Numbers 23:25
in Numbers 23Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
KJV
And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
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This verse in Numbers 23
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the people rise like a lioness
on Numbers 23:24-26
Genesis 49:9 gave the lion to Judah alone, and here the whole people rise like a lioness. Albert Barnes suggests Balaam's omen may have been a real lion from the Jordan thicket. Balak's request falls from a curse to silence, neither curse them at all nor bless them at all.
This site's exposition
neither curse them at all
Matthew Henry hears a general's worry in the request: if Balaam could not help Moab's forces, Balak wanted him at least to stop dispiriting them. Henry cites Isaiah 47:13 on those worn out by their many counsels. Two verses later Balak tries again all the same.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
If thou canst no assist and encourage my forces, yet do not oppose and dispirit them" Note, God can make those that depart from him weary of the multitude of their counsels, Isa. xlvii. 10 . [2.] Balaam is still willing to own himself overruled, and appeals to what he had said in the beginning of this enterprise ( ch. xxii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
And Balak said unto Balaam, neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| בָּלָק֙ | balak | Balak | H1111 → | 43 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בִּלְעָ֔ם | bilam | Balaam | H1109 → | 61 times |
| גַּם־ | gam- | neither | H1571 → | 769 times |
| קֹ֖ב | ko | at all <curse> | H6895 → | 14 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִקֳּבֶ֑נּוּ | tikovenu | you will curse it | H6895 → | 14 times |
| גַּם־ | gam- | nor | H1571 → | 769 times |
| בָּרֵ֖ךְ | barekh | at all <bless> | H1288 → | 330 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תְבָרֲכֶֽנּוּ׃ | tevarakhenu | you will bless it | H1288 → | 330 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
בָּלָק֙Balak
balakH1111 →43 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בִּלְעָ֔םBalaam
bilamH1109 →61 times
גַּם־neither
gam-H1571 →769 times
קֹ֖בat all <curse>
koH6895 →14 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תִקֳּבֶ֑נּוּyou will curse it
tikovenuH6895 →14 times
גַּם־nor
gam-H1571 →769 times
בָּרֵ֖ךְat all <bless>
barekhH1288 →330 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תְבָרֲכֶֽנּוּ׃you will bless it
tevarakhenuH1288 →330 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.