Bilangan 23:4

23:4 Then God met Balaam, who ¹  said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”

Bilangan 23:23

23:23 For there is no spell against ²  Jacob,

nor is there any divination against Israel.

At this time ³  it must be said ⁴  of Jacob

and of Israel, ‘Look at ⁵  what God has done!’

Bilangan 24:8

24:8 God brought them out of Egypt.

They have, as it were, the strength of a young bull;

they will devour hostile people ⁶ 

and will break their bones

and will pierce them through with arrows.

[23:4]  ¹ tn The relative pronoun is added here in place of the conjunction to clarify that Balaam is speaking to God and not vice versa.

[23:23]  ² tn Or “in Jacob.” But given the context the meaning “against” is preferable. The words describe two techniques of consulting God; the first has to do with observing omens in general (“enchantments”), and the second with casting lots or arrows of the like (“divinations” [Ezek 21:26]). See N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCB), 295-96.

[23:23]  ³ tn The form is the preposition “like, as” and the word for “time” – according to the time, about this time, now.

[23:23]  ⁴ tn The Niphal imperfect here carries the nuance of obligation – one has to say in amazement that God has done something marvelous or “it must be said.”

[23:23]  ⁵ tn The words “look at” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[24:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “they will devour nations,” their adversaries.