Numbers 23:24
New International Version
The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till it devours its prey and drinks the blood of its victims.”

New Living Translation
These people rise up like a lioness, like a majestic lion rousing itself. They refuse to rest until they have feasted on prey, drinking the blood of the slaughtered!”

English Standard Version
Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”

Berean Standard Bible
Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.”

King James Bible
Behold, 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.

New King James Version
Look, a people rises like a lioness, And lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”

New American Standard Bible
“Behold, a people rises like a lioness, And like a lion it raises itself; It will not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of those slain.”

NASB 1995
“Behold, a people rises like a lioness, And as a lion it lifts itself; It will not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”

NASB 1977
“Behold, a people rises like a lioness, And as a lion it lifts itself; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, a people rises like a lioness, And as a lion it lifts itself; It will not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”

Amplified Bible
“Behold, a people rises up like a lioness And lifts itself up like a lion; He will not lie down until he devours the prey And drinks the blood of the slain.”

Christian Standard Bible
A people rise up like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion. They will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A people rise up like a lioness; They rouse themselves like a lion. They will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.

American Standard Version
Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up: He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Behold the people rises up as a lion and like a lion lifts himself up; he will not sleep until he will eat the prey and the blood of the slain he will drink.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold, the people shall rise up as a lion's whelp, and shall exalt himself as a lion; he shall not lie down till he have eaten the prey, and he shall drink the blood of the slain.

Contemporary English Version
They are like angry lions ready to attack; and they won't rest until their victim is gobbled up."

Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold the people shall rise up as a lioness, and shall lift itself up as a lion: it shall not lie down till it devour the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

English Revised Version
Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up: He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Here is a nation that attacks like a lioness and is as ferocious as a lion. It doesn't lie down until it eats its prey and drinks the blood of its victim."

Good News Translation
The nation of Israel is like a mighty lion: It doesn't rest until it has torn and devoured, Until it has drunk the blood of those it has killed."

International Standard Version
Look! The people are like lions. Like the lion, he rises up! He does not lie down again until he has consumed his prey and drunk the blood of the slain."

JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold a people that riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up; He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain.

Literal Standard Version
Behold, the people rises as a lioness, | And he lifts himself up as a lion; He does not lie down until he eats prey, | And drinks blood of pierced ones.”

Majority Standard Bible
Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.”

New American Bible
Here is a people that rises up like a lioness, and gets up like a lion; It does not rest till it has devoured its prey and has drunk the blood of the slain.

NET Bible
Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness, and like a lion raises himself up; they will not lie down until they eat their prey, and drink the blood of the slain."

New Revised Standard Version
Look, a people rising up like a lioness, and rousing itself like a lion! It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”

New Heart English Bible
Look, the people rises up as a lioness, as a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain."

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

World English Bible
Behold, a people rises up as a lioness. As a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.”

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, the people as a lioness riseth, And as a lion he lifteth himself up, He lieth not down till he eateth prey, And blood of pierced ones doth drink.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Balaam's Second Oracle
23For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’ 24Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.” 25Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”…

Cross References
Genesis 49:9
Judah is a young lion--my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

Numbers 23:25
Now Balak said to Balaam, "Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"

Numbers 24:8
God brought him out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox, to devour hostile nations and crush their bones, to pierce them with arrows.

Numbers 24:9
He crouches, he lies down like a lion; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you."

Nahum 2:11
Where is the lions' lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away?

Nahum 2:12
The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, 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.

as a great

Numbers 24:8,9
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows…

Genesis 49:9
Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

Deuteronomy 33:20
And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

he shall

Numbers 24:17
I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Genesis 49:27
Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

Daniel 2:44
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Jump to Previous
Blood Death Devours Drink Drinking Drinks Eat Eaten Eateth Israel Itself Lie Lieth Lifting Lioness Meal Ones Overcome Pierced Prey Rest Rise Rises Riseth Rouse She-Lion Slain Themselves Victims Young
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Blood Death Devours Drink Drinking Drinks Eat Eaten Eateth Israel Itself Lie Lieth Lifting Lioness Meal Ones Overcome Pierced Prey Rest Rise Rises Riseth Rouse She-Lion Slain Themselves Victims Young
Numbers 23
1. Balak's sacrifices














(24) As a great lion.--Better, as a lioness. (Comp. Genesis 49:9.) Balaam transfers to the whole nation that which Jacob had prophesied of Judah.

Verse 24. - As a great lion. לָבִיא, generally translated "old lion," as in Genesis 49:9. By some it is rendered lioness (cf. Job 4:11; Nahum 2:12). As a young lion. אַרִי, the ordinary term for a lion without further distinction. It is altogether fantastic to suppose that Balaam had just seen a lieu coming up from the ghor of Jordan, and that this "omen" inspired his "mashal." The rising of a lion from its covert was one of the most common of the more striking phenomena of nature in those regions, and the imagery it afforded was in constant use; but in truth it is evident that these similes are borrowed from Jacob's dying prophecy concerning Judah (Genesis 49:9), in which the word "prey" (Hebrew, טֶרֶפ, a torn thing) is also found. Balaam was acquainted with that prophecy, as he was with the promises made to Abraham (cf. verse 10 with Genesis 13:16; Genesis 28:14).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Behold,
הֶן־ (hen-)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

the people
עָם֙ (‘ām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

rise
יָק֔וּם (yā·qūm)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

like a lioness;
כְּלָבִ֣יא (kə·lā·ḇî)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3833: To roar, a lion,

they rouse themselves
יִתְנַשָּׂ֑א (yiṯ·naś·śā)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

like a lion,
וְכַאֲרִ֖י (wə·ḵa·’ă·rî)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 738: A lion

not
לֹ֤א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

resting
יִשְׁכַּב֙ (yiš·kaḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7901: To lie down

until
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

they devour
יֹ֣אכַל (yō·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

their prey
טֶ֔רֶף (ṭe·rep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2964: Something torn, a fragment, a fresh leaf, prey, food

and drink
יִשְׁתֶּֽה׃ (yiš·teh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8354: To imbibe

the blood
וְדַם־ (wə·ḏam-)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

of the slain.”
חֲלָלִ֖ים (ḥă·lā·lîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2491: Pierced, polluted


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OT Law: Numbers 23:24 Behold the people rises up as (Nu Num.)
Numbers 23:23
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