King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:
Complete Jewish Bible:
They went to Bil'am and said to him, "Here is what Balak the son of Tzippor says: 'Please don't let anything keep you from coming to me.
Berean Standard Bible:
They came to Balaam and said, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me,
American Standard Version:
And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And they came{H935} to Balaam{H1109}, and said{H559} to him, Thus saith{H559} Balak{H1111} the son{H1121} of Zippor{H6834}, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder{H4513} thee from coming{H1980} unto me:
Cross-References (KJV):
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Commentary for Numbers 22:16
**Themes:**
- **Divine Sovereignty vs. Human Desire:** The verse reflects the tension between God's will and human ambition. Balak, king of Moab, desires to curse the Israelites to prevent them from overtaking his land, while God has plans to bless Israel.
- **Prophecy and Obedience:** Balaam is a prophet, and this narrative examines the proper response of a prophet to conflicting commands from a human king and the divine King.
- **Spiritual Authority:** The account questions the source of true authority, whether it lies with earthly rulers or with God.
**Historical Context:**
- **The Israelite Journey:** Numbers 22 occurs during the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land. Having defeated various nations, they encamp near the Moabites, causing King Balak to fear for his kingdom.
- **Moabite Fear:** The Moabites are descendants of Lot and are related to the Israelites, but they view the large number of Israelites as a threat to their land and resources.
- **Balaam's Reputation:** Balaam is known as a prophet with the power to bless or curse, leading Balak to seek his services. Balaam's interactions with God and Balak's messengers set the stage for a deeper exploration of true prophetic power and the limits of human intervention against divine plans.
In Numbers 22:16, Balak's emissaries convey his urgent plea to Balaam, emphasizing the importance of Balaam's journey to Moab. This sets up the famous episode with Balaam's donkey, where the tension between human and divine wills is vividly portrayed.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H935
There are 2307 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בּוֹא
Transliteration: bôwʼ
Pronunciation: bo
Description: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way. - Strong's Number: H1109
There are 57 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בִּלְעָם
Transliteration: Bilʻâm
Pronunciation: bil-awm'
Description: probably from בַּל and עַם; not (of the) people, i.e. foreigner; Bilam, a Mesopotamian prophet; also a place in Palestine; Balaam, Bileam. - Strong's Number: H559
There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָמַר
Transliteration: ʼâmar
Pronunciation: aw-mar'
Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet. - Strong's Number: H1111
There are 40 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בָּלָק
Transliteration: Bâlâq
Pronunciation: baw-lawk'
Description: from בָּלַק; waster; Balak, a Moabitish king; Balak. - Strong's Number: H1121
There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בֵּן
Transliteration: bên
Pronunciation: bane
Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth. - Strong's Number: H6834
There are 7 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צִפּוֹר
Transliteration: Tsippôwr
Pronunciation: tsip-pore'
Description: the same as צִפּוֹר; Tsippor, a Moabite; Zippor. - Strong's Number: H4513
There are 29 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מָנַע
Transliteration: mânaʻ
Pronunciation: maw-nah'
Description: a primitive root; to debar (negatively or positively) from benefit or injury; deny, keep (back), refrain, restrain, withhold. - Strong's Number: H1980
There are 468 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: הָלַךְ
Transliteration: hâlak
Pronunciation: haw-lak'
Description: akin to יָלַךְ; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively); (all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, [phrase] be eased, enter, exercise (self), [phrase] follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), [phrase] greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, [idiom] more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), [phrase] send, speedily, spread, still, surely, [phrase] tale-bearer, [phrase] travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-) faring man, [idiom] be weak, whirl.