Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version They came to Balaam and said: “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, New Living Translation They went to Balaam and delivered this message to him: “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to help me. English Standard Version And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder 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, King James Bible 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: New King James Version And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; New American Standard Bible They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak the son of Zippor says: ‘I beg you, let nothing keep you from coming to me; NASB 1995 They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, hinder you from coming to me; NASB 1977 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, hinder you from coming to me; Legacy Standard Bible And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, withhold you from coming to me; Amplified Bible They came to Balaam, and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘I beg you, let nothing hinder you from coming to me. Christian Standard Bible They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Let nothing keep you from coming to me, Holman Christian Standard Bible They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Let nothing keep 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: Contemporary English Version They went to Balaam and told him that Balak had said, "Balaam, if you come to Moab, English Revised 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: GOD'S WORD® Translation When they came to Balaam, they said to him, "This is what Balak, son of Zippor, says: Don't let anything keep you from coming to me. Good News Translation They went to Balaam and gave him this message from Balak: "Please don't let anything prevent you from coming to me! International Standard Version who approached Balaam with this message: "This is what Zippor's son Balak says: 'Don't let anything get in the way of your coming to me. Majority 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, NET Bible And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak son of Zippor: 'Please do not let anything hinder you from coming to me. New Heart English Bible They came to Balaam, and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, 'Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me: Webster's Bible Translation 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 to me: World English Bible They came to Balaam, and said to him, “Balak the son of Zippor says, ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand they come to Balaam and say to him, “Thus said Balak son of Zippor: Please do not be withheld from coming to me, Young's Literal Translation and they come in unto Balaam, and say to him, 'Thus said Balak son of Zippor, Be not, I pray thee, withheld from coming unto me, Smith's Literal Translation And they will go to Balaam, and say to him, Thus said Balak, son of Zippor, Now thou wilt not withhold from coming to me: Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleWho, when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the son of Sephor, Delay not to come to me: Catholic Public Domain Version And when these had come to Balaam, they said: “So says Balak, the son of Zippor. Do not hesitate to come to me. New American Bible On coming to Balaam they told him, “Thus says Balak, son of Zippor: Please do not refuse to come to me. New Revised Standard Version They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor: ‘Do not let anything hinder you from coming to me; Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd they carne to Balaam and said to him, Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing hinder you from coming to me; Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And they came to Balaam and they said to him: “Thus says Balaq, son of Tsephor, ‘Do not refrain to come to me, OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And 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; Brenton Septuagint Translation And they came to Balaam, and they say to him, Thus says Balac the son of Sepphor: I beseech thee, delay not to come to me. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Balak Summons Balaam…15Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first messengers. 16They came to Balaam and said, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, 17for I will honor you richly and do whatever you say. So please come and put a curse on this people for me!’ ”… Cross References 2 Peter 2:15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 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. 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. Joshua 24:9-10 Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, / but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand. Nehemiah 13:2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing). 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.’” 2 Kings 17:17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. 2 Kings 17:21 When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. / 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.” 1 Timothy 6:9-10 Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. / 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 11:3 I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. Romans 16:18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 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. Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Treasury of Scripture And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus said Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray you, hinder you from coming to me: let nothing. Jump to Previous Balaam Balak Beg Hinder Please Restrained Suffer Thyself Withheld ZipporJump to Next Balaam Balak Beg Hinder Please Restrained Suffer Thyself Withheld ZipporNumbers 22 1. Balak's first message for Balaam is refused15. His second message obtains him 22. An angel would have slain him, if he had not been saved by his donkey 36. Balak entertains him They came to Balaam and said, This phrase introduces the messengers sent by Balak, king of Moab, to Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet. Balaam's reputation as a seer was well-known, and Balak sought his services to curse the Israelites. This reflects the ancient Near Eastern practice of seeking divine intervention through prophets or seers. The act of sending messengers indicates the seriousness of Balak's request and the importance of Balaam's role in the unfolding events. “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, Persons / Places / Events 1. BalaamA non-Israelite prophet or diviner known for his ability to bless or curse. He is approached by Balak to curse the Israelites. 2. Balak The king of Moab who is fearful of the Israelites due to their numbers and past victories. He seeks Balaam's help to curse them. 3. Moab A region east of the Dead Sea. The Moabites are descendants of Lot and are often in conflict with Israel. 4. Messengers Representatives sent by Balak to persuade Balaam to come and curse the Israelites. 5. Israelites The people of God, who are journeying to the Promised Land and are seen as a threat by Balak. Teaching Points The Sovereignty of GodDespite human intentions, God's will prevails. Balak's desire to curse Israel is thwarted by God's protection over His people. The Danger of Compromise Balaam's willingness to entertain Balak's request shows the peril of compromising one's integrity for personal gain. God's Faithfulness to His Promises God's promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse them is evident in His protection over the Israelites. Discernment in Leadership Balak's fear-driven decision to curse Israel reflects a lack of trust in God's sovereignty and wisdom. Leaders should seek God's guidance rather than act out of fear. The Power of Words The account underscores the significance of words and intentions, reminding believers to use their speech to bless rather than curse. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew They cameוַיָּבֹ֖אוּ (way·yā·ḇō·’ū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to Balaam בִּלְעָ֑ם (bil·‘ām) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 1109: Balaam -- a prophet and said, וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ (way·yō·mə·rū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say “This is what כֹּ֤ה (kōh) Adverb Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now Balak בָּלָ֣ק (bā·lāq) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 1111: Balak -- 'devastator', a Moabite king son בֶּן־ (ben-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 1121: A son of Zippor צִפּ֔וֹר (ṣip·pō·wr) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 6834: Zippor -- 'bird', father of Balak says: אָמַר֙ (’ā·mar) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say ‘Please נָ֥א (nā) Interjection Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then' let nothing אַל־ (’al-) Adverb Strong's 408: Not hinder תִמָּנַ֖ע (ṯim·mā·na‘) Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 4513: To debar, from benefit, injury you from coming מֵהֲלֹ֥ךְ (mê·hă·lōḵ) Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk to me, אֵלָֽי׃ (’ê·lāy) Preposition | first person common singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to Links Numbers 22:16 NIVNumbers 22:16 NLT Numbers 22:16 ESV Numbers 22:16 NASB Numbers 22:16 KJV Numbers 22:16 BibleApps.com Numbers 22:16 Biblia Paralela Numbers 22:16 Chinese Bible Numbers 22:16 French Bible Numbers 22:16 Catholic Bible OT Law: Numbers 22:16 They came to Balaam and said (Nu Num.) |
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