TRV
Translation
King James Version
And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
Complete Jewish Bible
The princes of Mo'av got up, returned to Balak and said, "Bil'am refuses to come with us."
Berean Standard Bible
And the princes of Moab arose, returned to Balak, and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
American Standard Version
And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
World English Bible Messianic
The princes of Moab rose up, and they went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
So the princes of Moab rose vp, and went vnto Balak, and sayd, Balaam hath refused to come with vs.
Young's Literal Translation
and the princes of Moab rise, and come in unto Balak, and say, `Balaam is refusing to come with us.'
Study This Verse
Commentary on Numbers 22 verses 1–14
1 ¶ And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.
2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
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.
12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
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.
14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
The children of Israel have at length finished their wanderings in the wilderness, out of which they went up (Num 21:18), and are now encamped in the plains of Moab near Jordan, where they continued till they passed through Jordan under Joshua, after the death of Moses. Now we have here,
I. The fright which the Moabites were in upon the approach of Israel, Num 22:2-4. They needed not to fear any harm from them if they knew (and it is probable that Moses let them know) the orders God had given to Israel not to contend with the Moabites, nor to use any hostility against them, Deu 2:9. But, if they had any notice of this, they were jealous that it was but a sham, to make them secure, that they might be the more easily conquered. Notwithstanding the old friendship between Abraham and Lot, the Moabites resolved to ruin Israel if they could, and therefore they will take it for granted, without any ground for the suspicion, that Israel resolves to ruin them. Thus it is common for those that design mischief to pretend that mischief is designed against them; and their groundless jealousies must be the colour of their causeless malice. They hear of their triumphs over the Amorites (Num 22:2), and think that their own house is in danger when their neighbour's is on fire. They observe their multitudes (Num 22:3): They were many; and hence infer how easily they would conquer their country, and all about them if some speedy and effectual course were not taken to stop the progress of their victorious arms: "They shall lick up or devour us, and all that are round about us, as speedily and irresistibly as the ox eats up the grass" (Num 22:4), owning themselves to be an unequal match for so formidable an enemy. Therefore they were sorely afraid and distressed themselves; thus were the wicked in great fear where no fear was, Psa 53:5. These fears they communicated to their neighbours, the elders of Midian, that some measures might be concerted between them for their common safety; for, if the kingdom of Moab fall, the republic of Midian cannot stand long. The Moabites, if they had pleased, might have made a good use of the advances of Israel, and their successes against the Amorites. They had reason to rejoice, and give God and Israel thanks for freeing them from the threatening power of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had taken from them part of their country, and was likely to overrun the rest. They had reason likewise to court Israel's friendship, and to come in to their assistance; but having forsaken the religion of their father Lot, and being sunk into idolatry, they hated the people of the God of Abraham, and were justly infatuated in their counsels and given up to distress.
II. The project which the king of Moab formed to get the people of Israel cursed, that is, to set God against them, who, he perceived, hitherto fought for them. He trusted more to his arts than to his arms, and had a notion that if he could but get some prophet or other, with his powerful charms, to imprecate evil upon them, and to pronounce a blessing upon himself and his forces, then, though otherwise too weak, he should be able to deal with them. This notion arose, 1. Out of the remains of some religion; for it owns a dependence upon some visible sovereign powers that rule in the affairs of the children of men and determine them, and an obligation upon us to make application to these powers. 2. Out of the ruins of the true religion; for if the Midianites and Moabites had not wretchedly degenerated from the faith and worship of their pious ancestors, Abraham and Lot, they could not have imagined it possible to do any mischief with their curses to a people who alone adhered to the service of the true God, from whose service they had themselves revolted.
III. The court which he made to Balaam the son of Beor, a famous conjurer, to engage him to curse Israel. The Balaam lived a great way off, in that country whence Abraham came, and where Laban lived; but, though it was probable that there were many nearer home that were pretenders to divination, yet none had so great a reputation for success as Balaam, and Balak will employ the best he can hear of, though he send a great way for him, so much is his heart upon this project. And to gain him, 1. He makes him his friend, complaining to him, as his confidant, of the danger he was in from the numbers and neighbourhood of the camp of Israel: They cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me, Num 22:5. 2. In effect he makes him his god, by the great power he attributes to his word: He whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed, Num 22:6. The learned bishop Patrick inclines to think, with many of the Jewish writers, that Balaam had been a great prophet, who, for the accomplishment of his predictions and the answers of his prayers, both for good and evil, had been looked upon justly as a man of great interest with God; but that, growing proud and covetous, God departed from him, and then, to support his sinking credit, he betook himself to diabolical arts. He is called a prophet (Pe2 2:16,) because he had been one, or perhaps he had raised his reputation from the first by his magical charms, as Simon Magus, who bewitched the people so far that he was called the great power of God, Act 8:10. Curses pronounced by God's prophets in the name of the Lord have wonderful effects, as Noah's (Gen 9:25), and Elisha's, Kg2 2:24. But the curse causeless shall not come (Pro 26:2), no more than Goliath's, when he cursed David by his gods, Sa1 17:43. Let us desire to have the prayers of God's ministers and people for us, and dread having them against us; for they are greatly regarded by him who blesseth indeed and curseth indeed. But Balak cannot rely upon these compliments as sufficient to prevail with Balaam, the main inducement is yet behind (Num 22:7): they took the rewards of divination in their hand, the wages of unrighteousness, which he loved, Pe2 2:15.
IV. The restraint God lays upon Balaam, forbidding him to curse Israel. It is very probable that Balaam, being a curious inquisitive man, was no stranger to Israel's case and character, but had heard that God was with them of a truth, so that he ought to have given the messengers their answer immediately, that he would never curse a people whom God had blessed; but he lodges the messengers, and takes a night's time to consider what he shall do, and to receive instructions from God, Num 22:8. When we enter into a parley with temptations we are in great danger of being overcome by them. In the night God comes to him, probably in a dream, and enquires what business those strangers had with him. He knows it, but he will know it from him. Balaam gives him an account of their errand (Num 22:9-11), and God thereupon charges him not to go with them, or attempt to curse that blessed people, Num 22:12. Thus God sometimes, for the preservation of his people, was pleased to speak to bad men, as to Abimelech (Gen 20:3), and to Laban, Gen 31:24. And we read of some that were workers of iniquity, and yet in Christ's name prophesied, and did many wondrous works. Balaam is charged not only not to go to Balak, but not to offer to curse this people, which he might have attempted at a distance; and the reason is given: They are blessed. This was part of the blessing of Abraham (Gen 12:3), I will curse him that curseth thee; so that an attempt to curse them would be not only fruitless, but perilous. Israel had often provoked God in the wilderness, yet he will not suffer their enemies to curse them, for he rewards them not according to their iniquities. The blessedness of those whose sin is covered comes upon them, Rom 4:6, Rom 4:7.
V. The return of the messengers without Balaam. 1. Balaam is not faithful in returning God's answer to the messengers, Num 22:13. He only tells them, the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. He did not tell them, as he ought to have done, that Israel was a blessed people, and must by no means be cursed; for then the design would have been crushed, and the temptation would not have been renewed: but he, in effect, desired them to give his humble service to Balak, and let him know that he applauded his project, and would have been very glad to gratify him, but that truly he had the character of a prophet, and must not go without leave from God, which he had not yet obtained, and therefore for the present he must be excused. Note, Those are a fair mark for Satan's temptation that speak diminishingly of divine prohibitions, as if they amounted to no more than the denial of a permission, and as if to go against God's law were only to go without his leave. 2. The messengers are not faithful in returning Balaam's answer to Balak. All the account they give of it is, Balaam refuseth to come with us (Num 22:14), intimating that he only wanted more courtship and higher proffers; but they are not willing Balak should know that God had signified his disallowance of the attempt. Thus are great men wretchedly abused by the flatteries of those about them, who do all they can to prevent their seeing their own faults and follies.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–14. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Numbers 22:14 serves as a concise yet pivotal report, marking the immediate outcome of King Balak's initial attempt to engage the renowned diviner Balaam. This verse details the return of Balak's high-ranking Moabite delegation, who convey Balaam's definitive refusal to accompany them, thereby revealing the first significant obstacle to Balak's desperate scheme to curse Israel and subtly hinting at a divine hand orchestrating events behind the scenes.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is a crucial juncture in the unfolding narrative of Balak and Balaam, a dramatic segment spanning from Numbers 22 through Numbers 24. Immediately preceding Numbers 22:14, the text establishes Balak's profound fear of the numerous Israelites, who had recently triumphed over the Amorites (Numbers 21:24). Driven by this terror, Balak dispatched a prestigious delegation comprising Moabite and Midianite elders to Pethor, seeking Balaam's services to curse Israel (Numbers 22:4-7). However, God directly intervened, issuing a clear prohibition to Balaam: "Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed" (Numbers 22:12). Consequently, Balaam, at this initial stage, obeyed the divine command and sent the princes away (Numbers 22:13), leading directly to their succinct report in Numbers 22:14. This initial refusal sets the stage for Balak's subsequent, more persistent and desperate attempts.
Historical & Cultural Context: The events of Numbers 22 unfold as Israel journeys through the wilderness, positioning them on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River. Moab, a kingdom with a lineage tracing back to Lot (Genesis 19:37), perceived Israel's immense numbers and recent military victories as an imminent existential threat. In the broader ancient Near East, the practices of divination and the belief in the efficacy of curses and blessings were deeply ingrained cultural norms. Figures like Balaam, known as diviners or seers, were highly esteemed (and often feared) for their supposed ability to influence outcomes through supernatural power. Kings frequently employed such individuals to secure military victories or avert impending disasters. Balak's decision to send "princes" (high-ranking officials) and the explicit mention of "rewards of divination" (Numbers 22:7) underscore the gravity of the situation and the immense value placed on Balaam's reputed powers. The fear of a numerically superior and divinely favored people like Israel was a common geopolitical concern in the region, prompting such desperate measures.
Key Themes: Numbers 22:14 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Numbers and broader biblical theology. Foremost among these is Divine Sovereignty and Protection, demonstrating God's active, unwavering, and unassailable guardianship over His covenant people. Balaam's initial refusal is not a product of his own independent will, but a direct consequence of God's explicit command (Numbers 22:12), illustrating unequivocally that no human or demonic scheme can ultimately thwart God's purposes for Israel. This highlights the Futility of Opposing God's Will, as Balak's most strategic and desperate move is immediately rendered ineffective by divine intervention, showcasing the limits of human power against divine decree. The verse also subtly introduces the theme of Human Persistence vs. Divine Purpose, foreshadowing Balak's continued, more intense efforts to persuade Balaam, which will ultimately prove futile in overturning God's blessing. Lastly, it touches upon the Nature of True Prophecy, demonstrating that even a renowned diviner like Balaam is ultimately subservient to the will of the one true God, especially when dealing with His chosen nation, whose destiny is divinely secured.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several subtle but effective literary devices that enhance its narrative impact. There is a clear element of Anticipation or Foreshadowing, as Balaam's initial refusal, though divinely mandated, sets up the dramatic tension for Balak's subsequent, more insistent attempts to persuade him. The reader, having been privy to God's explicit command to Balaam in Numbers 22:12, experiences Dramatic Irony; Balak and his princes are unaware of the divine intervention, perceiving Balaam's refusal as a personal choice or a matter of negotiation, while the audience understands the true, irresistible divine force at play. The Conciseness and directness of the princes' report ("Balaam refuseth to come with us") adds to its impact, highlighting the immediate and undeniable failure of the initial strategy without elaborate explanation, thereby leaving Balak to ponder the implications of this unexpected setback.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Numbers 22:14 profoundly illustrates God's unwavering sovereignty and His active, protective hand over His covenant people. Even when faced with powerful human opposition, perceived supernatural threats, and the machinations of a desperate king, God's will cannot be thwarted. Balaam's initial refusal, though seemingly a human decision, was a direct consequence of divine command, demonstrating that God can even direct the actions of those outside His immediate covenant to accomplish His purposes. This verse underscores the theological truth that God's plans for His people are unassailable, and no human scheme or spiritual power can ultimately prevail against His divine decree. It serves as a powerful reminder that God is actively involved in the affairs of humanity, ensuring the fulfillment of His promises and the security of those He has blessed, often working in ways unseen by human eyes.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
This seemingly simple report from the Moabite princes carries profound implications for our faith and daily lives. It reminds us that God's purposes for His people are unshakeable, regardless of the strength, cunning, or desperation of the opposition. In a world often filled with fear, uncertainty, and perceived threats, Numbers 22:14 encourages us to place our trust firmly in God's sovereign hand. He is actively at work, often behind the scenes, directing circumstances and even influencing the decisions of others to ensure the well-being and ultimate triumph of His children. This verse calls us to cultivate a deep confidence in God's protective power, knowing that His "no" to our enemies is a powerful "yes" to His promises for us. It also serves as a subtle reminder of the importance of heeding God's clear instructions, even when faced with tempting offers or intense pressure, just as Balaam initially did, demonstrating that true obedience yields divine protection.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Balaam's refusal so significant to King Balak?
Answer: Balaam's refusal was critically significant to Balak because it represented the immediate and complete failure of his primary strategy to neutralize the perceived threat of the Israelites. Balak, consumed by terror due to Israel's vast numbers and recent military victories (Numbers 22:3-4), firmly believed that a powerful curse from a renowned diviner like Balaam was his only hope for survival. In the ancient Near East, curses were widely believed to possess tangible power to weaken enemies and ensure victory. Balaam's reputation was such that his services were highly sought after, and Balak had invested heavily by sending a high-ranking, expensive delegation with "rewards of divination" (Numbers 22:7) to secure him. Therefore, Balaam's simple "no" meant that Balak's most potent spiritual weapon against Israel was unavailable, forcing him to escalate his efforts and revealing that a power greater than Balaam was at work, actively protecting Israel.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The inability of Balaam to curse Israel, as initially reported in Numbers 22:14, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate and unassailable blessing that God bestows upon His people through Jesus Christ. Just as the "blessed" status of Israel (Numbers 22:12) could not be overturned by any human or demonic power, so too the spiritual blessings of believers in Christ are eternally secure. Jesus is the true prophet, far greater than Balaam, who came not to curse but to bless, ultimately taking upon Himself the curse of the law so that we might receive the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14). Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Christ triumphed over and disarmed principalities and powers (Colossians 2:15), rendering all curses and accusations against His redeemed people utterly void. The divine "no" to Balak's scheme finds its ultimate and eternal "yes" in the unchangeable grace, protection, and sovereign rule offered to all who are in Christ, who is Himself the embodiment of God's unassailable blessing for all eternity (Ephesians 1:3).