Bilangan 17:11

17:11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him – this is what he did.

Bilangan 23:18

Balaam Prophesies Again

23:18 Balaam ¹  uttered ²  his oracle, and said,

“Rise up, ³  Balak, and hear;

Listen to me, son of Zippor:

Bilangan 23:20

23:20 Indeed, I have received a command ⁴  to bless;

he has blessed, ⁵  and I cannot reverse it. ⁶ 

Bilangan 24:2

24:2 When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; ⁷  and the Spirit of God came upon him.

Bilangan 24:19

24:19 A ruler will be established from Jacob;

he will destroy the remains of the city.’” ⁸ 

Bilangan 24:23

24:23 Then he uttered this oracle:

“O, who will survive when God does this! ⁹ 

[23:18]  ¹ tn Heb “he.” The antecedent has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ² tn Heb “took up.”

[23:18]  ³ tn The verb probably means “pay attention” in this verse.

[23:20]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text simply has “I have received [to] bless.” The infinitive is the object of the verb, telling what he received. Balaam was not actually commanded to bless, but was given the word of blessing so that he was given a divine decree that would bless Israel.

[23:20]  ⁵ sn The reference is probably to the first speech, where the Lord blessed Israel. Balaam knows that there is nothing he can do to reverse what God has said.

[23:20]  ⁶ tn The verb is the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv), meaning “to cause to return.” He cannot return God’s word to him, for it has been given, and it will be fulfilled.

[24:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “living according to their tribes.”

[24:19]  ⁸ tn Or, understanding the Hebrew word for “city” as a place name, “of Ir” (cf. NRSV, NLT).

[24:23]  ⁹ tc Because there is no parallel line, some have thought that it dropped out (see de Vaulx, Les Nombres, 296).