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Numbers 22:6

in Numbers 22

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.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

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 know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

KJV

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.

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This verse in Numbers 22

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Come now, therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people - Balaam, once a prophet of the true God, appears to have been one of the Moshelim, (see Num 21:27), who had added to his poetic gift that of sorcery or divination. It was supposed that prophets and sorcerers had a power to curse persons and places so as to confound all their designs, frustrate their counsels, enervate their strength, and fill them with fear, terror, and dismay. See Gen 9:25; Psa 109:6, Psa 109:20; Jos 6:26; Jer 17:5, Jer 17:

This site's exposition

for I know that those you bless are blessed

on Numbers 22:6-7

Balak speaks the promise of Genesis 12:3, those you bless are blessed, and hires a man to run it backwards. The fees for divination in hand go ahead of the question, and Joshua 13:22 calls Balaam the diviner. Nehemiah 13:2 gives the errand in one line: they hired Balaam to call down a curse, and God turned the curse into a blessing.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

2 ), no more than Goliath's, when he cursed David by his gods, 1 Sam. xvii. Let us desire to have the prayers of God's ministers and people for us, and dread having them against us; for they are greatly regarded by him who blesseth indeed and curseth indeed. But Balak cannot rely upon these compliments as sufficient to prevail with Balaam, the main inducement is yet behind (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number

Come now, therefore, I pray thee,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Come . . . curse me this people--Among the heathen an opinion prevailed that prayers for evil or curses would be heard by the unseen powers as well as prayers for good, when offered by a prophet or priest and accompanied by the use of certain rites.

The words behind it

28 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְעַתָּה֩and therefore

    veatahH6258 →433 times

  • לְכָה־come !

    lekhah-H1980 →1546 times

  • נָּ֨אplease

    na'H4994 →404 times

  • אָֽרָה־curse !

    ʾarah-H779 →63 times

  • לִּ֜יfor <the> me

    li

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הָעָ֣םthe people

    haamH5971 →1873 times

  • הַזֶּ֗ה<the> this

    hazehH2088 →1180 times

  • כִּֽי־for

    ki-H3588 →4482 times

  • עָצ֥וּם[is too] mighty

    ʾatzumH6099 →31 times

  • הוּא֙it

    hu'H1931 →1879 times

  • מִמֶּ֔נִּיfor me

    mimeniH4480 →1188 times

  • אוּלַ֤יperhaps

    ʾulaiH194 →45 times

  • אוּכַל֙I will be able

    ʾukhalH3201 →194 times

  • נַכֶּה־to strike

    nakeh-H5221 →499 times

  • בּ֔וֹ<in> <the> it

    bo

  • וַאֲגָרְשֶׁ֖נּוּand I will drive out it

    vaagareshenuH1644 →46 times

  • מִן־from

    min-H4480 →1188 times

  • הָאָ֑רֶץthe land

    haaretzH776 →2504 times

  • כִּ֣יfor

    kiH3588 →4482 times

  • יָדַ֗עְתִּיI know

    yada'tiH3045 →945 times

  • אֵ֤ת<obj.>

    ʾetH853 →10935 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־[the one] whom

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • תְּבָרֵךְ֙you bless

    tevarekhH1288 →330 times

  • מְבֹרָ֔ךְ[is] blessed

    mevorakhH1288 →330 times

  • וַאֲשֶׁ֥רand [the one] whom

    vaasherH834 →5497 times

  • תָּאֹ֖רyou curse

    taorH779 →63 times

  • יוּאָֽר׃he is cursed

    yuarH779 →63 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Numbers 24:9He 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.”4 worksNumbers 23:7–8And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’3 works1 Samuel 17:43“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.3 worksNumbers 24:10Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together and said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times.3 worksDeuteronomy 23:4For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.2 works1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.2 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
1 Kings 22:6So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”2 worksGenesis 27:29May 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.”2 worksGenesis 12:3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”2 worksActs 16:16One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.2 worksNehemiah 13:2because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).2 worksActs 8:9–10Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,2 worksNumbers 22:12But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”2 works1 Kings 22:13Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”2 worksEzekiel 13:6They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.2 worksNumbers 22:17for I will honor you richly and do whatever you say. So please come and put a curse on this people for me!’”2 worksPsalms 109:17–18The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.2 worksIsaiah 47:12–13So take your stand with your spells and with your many sorceries, with which you have wearied yourself from your youth. Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror!2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    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.”

    it leads to

    • 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…

    • 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 23:24

      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.”

  • Through

    1 Kings 22:8

    The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son…

    it leads to

    • John 3:19–21

      And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.

    • John 17:14

      I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

  • Through

    Deuteronomy 23:4

    For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.

    it leads to

    • Nehemiah 13:2

      because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).

  • Through

    1 Kings 22:6

    So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will…

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 18:19

      Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Where this verse is studied

About Numbers

An Angel Appears to Balaam — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
An Angel Appears to Balaam — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Numbers: the study guide →Read Numbers 22 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Numbers 22 →