Numbers 22:20
in Numbers 22That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.
KJV
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
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This verse in Numbers 22
Commentary
4 notes on this verseIf the men come - go with them - This is a confirmation of what was observed on the twelfth verse; though we find his going was marked with the Divine displeasure, because he wished, for the sake of the honors and rewards, to fulfill as far as possible the will of the king of Moab. Mr. Shuckford observes that the pronoun הוא hu is sometimes used to denote a person’s doing a thing out of his own head, without regard to the directions of another.
This site's exposition
Since these men have come to summon you
on Numbers 22:20-21
The permission carries a limit, you must only do what I tell you. The next verse says God’s anger was kindled because Balaam was going. Readers divide: Calvin takes the leave as given in anger, Henry blames the appetite, and Keil and Delitzsch the desire behind the second asking.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
It was in anger that God said to Balaam, "Go with them," and we have reason to think that Balaam himself so understood it, for we do not find him pleading this allowance when God reproved him for going. Note, As God sometimes denies the prayers of his people in love, so sometimes he grants the desires of the wicked in wrath.
And the Lord came unto Balaam at night,....
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹ֨א | vaiyavo' | and he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֥ים׀ | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בִּלְעָם֮ | bilam | Balaam | H1109 → | 61 times |
| לַיְלָה֒ | laylah | night | H3915 → | 233 times |
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| ל֗וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| לִקְרֹ֤א | likro' | to summon | H7121 → | 733 times |
| לְךָ֙ | lekha | <to> <the> you | ||
| בָּ֣אוּ | bau | they have come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הָאֲנָשִׁ֔ים | haanashim | the men | H582 → | 566 times |
| ק֖וּם | kum | arise | H6965 → | 628 times |
| לֵ֣ךְ | lekh | go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אִתָּ֑ם | ʾitam | with them | H854 → | 929 times |
| וְאַ֗ךְ | veakh | and only | H389 → | 161 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדָּבָ֛ר | hadavar | the word | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אֲדַבֵּ֥ר | ʾadaber | I will speak | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֵלֶ֖יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֹת֥וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| תַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ | taaseh | you will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
וַיָּבֹ֨אand he came
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
אֱלֹהִ֥ים׀God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בִּלְעָם֮Balaam
bilamH1109 →61 times
לַיְלָה֒night
laylahH3915 →233 times
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
ל֗וֹto <the> him
lo
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
לִקְרֹ֤אto summon
likro'H7121 →733 times
לְךָ֙<to> <the> you
lekha
בָּ֣אוּthey have come
bauH935 →2568 times
הָאֲנָשִׁ֔יםthe men
haanashimH582 →566 times
ק֖וּםarise
kumH6965 →628 times
לֵ֣ךְgo
lekhH1980 →1546 times
אִתָּ֑םwith them
ʾitamH854 →929 times
וְאַ֗ךְand only
veakhH389 →161 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַדָּבָ֛רthe word
hadavarH1697 →1440 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
אֲדַבֵּ֥רI will speak
ʾadaberH1696 →1141 times
אֵלֶ֖יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
אֹת֥וֹ<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
תַעֲשֶֽׂה׃you will do
taasehH6213 →2628 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 81:12So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 7:24
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
- Romans 1:24
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.
- Isaiah 30:1
“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin.
- Acts 7:42
But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and…
- Romans 1:26–27
For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
- Jeremiah 7:24
Through
Numbers 23:12But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
it leads to
- Numbers 22:38
“See, I have come to you,” Balaam replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Numbers 22:38
Through
Numbers 23:26But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”
it leads to
- Numbers 22:18
But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything small or great to go beyond the command…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Acts 5:29
But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
- Numbers 22:18
Where this verse is studied
About Numbers
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.