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Numbers 22:7

in Numbers 22

The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

KJV

And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

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This verse in Numbers 22

Commentary

4 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

The rewards of divination - Whoever went to consult a prophet took with him a present, as it was on such gratuitous offerings the prophets lived; but here more than a mere present is intended, perhaps every thing necessary to provide materials for the incantation. The drugs, etc., used on such occasions were often very expensive. It appears that Balaam was very covetous, and that he loved the wages of unrighteousness, and probably lived by it; see 2Pe 2:15.

This site's exposition

he whom thou blessest is blessed

on Numbers 22:6-7

Balak states the Abrahamic formula of Genesis 12:3 in his own mouth and then hires a man to run it backwards over the seed it was given to. The fee goes ahead of the question, rewards of divination in their hand, and Joshua 13:22 uses the word soothsayer of Balaam when it records his death. Nehemiah 13:2 gives the whole errand in one line, that they hired Balaam against them to curse them, and God turned the curse into a blessing.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

And the elders of Moab, and the elders of Midian, departed,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Rewards of divination - Rightly interpreted in 2Pe 2:15 as “the wages of unrighteousness.”

The words behind it

14 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.

  • וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּand they went

    vaiyelekhuH1980 →1546 times

  • זִקְנֵ֤י[the] elders of

    zikneiH2205 →178 times

  • מוֹאָב֙Moab

    moavH4124 →181 times

  • וְזִקְנֵ֣יand [the] elders of

    vezikneiH2205 →178 times

  • מִדְיָ֔ןMidian

    midyanH4080 →59 times

  • וּקְסָמִ֖יםand divinations

    ukesamimH7081 →

  • בְּיָדָ֑ם[were] in hand their

    beyadamH3027 →1618 times

  • וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙and they came

    vaiyavouH935 →2568 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • בִּלְעָ֔םBalaam

    bilamH1109 →61 times

  • וַיְדַבְּר֥וּand they spoke

    vaydaberuH1696 →1141 times

  • אֵלָ֖יוto him

    ʾelavH413 →5510 times

  • דִּבְרֵ֥י[the] words of

    divreiH1697 →1440 times

  • בָלָֽק׃Balak

    valakH1111 →43 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.

Micah 3:11Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”3 works1 Samuel 9:7–8“If we do go,” Saul replied, “what can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”3 worksDaniel 5:7The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”3 worksActs 1:18(Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.3 worksJude 1:11Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.2 works1 Timothy 6:9–10Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.2 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Romans 16:18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.2 worksEzekiel 13:19You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared those who should not have lived.2 worksTitus 1:11who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.2 works2 Peter 2:15They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.2 worksNumbers 23:23For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’2 worksIsaiah 56:11Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:2 worksNumbers 24:1And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as on previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness.2 worksDaniel 2:6But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”2 works2 Kings 5:5“Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.2 worksEzekiel 21:21For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver.2 worksJudges 16:18When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.2 worksNumbers 22:4So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” Since Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time,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

    Jude 1:11

    Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.

    it leads to

    • 2 Peter 2:15

      They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.

    • 1 John 3:12

      Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.

    • Revelation 2:14

      But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food…

    • Genesis 4:3–14

      So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD,

  • Through

    Romans 16:18

    For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

    it leads to

    • Micah 3:5

      This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Colossians 2:4

      I say this so that no one will deceive you by smooth rhetoric.

    • Matthew 7:15

      Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

  • Through

    Micah 3:11

    Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster…

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 6:13

      “For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.

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; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); 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 →