Numbers 24:9
New International Version
Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse them? “May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!”

New Living Translation
Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”

English Standard Version
He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”

Berean Standard Bible
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.”

King James Bible
He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

New King James Version
‘He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?’ “Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you.”

New American Standard Bible
“He crouches, he lies down like a lion, And like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

NASB 1995
“He crouches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

NASB 1977
“He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

Legacy Standard Bible
He crouches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

Amplified Bible
“He bowed down [to rest], he lies down as a lion; And as a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed [of God] is he who blesses you, And cursed [of God] is he who curses you.”

Christian Standard Bible
He crouches, he lies down like a lion or a lioness—who dares to rouse him? Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He crouches, he lies down like a lion or a lioness—who dares to rouse him? Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed.

American Standard Version
He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
He crouched and lay like a lion and like the whelp of a lion, and who will raise him up? Those blessing you are blessed and those cursing you are cursed.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up? they that bless thee are blessed, and they that curse thee are cursed.

Contemporary English Version
Like a lion you lie down, resting after an attack. Who would dare disturb you? "Anyone who blesses you will be blessed; anyone who curses you will be cursed."

Douay-Rheims Bible
Lying down he hath slept as a lion, and as a lioness, whom none shall dare to rouse. He that blesseth thee, shall also himself be blessed: he that curseth thee shall be reckoned accursed.

English Revised Version
He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
His people lie down [and] rest like a lion. They are like a lioness. Who dares to disturb them? Those who bless you will be blessed! Those who curse you will be cursed!"

Good News Translation
The nation is like a mighty lion; When it is sleeping, no one dares wake it. Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, And whoever curses Israel will be cursed."

International Standard Version
He crouches, laying low like a lion. Who would awaken him? Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed."

JPS Tanakh 1917
He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee.

Literal Standard Version
He has bent, he has lain down as a lion, | And as a lioness, who raises him up? He who is blessing you [is] blessed, | And he who is cursing you [is] cursed.”

Majority Standard Bible
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.”

New American Bible
Crouching, they lie like a lion, or like a lioness; who will arouse them? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you!

NET Bible
They crouch and lie down like a lion, and as a lioness, who can stir him? Blessed is the one who blesses you, and cursed is the one who curses you!'"

New Revised Standard Version
He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”

New Heart English Bible
He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed."

Webster's Bible Translation
He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall rouse him? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

World English Bible
He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed.”

Young's Literal Translation
He hath bent, he hath lain down as a lion, And as a lioness: who doth raise him up? He who is blessing thee is blessed, And he who is cursing thee is cursed.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Balaam's Third Oracle
8God brought him out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox, to devour hostile nations and crush their bones, to pierce them with arrows. 9He 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.”

Cross References
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you."

Genesis 27:29
May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed."

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?

Exodus 23:22
But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

Numbers 22:6
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."

Numbers 22:12
But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed."

Numbers 23:24
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."


Treasury of Scripture

He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesses you, and cursed is he that curses you.

he smote

Job 27:23
Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

Ezekiel 21:14,17
Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers…

Ezekiel 22:13
Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.

I called

Numbers 22:6,11,17
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…

Numbers 23:11
And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.

Deuteronomy 23:4,5
Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee…

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Bent Bless Blessed Blesses Blesseth Broken Couched Couches Crouch Curse Cursed Curses Curseth Dares Lay Lies Rest Rouse She-Lion Sleep Stir Stooped Stretched
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Bent Bless Blessed Blesses Blesseth Broken Couched Couches Crouch Curse Cursed Curses Curseth Dares Lay Lies Rest Rouse She-Lion Sleep Stir Stooped Stretched
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














(9) He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion.--The Hebrew labi (great lion) should be rendered "a lioness," as in Numbers 23:24. The image of a lion connects this verse with the preceding verse: "he shall eat up the nations." (See Note on Numbers 23:24.)

Blessed is he that blesseth thee . . . --Compare the original blessing which was pronounced upon Abraham by the Lord (Genesis 12:3), and which was afterwards adopted by Isaac in the blessing which he pronounced upon Jacob (Genesis 27:29).

Verse 9. - A lion. אַרִי. A great lion. לָבִיא. See on Numbers 23:24, and Genesis 49:9. Blessed is he that blesseth thee, etc. In these words Balaam seems to refer to the terms of Balak's first message (Numbers 22:6). Far from being affected by blessings and cursings from without, Israel was itself a source of blessing or cursing to others according as they treated him.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He crouches,
כָּרַ֨ע (kā·ra‘)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3766: To bend the knee, to sink, to prostrate

he lies down
שָׁכַ֧ב (šā·ḵaḇ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7901: To lie down

like a lion;
כַּאֲרִ֛י (ka·’ă·rî)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 738: A lion

like a lioness,
וּכְלָבִ֖יא (ū·ḵə·lā·ḇî)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3833: To roar, a lion,

who
מִ֣י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

dares to rouse him?
יְקִימֶ֑נּוּ (yə·qî·men·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

Blessed are
בָר֔וּךְ (ḇā·rūḵ)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse

those who bless you
מְבָרֲכֶ֣יךָ (mə·ḇā·ră·ḵe·ḵā)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse

and cursed are
אָרֽוּר׃ (’ā·rūr)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 779: To execrate

those who curse you.
וְאֹרְרֶ֖יךָ (wə·’ō·rə·re·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 779: To execrate


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OT Law: Numbers 24:9 He couched he lay down as (Nu Num.)
Numbers 24:8
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