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Numbers Chapter
Twenty-three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 23
This
chapter gives an account of the sacrifices offered by Balak and Balaam, and how
God met Balsam, and put a word into his mouth, which he delivered in the
presence of the king of Moab and his princes, Numbers 23:1, the
substance of which are, the separate state and condition of Israel from other
nations, their number, and the happiness of the righteous at death, Numbers 23:8, which
made Balak uneasy, since instead of cursing he blessed Israel, and therefore he
had him to another place to take a view of the people, Numbers 23:11 where
having offered sacrifices, another word was put into the mouth of Balaam, and
which he also delivered before the king and his nobles, Numbers 23:14, in
which were expressed the unchangeableness of God, the irreversibleness of the
blessing of Israel, the strength, safety, happiness, and glory of that people, Numbers 23:19 which
made Balak more uneasy still; but willing to try him a third time, he carried
him to another place, and there built altars, and offered sacrifices, the
consequence of which is related in the next chapter, Numbers 23:25.
Numbers 23:1 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and
prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
YLT
1And Balaam saith unto
Balak, `Build for me in this [place] seven altars, and make ready for me in
this [place] seven bullocks and seven rams.'
And Balaam said unto Balak,.... When upon one of the
high places of Baal, and after having taken a view of the people of Israel as
they lay encamped:
build me here seven altars; this was purely
Heathenish; for not only the Israelites after the law of Moses had but one
altar, but the patriarchs before that never built but one altar at a time. Some
have thought regard is had to the seven planets worshipped by Heathens; though
no doubt Balaam pretended to sacrifice to Jehovah the true God, in order to
gain him over to him to agree to it to curse Israel, and persuaded Balak,
though an idolater, to join with him; and, the more easily to bring him to it,
mixes Heathen rites and customs in sacrifice to him:
and prepare me here seven oxen, and seven rams; which were
creatures offered in sacrifice according to the law of Moses, and before that
was given, and by persons who were not under it; and even by seven of each
sort, and that by the express command of God, Job 42:8. It may be
observed, that both in this, and the preceding clause, the word here is
carefully expressed, namely, in one of the high places; there the altars were
erected, and thither the oxen were brought to be sacrificed; so that both the
place, and the number of the altars, savoured of Heathenish worship, in which
he complied to induce the king to sacrifice to Jehovah.
Numbers 23:2 2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and
Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
YLT
2And Balak doth as Balaam
hath spoken, and Balak -- Balaam also -- offereth a bullock and a ram on the
altar,
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken,.... Ordered seven altars
to be built, and prepared seven bullocks and rams for sacrifice:
and Balak and Balsam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram; both seem to
be concerned in offering the sacrifices; Balak, though a king, it being usual
for kings to be priests also, as Melchizedek was, and Balaam as a prophet; and
these sacrifices were offered to the true God, as seems clear from Numbers 23:4 and to
which Balak, at the direction of Balaam, agreed, in order to gain the Lord on
his side, that he might prevail over the people of Israel.
Numbers 23:3 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt
offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come
to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a desolate
height.
YLT
3and Balaam saith to Balak,
`Station thyself by thy burnt-offering and I go on, it may be Jehovah doth come
to meet me, and the thing which He sheweth me -- I have declared to thee;' and
he goeth [to] a high place.
And Balaam said unto Balak, stand by thy burnt
offering,.... By which it appears that the sacrifices offered were of this
sort, and there might be one, which was more peculiarly the burnt offering of
Balak; though he might be more or less with Balaam concerned in them all; at
which he was directed to stand while it was burning, presenting that and
himself to the Lord, that he would have respect to both:
and I will go; depart from thence, at some little
distance, unto some private place:
peradventure the Lord will come to meet me; upon the
offering of these sacrifices to him, though he could not be certain of it, he
having lately shown some displeasure and resentment unto him; and this was also
in the daytime, when it was in the night he usually came unto him:
and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee; the whole of it,
truly as it is, whether agreeable or not:
and he went to an high place; but he was in one
already, and therefore if this is the sense of the word, he must go to another,
into a grove in one of the high places, where he might be retired, and so fit
for a divine converse; and the Targum of Onkelos renders it alone: but rather
the sense is, that he went into a plain, as De Dieu has shown from the use of
the word in the Syriac language; he was upon a high place, and he went down
from thence into the plain, perhaps into a cave at the bottom of the hill, a
retired place, where he hoped the Lord would meet him, as he did.
Numbers 23:4 4 And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have
prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a
ram.”
YLT
4And God cometh unto Balaam,
and he saith unto Him, `The seven altars I have arranged, and I offer a bullock
and a ram on the altar;'
And God met Balaam,.... Not in a kind and gracious manner; not
out of any respect to him and his offerings; not to indulge him with any
spiritual communion with him; nor to communicate his mind and will to him as a
friend of his; not to gratify his desires, and grant the request of the king of
Moab, or to smile upon and succeed the scheme that they had concerted; but for
the sake of his people Israel, to counterwork the designs of their enemies; to
blast and confound them, and turn their curses into blessings; and particularly
to oblige Balaam to bless the people he was so desirous of cursing for the sake
of gain:
and he said unto him; in a bragging boasting
way, in order to gain his favour, and carry his point:
I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar
a bullock and a ram: that is, to him the Lord; for had they been offered to Baal, he
could never have had the nerve to have spoken of them to God; and which he
could never have proposed as a reason why he should be regarded by him, or
expect on account of them any favour from him: and indeed these altars and
sacrifices were not at his expense, though they were prepared and offered at a
motion of his; nor were they offered in a right manner, nor with a right end,
nor from a right principle, and were far from being acceptable unto God, yea,
were abominable unto him; see Proverbs 21:27.
Numbers 23:5 5 Then the Lord put a word
in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
YLT
5and Jehovah putteth a word
in the mouth of Balaam, and saith, `Turn back unto Balak, and thus thou dost
speak.'
And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth.... Not grace
into his heart, nor the fear of God within him, but suggested to him what to
say; impressed it strongly on him, that he could not forget it, and with such
power and weight, that he was obliged to deliver it:
and said, return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak; that is, unto
him, and what is expressed in Numbers 22:7.
Numbers 23:6 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by
his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.
YLT
6And he turneth back unto
him, and lo, he is standing by his burnt-offering, he and all the princes of
Moab.
And he returned unto him,.... Immediately, as soon
as he was told what to say:
and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice; continued in
his devotions, hoping for success, and waiting for Balaam's return:
he and all the princes of Moab; not only those that were
sent to Balaam, but perhaps all the princes of the kingdom who were got
together on this occasion, and by reason of the imminent danger they
apprehended the nation was in on account of Israel.
Numbers 23:7 7 And he took up his oracle and said: “Balak the king of
Moab has brought me from Aram, From the mountains of the east. ‘Come, curse
Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!’
YLT
7And he taketh up his
simile, and saith: `From Aram he doth lead me -- Balak king of Moab; From mountains
of the east: Come -- curse for me Jacob, And come -- be indignant [with]
Israel.
And he took up his parable, and said,....
Pronounced the word, the prophetic word, which God had put into his mouth; so
the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call it, the parable of his prophecy; so
called, because, in prophecies, often figurative and enigmatical expressions
are used, and also sententious and weighty ones, either of which are sometimes
called parables; see Psalm 78:2,
Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram; or Syria,
that is, from Mesopotamia, as the Septuagint translate it; and so the Targum of
Jonathan, from Aram or Syria, which is by Euphrates:
out of the mountains of the east: it being the mountainous
part of Mesopotamia or Chaldea, where Balaam dwelt, which lay to the east of
the land of Moab:
saying, come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel; he owns that
this was Balak's view in sending for him; nor does he deny that be himself came
with such an intention, could he be able to execute it; even curse the people
of Israel, with the utmost abhorrence and detestation of them, and in the most
furious and wrathful manner, as the last word used signifies.
Numbers 23:8 8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how
shall I denounce whom the Lord has not
denounced?
YLT
8What -- do I pierce? -- God
hath not pierced! And what -- am I indignant? -- Jehovah hath not been
indignant!
How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed?.... The sense
is, that it was impossible for him to curse those that God did not curse
himself, or would not have cursed by others; not but that he had a good will to
it, to get Balak's money and honour, but he knew not how to accomplish it; yea,
he saw it was in vain to attempt it, it was a thing that could not possibly be
done: God does not, nor will he curse his spiritual Israel; they are blessed by
him in Christ, and they shall be blessed; nor is it in the power of their enemies
to curse them, or do them any harm: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem,
instead of God and the Lord in this and the following clause, use the
phase,"the Word of the Lord;'the essential Word, the Son of God, who is so
far from cursing his people, that he has delivered them from the curses of the
law, being made a curse for them, that the blessings of the everlasting
covenant of grace might come upon them; and they are blessed of God in him, and
for his sake, with all spiritual blessings:
or how shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied? which is the
same thing in other words, only this last word is expressive of more contempt
and indignation.
Numbers 23:9 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the
hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among
the nations.
YLT
9For from the top of rocks I
see it, And from heights I behold it; Lo a people! alone it doth tabernacle,
And among nations doth not reckon itself.
For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I
behold him,.... That is, Israel in their camps; Balaam being at this time on
the top of a rock, or on an high hill, from whence he had a view of Israel,
encamped in the plains of Moab below him:
lo, the people shall dwell alone; this certainly respects
their dwelling in the land of Canaan, where they dwelt a separate people from
all others, distinguished by their language, religion, laws, customs, and
manner of living, being different both in their clothing, and in their food,
from other people; nor had they dealings, nor did they company with those of
other nations; see Esther 3:8 "or
shall dwell safely"F26לבדר
"confidenter", Pagninus; "securus", Vatablus. , or
securely, not so much because of the situation of their country, but because of
the protection of the Almighty; see Deuteronomy 33:28.
and shall not be reckoned among the nations; as belonging
to them, shall not be made of any account by them, but be despised and
reproached for their religion chiefly; nor reckon themselves of them, nor mix
with them; so the Targum of Jerusalem,"they shall not be mixed;'or, as
Jonathan,"they shall not be led in the laws of the people;'and though they
are now scattered among the people and nations of the world, yet they are not
mixed with them, nor reckoned to be a part of them; nor do they reckon
themselves to be of them, but are a separate distinct people from them. Thus
Israel, or the people of God in a spiritual sense, dwell alone; not solitarily,
or without company, in every sense, for they have the company of Father, Son,
and Spirit, of angels and saints; but they dwell in God, in Christ, in the
house of God, and with one another, separately and distinctly from the world:
they are a separate people in the love of God; in the choice of them in Christ;
in the covenant of grace made with them in him; in redemption by him; in his
intercession for them; in effectual calling; as they will be in the
resurrection morn, and in heaven to all eternity: and they shall dwell safely,
God being around them; Christ the rock and fortress of them; the Spirit in them
being greater than he that is in the world; angels their guardians, and they in
a strong city, whose walls and bulwarks are salvation: nor are they reckoned
among the nations; they are chosen, redeemed, and called out of them, and are
not accounted of by them any other than the refuse and offscouring of all
things; nor do they reckon themselves to be of the world, but as pilgrims and
strangers in it. Baal Hatturim refers this prophecy to the days of the Messiah;
see Jeremiah 23:5.
Numbers 23:10 10 “Who can count the dust[a] of Jacob, Or
number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my
end be like his!”
YLT
10Who hath counted the dust
of Jacob, And the number of the fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of
upright ones, And let my last end be like his!'
Who can count, the dust of Jacob,.... The people of
Israel, their posterity so called, not because of their original, the dust of
the earth, but because of their numbers, being as numerous as the dust of the
earth, or sand of the sea, as it was promised they should be, Genesis 28:14 and
which is here confirmed by the prophecy of Balaam:
and the number of the fourth part of Israel; one of the
four camps of Israel, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; for this people
was divided into four camps, under so many standards, which were those of
Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, see Numbers 2:1, and
one of them is represented by Balaam as so numerous, as not to be counted, or
should be so, see Hosea 1:10. The spiritual
Israel of God, though comparatively few, are in themselves, and will be when
all together, a great number, which no man can number, Revelation 7:9,
let me die the death of the righteous; which are
among them, as Jarchi, among the Israelites; for they were not all righteous,
nor are any, of themselves, or by their own works, but by the righteousness of
Christ: or the death of the upright onesF1ישרים
rectorum, Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator. ; such as are upright in heart and
life, who have right spirits renewed in them, and walk uprightly according to
the rule of the divine word; such as are Israelites indeed, in whom there is no
guile; the word used is pretty near, in sound and signification, to Jeshurun,
one of the names of Israel, Deuteronomy 32:15,
the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render it,"the death of the true
ones,'who are truly righteous and upright, truly gracious persons; who have the
truth of grace, and the root of the matter in them: these die as well as
others, yet their death is different from others, not in the thing itself, but
in the concomitants and consequences of it; they die in the Lord, in union to
him, in faith of him, in hope of eternal life by him, and their death is
precious to him; and in consequence of this they are carried by angels to glory
at death are immediately in heaven with Christ, and it will be well with them
to all eternity. Balaam had some notion of this; and though he did not care to
live the life of such, he wished to die their death, or that he might be as
happy at death as they; by which he bears a testimony to the immortality of the
soul, to a future state after death, and to an eternal life and happiness to be
enjoyed by good men:
and let my last end be like his; which is a phrase
expressive of much the same thing as before: death is the end of a man in this
world; and the end of a righteous man in it is peace, rest, salvation, and
eternal life, or is what follows upon it, and he then enters into: some render
it, "my reward"F2אחריתי see
Prov. xxiv. 20. , which comes to much the same sense, the above being the righteous
man's reward, not in a way of debt, but grace; others render the word, "my
posterity"F3 το
σπερμα μου Sept. ; but it is not certain Balaam had any, and if he had, his
concern seems to be more for himself than for them.
Numbers 23:11 11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me?
I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them
bountifully!”
YLT
11And Balak saith unto
Balaam, `What hast thou done to me? to pierce mine enemies I have taken thee --
and lo, thou hast certainly blessed;'
And Balak said unto Balaam, what hast thou done unto me?.... Or
"for me"F6לי "pro me".
; nothing at all, to answer his purpose, or his end in sending for him:
I took thee to curse mine enemies: so he calls the
Israelites, though they had never done him any wrong; nor committed any acts of
hostility against him, nor showed any intention to commit any; nay, were
forbidden by the Lord their God to contend in battle with him and his people:
and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether; or, "in
blessing blessed"F7ברכת ברך "benedixisti benedicendo", Pagninus,
Montanus, Piscator. , done nothing but bless them, and that with many
blessings, or pronounced them blessed, and prophesied of their blessedness, for
their number, their safety, and of their happiness, not only in life, but at
and after death.
Numbers 23:12 12 So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to
speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”
YLT
12and he answereth and saith,
`That which Jehovah doth put in my mouth -- it do I not take heed to speak?'
And he answered and said,.... By reply to Balak:
must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my
mouth? pretending a great regard to the word of God, and to great
carefulness to speak it, exactly and punctually as he received it, whereas he
was forced to it, and could not do otherwise.
Numbers 23:13 13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to
another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of
them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.”
YLT
13And Balak saith unto him,
`Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, whence thou dost see it, only
its extremity thou dost see, and all of it thou dost not see, and pierce it for
me thence;'
And Balak said unto him,.... Seemingly satisfied
with his answer, however, he could not help himself, and was willing to make
the best of him he could, and try what he could do with him another time and
elsewhere:
come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou
mayest see them; for he had a mighty notion that both the sight of the people,
and the place from whence they were seen, would greatly contribute to answer
the end he had in view, cursing the people:
thou shall see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them
all; for he thought, either that he was so charmed with so glorious a
sight as the regular encampment of such a body of people was, that he could not
find in his heart to curse them; or that he was so terrified at the sight of
such a vast number of people, that he dared not attempt it; and therefore Balak
proposed to have him to a place where he could only see a part of them and not
the whole:
and curse me them from thence: that part, hoping that
when he had cursed them he would gradually go on till he had cursed them all:
but there is this objection to our version, and the sense it directs to, that
Balaam had been brought to a place already, where he had seen the utmost part
of the people, Numbers 22:41
wherefore some readF8So Vatablus. the middle clause in a
parenthesis, and in the past tense "(for thou hast seen but the utmost
part of them, and hast not seen them all)"; and therefore would have him
come to a place where he might see them all, and curse them from thence.
Numbers 23:14 14 So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top
of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each
altar.
YLT
14and he taketh him [to] the
field of Zophim, unto the top of Pisgah, and buildeth seven altars, and
offereth a bullock and a ram on the altar.
And he brought him into the field of Zophim,.... Or Sede
Tzophim, as HillerusF9Onomastic Sacr. p. 935. reads it, so called
from the watch tower, and watchmen in it: Jarchi says, it was a high place,
where a watchman stood to observe if an army came against a city, and so a very
proper place to take a view of the armies of Israel from:
to the top of Pisgah; a high hill in this
place, where perhaps the watch tower was, or, however, the watchman stood: this
looked towards Jeshimon or Bethjesimoth, in the plain of Moab, where Israel lay
encamped, see Numbers 21:20, and
built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar: as he had
done before, Numbers 23:2.
Numbers 23:15 15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt
offering while I meet[b] the Lord over there.”
YLT
15And he saith unto Balak,
`Station thyself here by thy burnt-offering, and I -- I meet [Him] there;'
And he said unto Balak, stand here by thy burnt offering,.... As he had
before directed him, Numbers 23:3.
while I meet the Lord yonder; pointing to some place
at a little distance, where he expected to meet the Lord, and have some
instructions from him, which he seemed confident of, having met with him once
already.
Numbers 23:16 16 Then the Lord met
Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you
shall speak.”
YLT
16and Jehovah cometh unto
Balaam, and setteth a word in his mouth, and saith, `Turn back unto Balak, and
thus thou dost speak.'
And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth,.... As he did
before, Numbers 23:5.
and said, go again unto Balak, and say thus; the words
which are expressed in Numbers 23:18.
Numbers 23:17 17 So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his
burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him,
“What has the Lord spoken?”
YLT
17And he cometh unto him, and
lo, he is standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him, and
Balak saith to him: `What hath Jehovah spoken?'
And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering,.... As
before; Numbers 23:6 and
the princes of Moab with him; Jarchi observes, that before it is said, all the
princes of Moab, but not so here; for when they saw there was no hope of
succeeding, some of them went away, and only some were left:
and Balak said unto him, what hath the Lord spoken? being in
haste to know what it was, whether agreeable or not.
Numbers 23:18 18 Then he took up his oracle and said: “Rise up, Balak,
and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor!
YLT
18And he taketh up his
simile, and saith: `Rise, Balak, and hear; Give ear unto me, son of Zippor!
And he took up his parable,.... Pronounced the word
put into his mouth:
and said, rise up Balak, and hear; not from his seat, as
Eglon a successor of his did, Judges 3:20 for he
was now standing by his burnt offering; but the sense is, that he would raise
his attention, and stir up himself with all diligence to hear what he was about
to say:
hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor; or to his word, as the
Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, which follow.
Numbers 23:19 19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a
son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He
spoken, and will He not make it good?
YLT
19God [is] not a man -- and
lieth, And a son of man -- and repenteth! Hath He said -- and doth He not do
[it]? And spoken -- and doth He not confirm it?
God is not a man, that he should lie,.... Man is a
creature consisting of a body of flesh and blood, and of a soul, a created and
finite spirit; but God, though he has the parts of an human body ascribed to
him in a figurative sense, yet is not to be conceived of in a corporeal manner;
and though he is a Spirit, yet eternal, immense, and infinite; and much less is
as a sinful man, who goes astray from the womb speaking lies; no, let God be
true, and every man a liar: he is God, that cannot lie; his counsels of old are
faithfulness and truth; his promises yea and amen in Christ; the Scriptures
inspired by him are true, and the prophecies of them are punctually
accomplished, particularly what he foretold of the people of Israel, and
promised unto them; that they should be happy, and inherit the land of Canaan;
that be would be true and faithful to them, and there could be no hope, by any
means whatever, to make him false and unfaithful to his word: neither the son
of man, that he should repent; repentance is found in men, who repent for what
they have done, or change their minds, as to what they intended to do or set
about; perceiving it to be wrong to do it, or that they are able to do it, some
unforeseen thing turning up they were not aware of: but nothing of this kind
belongs to God, or can befall him; he never changes his mind, alters his
counsels, purposes, and decrees, and never varies in his affections to his
people, nor makes void his choice of them, or covenant with them; and his
calling of them by his grace, and his gifts of grace bestowed upon them, are
without repentance: and particularly with respect to the people of Israel,
there was no reason to hope or believe that God would change his purposes or
promises respecting their outward happiness, and enjoyment of the land of
Canaan; or that ever he would be prevailed upon to curse them, or admit them to
be cursed, when he was determined, and had so peremptorily promised that he
would bless them:
hath he said, and shall he not do it? or "hath
he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" whether it be with regard to
things temporal, spiritual, or eternal; for there is no variableness nor shadow
of turning in his mind; he never forgets his word, he foresees all events, he
is able to perform, and is true and faithful; and therefore whatever is gone
out of his lips will never be altered, but will be most certainly fulfilled, Psalm 89:34 Isaiah 14:24.
Numbers 23:20 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He
has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
YLT
20Lo, to bless I have
received: Yea, He blesseth, and I [can]not reverse it.
Behold, I have received commandment to bless,.... The
people of Israel, to pronounce a blessing upon them, to declare them a happy
people:
and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it; God has
blessed them, has determined to bless them, has promised to bless them, has
blessed them in the victories he has given them, and will complete the blessing
of them, by bringing them into the land he has given them: so the blessings
which God has designed for his spiritual Israel, and bestows upon them, are
irreversible; they are blessings indeed, spiritual ones, and are for ever; he
blesses them with himself, as their covenant; God, their portion here and
hereafter, with Christ his Son, and all things with him, with righteousness,
peace, and pardon, with his Spirit and the grace thereof, with sonship,
heirship, and eternal life.
Numbers 23:21 21 “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He
seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is
with him, And the shout of a King is among them.
YLT
21He hath not beheld iniquity
in Jacob, Nor hath He seen perverseness in Israel; Jehovah his God [is] with
him, And a shout of a king [is] in him.
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel,.... Not that there was no sin in them, nor any observed by the
Lord; yet not so as to mark it in strict justice, and punish for it; but he
forgave it, hid his face from it, and did not impute it to them; all the three
Targums restrain it to idolatry, that there were none among them that
worshipped idols, which was the reason why the Lord could not be prevailed upon
to curse them: and Aben Ezra observes, that from hence Balak learnt to send
women to the Israelites, to entice them to lewdness, and so to idolatry, that
he might be able to carry his point: this is true of the spiritual Israel of
God; for though there is sin in them, and which is continually done by them,
yet their sins are removed from them, and have been laid on Christ, and he has
bore them, and made reconciliation for them, and made an end of them, and has
redeemed and saved them from them; and God, by imputing his righteousness to
them, has justified them from all their sins, has forgiven all their
iniquities, and blotted out all their transgressions, and has cast them behind
his back, and into the depths of the sea, and has removed them as far from them
as the east is from the west: and when God is said not to see or behold
iniquity in his people, it is to be understood, not of his eye of Omniscience,
with which he sees not only the sins of all men, but those of his own people
also, and takes notice of them in a providential way, and chastises them for
them; but of his eye of avenging justice, and purity regards the article of
justification, which is a full discharge from all sin, and a perfect covering
of it from the justice of God, see Jeremiah 50:20,
the Lord his God is with him and which is his
protection and defence, and in vain it is for any to be against him, or seek to
hurt him; nothing is a greater happiness, or can be a greater safety, than to
have the presence of God; it is this makes ordinances pleasant and delightful;
by this saints are assisted in duty, and supported under trials; it is an
instance of distinguishing and amazing goodness, and is what will make heaven
be the happy place and state it is: all the three Targums interpret it of the
Word of the Lord that is with them, and for their help; who is the Angel of
God's presence, Immanuel, God with us; and who has promised to be with his churches
and ministers to the end of the world, and will be with them through life, at
death, and to all eternity:
and the shout of a king is among them; of God their
King, the Shechinah of their King, as the Targum of Onkelos; his glorious
Majesty, to whom they make their joyful acclamations, upon his appearing among
them, and on the account of the victories he gives them over their enemies: or
of the King Messiah, as the Targum of Jonathan, the King of kings, the Lord of
lords; and so, in an ancient writing of the JewsF11Pesikta in
Ketoreth Hassamim in Numb. fol. 25. 4. , this passage is referred to the days
of the Messiah: and this shout may respect the joyful sound of the Gospel, one
part of which is, that Zion's King reigns, and which proclaims him to be King,
and speaks of the things concerning his kingdom, both the kingdom of grace, and
the kingdom of glory; some respect may be had to the sounding of the silver
trumpets by the priests on various occasions in Israel; see Numbers 10:1.
Numbers 23:22 22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a
wild ox.
YLT
22God is bringing them out
from Egypt, As the swiftness of a Reem is to him;
God brought them out of Egypt,.... With a mighty hand
and stretched out arm, and he will conduct them through the wilderness, and
bring them safe to Canaan's land; he that brought them from thence will not
suffer them to perish by any means; it is in vain to attempt to curse a people
that is in such hands, and for whom he has done such great things: Jarchi
thinks this stands opposed to what Balak had said, Numbers 22:5, thou
sayest, "lo, a people is come out of Egypt";"they did not come
out of themselves, but God brought them:"
he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn; that is, not
God, but the people he brought out of Egypt, being a mighty people, able to
push their enemies and subdue them, being numerous and strong, especially as
strengthened by the mighty God of Jacob; and therefore their strength is
expressed by the strength of this creature; for be it what it will, whether the
rhinoceros or the wild ox, or one kind of goats, as BochartF12Hierozoic.
par. 1. l. 3. c. 27. col. 965. thinks; whatever is meant by the term here must
be a strong creature, see Deuteronomy 33:17
and great is the strength of the spiritual Israel of God, which they have from
him to exercise grace, perform duty, withstand and overcome all their spiritual
enemies, sin, Satan, and the world.
Numbers 23:23 23 “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any
divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob And of Israel, ‘Oh,
what God has done!’
YLT
23For no enchantment [is]
against Jacob, Nor divination against Israel, At the time it is said of Jacob
and Israel, What hath God wrought!
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any
divination against Israel,.... Balaam here owns, that all his
enchantments and divinations signified nothing, and would never prevail to
bring a curse upon Israel; it was a vain thing for him to use them, and as vain
for Balak to expect anything from them; neither he nor any other enchanter and
soothsayer, using all the arts they are masters of, could ever do any hurt to
such a people, who were the peculiar care of God, and were his church, against
which the gates of hell could not prevail: or "in Jacob" and "in
Israel"F13ביעקב בישראל
"in Jahacob, in Israel", Pagninus, Montanus, &c. ; and this is
the sense of all the Targums, that there are no enchantments nor enchanters, no
divinations nor diviners in Israel; these were not agreeable to them, nor
suffered among them, and therefore they were acceptable and well pleasing in
the sight of God and indeed this sense agrees both with the literal version of
the words, and is the sense Jarchi gives of them; that these people were fit
for the blessing, because there were no enchanters and diviners among them;
though he mentions another, and that is, that Israel had no need of enchanters
and diviners, and of their enchantments and divinations, because they had the
prophets to inform them, and the Urim and Thummim to declare things unto them:
according to this time it shall be said of Jacob, and of Israel,
what hath God wrought! as with respect to this time as well as to time past, and with
respect to time to come, even with respect to all times; it shall be said with
wonder and amazement, what great things has God done for this people! as
bringing them out of the land of Egypt, leading them through the Red sea,
feeding and supplying them in the wilderness, protecting them from their
enemies there, expelling the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, and setting
them there in their stead; and wonderful things has God done for his spiritual
Israel, in the redemption of them by Christ, in the beginning and carrying on the
work of grace upon their hearts, by his Spirit; and at last he will bring them
all to the heavenly Canaan of rest and happiness, and where this will be matter
of admiration with them to all eternity, what has God done for us?
Numbers 23:24 24 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.”
YLT
24Lo, 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.'
Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion,.... Or
rather, "as the lioness"F14כלביא
"ut leaena", V. L. Tigurine version. , which, as Aelianus saysF15Var.
Hist. l. 12. c. 39. Vid. Herodot. Thalia, sive, l. 3. c. 108. , is the
strongest and most warlike beast, the most fierce and furious, as is believed
both by Greeks and Barbarians; and he mentions the heroism of Perdiccas the
Macedonian, and Semiramis the Assyrian, in engaging with and killing, not the
lion or leopard, but lioness:
and shall lift up himself as a young lion; both phrases
denoting the courage and strength of the people of Israel, in attacking their
enemies and engaging them:
he shall not lie down; being once roused up and
engaged in war:
until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain; as the lion
does when it has seized on a creature, tears it to pieces, eats its flesh and
drinks its blood: this may refer to the slaughter of the Midianites that would
be quickly made, and among the slain of whom Balaam himself was, Numbers 31:7, and
to the slaughter and conquest of the Canaanites under Joshua, and taking their
spoils.
Numbers 23:25 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all,
nor bless them at all!”
YLT
25And Balak saith unto
Balaam, `Neither pierce it at all, nor bless it at all;'
And Balak said unto Balaam, neither curse them at all, nor bless
them at all. Signifying that it would be as well or better to do nothing at
all, than to do what he did; but the sense is not, that he would not have him curse
them, that he could never say, since he had pressed it both before and after
this; wherefore the words should be rendered, as they are by someF16So
Fagius, Vatablus; with which agree the Arabic version, and Noldius, p. 221. No.
1024. , "if in cursing thou dost not curse", or will not curse,
"neither in blessing bless", or, however, do not bless: if he could
not or would not curse Israel, he would not have him bless them on any account;
if he could do him and his people no good in ridding them of their enemies, yet
he desires him by no means to do them any harm by discouraging them and
encouraging Israel.
Numbers 23:26 26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell
you, saying, ‘All that the Lord speaks,
that I must do’?”
YLT
26and Balaam answereth and
saith unto Balak, `Have I not spoken unto thee, saying, All that Jehovah
speaketh -- it I do?'
But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, told not I thee,.... He
appeals to him for his honesty and faithfulness, for honest and faithful he
would be thought to be, both to God and man; that when he first met him, he
plainly told him what he must expect: from him:
saying, all that the Lord speaketh, that I must do; which was
very true, he was obliged to do as he had bid him, and speak what he had said
unto him, though it was sore against his will; he would fain both have spoken
and done otherwise, if he might have been permitted.
Numbers 23:27 27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take
you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me
from there.”
YLT
27And Balak saith unto
Balaam, `Come, I pray thee, I take thee unto another place; it may be it is
right in the eyes of God -- to pierce it for me from thence.'
And Balak said unto Balaam, come, I pray thee,.... Come
along with me: I will bring thee unto another place: if not better for the view
of the people, yet a more religious place, on which account the king hoped for
success:
peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them
from thence; it may be God will give thee leave to curse the people from that
place, being devoted to sacred service: this is the first time that Balak makes
mention of the name of God; and he now seems to be satisfied that it was not
Balaam's fault that he did not curse Israel, but that he was hindered by God,
who would not suffer him to do it.
Numbers 23:28 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that
overlooks the wasteland.[c]
YLT
28And Balak taketh Balaam to
the top of Peor, which is looking on the front of the wilderness,
And Balak brought Balaam to the top of Peor,.... The name
of an high mountain in Moab, so called from a gap or opening in it; here the
idol Baal was worshipped, and from hence had the name of Baalpeor, Numbers 25:3 and
here, very probably, was a temple built to the honour of him, called Bethpeor,
the house or temple of Baalpeor, Deuteronomy 34:6,
that looketh towards Jeshimon; as Pisgah also did, and
very likely it was not far from it, since from thence they came hither, Numbers 23:14.
Jeshimon is the same with Bethjesimoth, and so the Targum of Jonathan here
calls it, a part of the plains of Moab, where Israel lay encamped, Numbers 33:49 so
that from hence Balaam could have a full view of them.
Numbers 23:29 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven
altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
YLT
29and Balaam saith unto
Balak, `Build for me in this [place] seven altars, and make ready for me in
this [place] seven bullocks and seven rams;'
And Balaam said unto Balak,.... Being willing to try
again what could be done, and to gratify the king, and especially to get the
wages of unrighteousness, if possible, which he dearly loved, as the apostle
says, 2 Peter 2:15.
build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and
seven rams; which had been done in two places before, Numbers 23:1 the
same sort of creatures, and the same number here as there, and these only clean
creatures, such as were used in sacrifice by the true worshippers of God, and
which, no doubt, Balaam had knowledge of, and therefore judged that those would
be most acceptable to the Lord.
Numbers 23:30 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull
and a ram on every altar.
YLT
30and Balak doth as Balaam
said, and he offereth a bullock and a ram on an altar.
And Balak did as Balaam had said,.... Though the
sacrifices were expensive, he did not grudge them; he spared no cost to gain
his point, though he now could have but little hope of it: and offered a
bullock and a ram on every altar; as he had done before, Numbers 23:2.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)