Numbers 24:22
New International Version
yet you Kenites will be destroyed when Ashur takes you captive.”

New Living Translation
But the Kenites will be destroyed when Assyria takes you captive.”

English Standard Version
Nevertheless, Kain shall be burned when Asshur takes you away captive.”

Berean Standard Bible
Yet Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.”

King James Bible
Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

New King James Version
Nevertheless Kain shall be burned. How long until Asshur carries you away captive?”

New American Standard Bible
“Nevertheless Kain will suffer devastation; How long will Asshur keep you captive?”

NASB 1995
“Nevertheless Kain will be consumed; How long will Asshur keep you captive?”

NASB 1977
“Nevertheless Kain shall be consumed; How long shall Asshur keep you captive?”

Legacy Standard Bible
Nevertheless Kain will be consumed; How long will Asshur keep you captive?”

Amplified Bible
“Nevertheless the Kenites will be consumed. How long will Asshur (Assyria) keep you (Israel) captive?”

Christian Standard Bible
Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.

American Standard Version
Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

Contemporary English Version
but they will be wiped out when Assyria conquers them.

English Revised Version
Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But it is destined to be burned, you [descendants of] Cain, when Assyria takes you as prisoners of war."

Good News Translation
But you Kenites will be destroyed When Assyria takes you captive."

International Standard Version
Nevertheless, Kain will be incinerated. How long will it take until Asshur takes you hostage?"

Majority Standard Bible
Yet Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.”

NET Bible
Nevertheless the Kenite will be consumed. How long will Asshur take you away captive?"

New Heart English Bible
Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur carries you away captive."

Webster's Bible Translation
Nevertheless, the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asher shall carry thee away captive.

World English Bible
Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur carries you away captive.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
But the Kenite is for a burning; Until when does Asshur keep you captive?”

Young's Literal Translation
But the Kenite is for a burning; Till when doth Asshur keep thee captive?'

Smith's Literal Translation
For if Cain shall be for consuming, how long shall Assyria take thee captive?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou be chosen of the stock of Cin, how long shalt thou be able to continue? For Assur shall take thee captive.

Catholic Public Domain Version
and you will be elect among the stock of Kain, how long will you be able to remain? For Assur shall take you captive.”

New American Bible
Yet Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.

New Revised Standard Version
yet Kain is destined for burning. How long shall Asshur take you away captive?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted until Assyria shall carry you away captive.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
If Qain shall be for burning, unto Assyria they shall take you captive.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted; How long? Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and though Beor should have a skillfully contrived hiding-place, the Assyrians shall carry thee away captive.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Balaam's Final Three Oracles
21Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Your dwelling place is secure, and your nest is set in a cliff. 22Yet Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.” 23Once more Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Ah, who can live unless God has ordained it?…

Cross References
Judges 4:17-22
Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. / Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Do not be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. / Sisera said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again. ...

1 Samuel 15:6
And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

Jeremiah 49:8
Turn and run! Lie low, O dwellers of Dedan, for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time I punish him.

Obadiah 1:1-9
This is the vision of Obadiah: This is what the Lord GOD says about Edom—We have heard a message from the LORD; an envoy has been sent among the nations to say, “Rise up, and let us go to battle against her!”— / “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you will be deeply despised. / The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ ...

Isaiah 34:5-8
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. / The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. / And the wild oxen will fall with them, the young bulls with the strong ones. Their land will be drenched with blood, and their soil will be soaked with fat. ...

Ezekiel 25:12-14
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt, / therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. / I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’

Amos 1:11-12
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all compassion; his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed incessantly. / So I will send fire upon Teman to consume the citadels of Bozrah.”

Malachi 1:2-4
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved, / but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” / Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.

Genesis 36:1-8
This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). / Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite, / and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. ...

Deuteronomy 2:4-5
and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful. / Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession.

Psalm 137:7
Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations!”

Lamentations 4:21-22
So rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. Yet the cup will pass to you as well; you will get drunk and expose yourself. / O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not prolong your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.

Matthew 2:13-15
When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” / So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, / where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Luke 10:30-37
Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. / Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. / So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side. ...

Romans 9:13
So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”


Treasury of Scripture

Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry you away captive.

when God

Numbers 23:23
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

2 Kings 5:1
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

Malachi 3:2
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

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Asher Asshur Burning Captive Carries Carry Consumed Destroyed Kain Kenite Kenites Prisoner Wasted
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Asher Asshur Burning Captive Carries Carry Consumed Destroyed Kain Kenite Kenites Prisoner Wasted
Numbers 24
1. Balaam, leaving divinations, prophesies the happiness of Israel
10. Balak, in anger, dismisses him
15. He prophesies of the Star of Jacob, and the destruction of some nations














Yet Kain
The term "Kain" refers to a clan or group of people, possibly linked to the Kenites, who were known to have settled in the region. The Kenites were a nomadic tribe, often associated with the Midianites, and were known for their metalworking skills. In the Hebrew text, "Kain" is rendered as קַיִן (Qayin), which is the same as the name of Cain, the son of Adam. This connection may suggest a historical or symbolic link to themes of wandering and exile, as Cain was marked and sent to wander the earth. The mention of Kain here serves as a reminder of the transient nature of human settlements and the divine orchestration of history.

will be destroyed
The phrase "will be destroyed" indicates a future judgment or downfall. The Hebrew word used here is אָבַד (avad), which means to perish, vanish, or be lost. This word often conveys a sense of complete and utter destruction, emphasizing the finality of God's judgment. In the biblical narrative, destruction is often a consequence of disobedience or opposition to God's will. The prophetic nature of this statement underscores the certainty of God's plans and the inevitable fulfillment of His word.

when Asshur takes you captive
"Asshur" refers to the Assyrian Empire, a dominant power in the ancient Near East known for its military prowess and expansive conquests. The Assyrians were often instruments of God's judgment against nations, including Israel and Judah, when they strayed from His commandments. The Hebrew term אַשּׁוּר (Ashur) not only denotes the nation but also the deity worshiped by the Assyrians, highlighting the cultural and religious context of the time. The phrase "takes you captive" speaks to the historical practice of deportation and exile, a common fate for conquered peoples. This captivity serves as a metaphor for spiritual bondage and the consequences of turning away from God. The prophetic warning here is a call to repentance and faithfulness, reminding the audience of the sovereignty of God over all nations and the ultimate hope of redemption through His divine plan.

Verse 22. - Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted. כִּי אִם־יִהְיֶה לְבָעֵר קָיִן. Rather, "Kain shall surely not be wasted." כִּי־אִם is of doubtful meaning, but it seems here to have the force of a negative question equivalent to a negation. Kain is mentioned in Joshua 15:57 as one of the towns of Judah, but there is little reason to suppose that an insignificant village is here mentioned by name. Probably "Kain" stands for the tribe-father, and is simply the poetical equivalent of Kenite. Until עַד־מָה. There is some uncertainty about these two particles, which are sometimes rendered "how long?" In the sense of "until" they are said to be an Aramaism, but this is doubtful.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Yet
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

Kain
קָ֑יִן (qā·yin)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7014: Cain -- a city in southern Judah

will be
יִהְיֶ֖ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

destroyed
לְבָ֣עֵֽר (lə·ḇā·‘êr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1197: To kindle, consume, to be, brutish

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

Asshur
אַשּׁ֥וּר (’aš·šūr)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 804: Ashshur

takes you captive.”
תִּשְׁבֶּֽךָּ׃ (tiš·be·kā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7617: To transport into captivity


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OT Law: Numbers 24:22 Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted until Asshur (Nu Num.)
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