Joshua 13:22
New International Version
In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.

New Living Translation
The Israelites had also killed Balaam son of Beor, who used magic to tell the future.

English Standard Version
Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain.

Berean Standard Bible
The Israelites also killed the diviner Balaam son of Beor along with the others they put to the sword.

King James Bible
Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.

New King James Version
The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them.

New American Standard Bible
The sons of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword among the rest of their dead.

NASB 1995
The sons of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword among the rest of their slain.

NASB 1977
The sons of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword among the rest of their slain.

Legacy Standard Bible
The sons of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword among the rest of their slain.

Amplified Bible
The sons of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the diviner (soothsayer), with the sword among [the rest of] their slain.

Christian Standard Bible
Along with those the Israelites put to death, they also killed the diviner, Balaam son of Beor, with the sword.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Along with those the Israelites put to death, they also killed the diviner, Balaam son of Beor, with the sword.

American Standard Version
Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among the rest of their slain.

Contemporary English Version
The Israelites also killed Balaam the son of Beor, who had been a fortuneteller.

English Revised Version
Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among the rest of their slain.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Along with these leaders, the people of Israel also killed Balaam, son of Beor, who used black magic.

Good News Translation
Among those whom the people of Israel killed was the fortune teller Balaam son of Beor.

International Standard Version
The Israelis also killed Beor's son Balaam, the occult practitioner, executing him with a sword as one of those killed.

Majority Standard Bible
The Israelites also killed the diviner Balaam son of Beor along with the others they put to the sword.

NET Bible
The Israelites killed Balaam son of Beor, the omen reader, along with the others.

New Heart English Bible
The children of Israel also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword, among the rest of their slain.

Webster's Bible Translation
Balaam also the son of Beor, the sooth-sayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword, among them that were slain by them.

World English Bible
The children of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword, among the rest of their slain.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the sons of Israel have slain Balaam, son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword, among their wounded ones.

Young's Literal Translation
And Balaam, son of Beor, the diviner, have the sons of Israel slain with the sword, among their wounded ones.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Balaam son of Beor, divining, the sons of Israel slew with the sword to those being wounded by them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Balaam also the son of Beer the soothsayer, the children of Israel slew with the sword among the rest that were slain.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the sons of Israel killed Balaam, the son of Beor, the seer, with the sword, along with the others who were slain.

New American Bible
Balaam, son of Beor, the diviner, the Israelites killed with the sword, together with those they struck down.

New Revised Standard Version
Along with the rest of those they put to death, the Israelites also put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Balaam also, the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword along with the rest of them that were slain by them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Balaam, son of Beor, the Soothsayer; and the sons of Israel killed him by the sword with their slain
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among the rest of their slain.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Balaam the son of Baeor the prophet they slew in the battle.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Reuben's Inheritance
21all the cities of the plateau and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian (Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon who lived in the land. 22The Israelites also killed the diviner Balaam son of Beor along with the others they put to the sword. 23And the border of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the clans of the Reubenites, including the cities and villages.…

Cross References
Numbers 31:8
Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

Numbers 22:5-7
he sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. / So please come now and put a curse on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.” / The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.

Numbers 24:1-25
And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not seek omens as on previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness. / When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him, / and he lifted up an oracle, saying: “This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open, ...

Deuteronomy 23:4-5
For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you. / Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

2 Peter 2:15-16
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. / But he was rebuked for his transgression by a donkey, otherwise without speech, that spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

Jude 1:11
Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.

Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.

Numbers 23:1-30
Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.” / So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. / “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So Balaam went off to a barren height, ...

Numbers 25:1-3
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, / who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. / So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.

Micah 6:5
My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

2 Corinthians 11:14-15
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. / It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Acts 13:6-12
They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, / an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. / But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ...

1 Corinthians 10:20-21
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. / You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.

1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”


Treasury of Scripture

Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.

Balaam

Numbers 22:5-7
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: …

Numbers 24:1
And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

Numbers 31:8
And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

soothsayer.

Jump to Previous
Addition Balaam Battle Beor Be'or Children Death Divination Diviner Israel Israelites Kill Killed Ones Practiced Prophet Rest Slain Slay Soothsayer Sword Wounded
Jump to Next
Addition Balaam Battle Beor Be'or Children Death Divination Diviner Israel Israelites Kill Killed Ones Practiced Prophet Rest Slain Slay Soothsayer Sword Wounded
Joshua 13
1. The bounds of the land not yet conquered
8. The inheritance of the two tribes and a half
14. The Lord and his sacrifices are the inheritance of Levi
15. The bounds of the inheritance of Reuben
22. Balaam slain
24. The bounds of the inheritance of God
29. and of the half tribe of Manasseh














The Israelites
This phrase refers to the descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel, who were chosen by God to be His people. The Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, were in the process of conquering the Promised Land. This conquest was not merely a territorial expansion but a fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. The Israelites' actions were guided by divine command, emphasizing their role as instruments of God's judgment against the Canaanite nations.

put to the sword
This phrase indicates the execution or killing of someone by means of a sword, a common method of warfare and judgment in ancient times. The act of putting someone to the sword was often seen as a divine mandate, especially in the context of the Israelites' conquest of Canaan. It signifies the complete and utter defeat of an enemy, leaving no room for their influence to persist. This action against Balaam underscores the seriousness with which God viewed the sin of divination and the need to eradicate it from among His people.

Balaam son of Beor
Balaam is a complex figure in the Bible, known for his interactions with Balak, king of Moab, as recorded in Numbers 22-24. Although he was a prophet who received messages from God, Balaam's heart was not fully aligned with God's will. His desire for personal gain led him to attempt to curse Israel, though God turned his curses into blessings. Balaam's death at the hands of the Israelites serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of opposing God's people and His purposes.

who practiced divination
Divination refers to the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means. In the Hebrew context, divination was strictly forbidden as it represented a reliance on powers other than God. Balaam's association with divination highlights his spiritual compromise and the danger of mixing true prophecy with pagan practices. The Israelites' execution of Balaam was a decisive act to purify their community from such influences, reinforcing the importance of exclusive devotion to God.

Verse 22. - The soothsayer. Or diviner, one who pretended to foretell future events. Balaam, it would seem, instead of returning to his own land, went to visit the Midianites, whose elders had joined in the invitation given by Moab (Numbers 22:7), and persuaded them to entice the Israelites into idolatry and licentiousness (see Numbers 25.) For this crime he met with the punishment he had deserved, and was involved in the destruction which fell on the Midianites by God's express command, in consequence of their treachery (Numbers 25:16-18. See Blunt, 'Undesigned Coincidences,' Part I. 24.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The Israelites
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

also killed
וְאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the diviner
הַקּוֹסֵ֑ם (haq·qō·w·sêm)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7080: To distribute, determine by lot, magical scroll, to divine

Balaam
בִּלְעָ֥ם (bil·‘ām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1109: Balaam -- a prophet

son of Beor
בְּע֖וֹר (bə·‘ō·wr)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1160: Beor -- 'a burning', father of an Edomite king, also the father of Balaam

[ along with the others]
הָרְג֧וּ (hā·rə·ḡū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

they put to the sword.
בַּחֶ֖רֶב (ba·ḥe·reḇ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword


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OT History: Joshua 13:22 The children of Israel alse killed Balaam (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 13:21
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