  25. Numbers 23:25Frustrated again, Balak asks Balaam to do neither one thing nor the other: neither curse them nor bless them.
  26. Numbers 23:26Balaam answers by reminding him of what he had already warned from the start: he can only say what the LORD tells him.
  27. Numbers 23:27Even so, Balak proposes a third attempt, taking Balaam to yet another place, hoping that from there God would allow the curse.
  28. Numbers 23:28Balak takes Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the wilderness.
  29. Numbers 23:29Balaam repeats the same request as always: seven altars, seven bulls, and seven rams.
  30. Numbers 23:30Balak follows the instruction once more, offering a bull and a ram on each of the seven altars.

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