Numbers 22:38
WEB
Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you. Have I now any power at all to speak anything? I will speak the word that God puts in my mouth.”
BSB
“See, I have come to you,” Balaam replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth.”
KJV
And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H559
v — say
Derivation: a primitive root;
to say (used with great latitude)
KJV: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.
vb — utter
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
1. Say
2. Say in the heart (= think)
3. Promise
4. Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
H1109
n-pr-m n-pr-loc — Bilam
Derivation: probably from 1077 and 5971; not (of the) people, i.e. foreigner;
Bilam, a Mesopotamian prophet; also a place in Palestine
KJV: Balaam, Bileam.
n.pr.m — Balaam
בִּלְעָם n.pr.m. Balaam
H413
prep — near, with, among, to
Derivation: (but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e.
near, with or among; often in general, to
KJV: about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).
prep — motion to
אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).
1. of motion to or unto a person or place
2. Where the limit is actually entered, into
3. Of direction towards anything
4. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against
5. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to
6. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of
7. Of rule or standard according to (rare)
8. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion
9. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to
H1111
n-pr-m — Balak
Derivation: from 1110; waster;
Balak, a Moabitish king
KJV: Balak.
n.pr.m — Balak
בָּלָק n.pr.m. (devastator) king of Moab
H2009
dp — lo!
Derivation: prolongation for 2005;
lo!
KJV: behold, lo, see.
H935
v — go, come
Derivation: a primitive root;
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
KJV: abide, apply, attain, × be, befall, besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, × certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, × doubtless again, eat, employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, have, × indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, × (well) stricken (in age), × surely, take (in), way.
vb — come in
בּוֹא 2569 vb. come in, come, go in, go
Qal
1. come in
2. come (approach, arrive)
3. go, i.e. walk, associate with
4. go from speaker, but with limit of motion given
Hiph.
1. cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)
2. cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)
Hoph.
a. be brought in (of pers. and things)
b. be brought
c. be introduced, put
H6258
adv — at this time
Derivation: from 6256;
at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletive
KJV: henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.
adv — now
עַתָּ֫ה 435, עָ֑֫תָּה, adv. of time, now
H3201
v — be able, can, could, may, might
Derivation: or (fuller) יָכוֹל; a primitive root;
to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might)
KJV: be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, (-not)), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.
vb — be able
יָכֹל, יָכוֹל 193 vb. be able, have power, prevail, endure
Qal
1. be able, to do a thing,, whether ability be physical, moral, constitutional, or dependent on external authority
2. prevail
3. abs. have ability, strength, only neg.
H1696
v — arrange, speak, subdue
Derivation: a primitive root;
perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
KJV: answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, × well, × work.
vb — speak
[דָבַר] 1142 vb. speak (original mng. dub.)
Qal speak
Niph. reciprocal sense, speak with one another, talk
Pi. speak
Pu. in the day when she may be spoken for
Hithp. speaking this word
Hiph. either leads subject, or puts to flight, fig. for subdues
H3972
x — speck, point, nothing
Derivation: apparently a form of 3971;
properly, a speck or point, i.e. (by implication) something; with negative, nothing
KJV: fault, no(-ught), ought, somewhat, any (no-)thing.
pron.indef — anything
מְא֫וּמָה 32 pron.indef. anything
H1697
n-m — word, matter, spoken, thing, cause
Derivation: from 1696;
a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
KJV: act, advice, affair, answer, × any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, chronicles, commandment, × commune(-ication), concern(-ing), confer, counsel, dearth, decree, deed, × disease, due, duty, effect, eloquent, errand, (evil favoured-) ness, glory, harm, hurt, iniquity, judgment, language, lying, manner, matter, message, (no) thing, oracle, × ought, × parts, pertaining, please, portion, power, promise, provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request, × (as hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, sign, so, some (uncleanness), somewhat to say, song, speech, × spoken, talk, task, that, × there done, thing (concerning), thought, thus, tidings, what(-soever), wherewith, which, word, work.
n.m — speech
דָּבָר 1439 n.m. speech, word
I. sg. speech, discourse, saying, word, as the sum of that which is spoken
II. sg. saying, utterance, sentence, as a section of a discourse
III. sg. a word, words
IV. sg. matter, affair, thing about which one speaks
H834
r — who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that
Derivation: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
KJV: × after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.
part. of relation — who
אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.
adv — in which
בַאֲשֶׁר
a. in (that) which
b. adv. in (the place) where
c. conj. in that, inasmuch as
d. on account of whom?
conj — according as
כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when
1. according to that which, according as, as
2. with a causal force, in so far as, since
3. with a temporal force, when
adv — who
מֵאֲשֶׁר
a. from (or than) that which
b. adv. from (the place) where
c. conj. from (the fact) that …, since
H7760
v — put
Derivation: or שִׂים; a primitive root;
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
KJV: × any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, name, × on, ordain, order, paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, stedfastly, take, × tell, tread down, (over-)turn, × wholly, work.
vb — put
שׂוּם, שִׂים 582 vb. put, place, set
Qal
1.
a. put, set, in a place
b. put something upon
c. put, lay, set
d. put, c. בֵּין
2. set, direct
3.
a. set, ordain, in a place
b. set, establish a law, statute
c. set, found a nation
d. set, appoint (as ruler, official)
e. set, constitute, make
f. set, determine, fix, bounds
4.
a. set, station, at a post
b. put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars
c. set up altars
d. = plant, wheat
e. set, fix (countenance)
5.
a. make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into
b. make, constitute
c. work, bring to pass
d. appoint, give
e. set, fix (countenance)
Hiph. I will make him for a sign
Hoph. there was set before him
H430
n-m — gods, God, magistrates
Derivation: plural of 433;
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
KJV: angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.
n.m.pl — gods
אֱלֹהִים 2570 n.m.pl.
1. pl. in number.
a. rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power
b. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels
c. angels
d. gods
2. pl. intensive
a. god or goddess
b. godlike one
c. works of God, or things belongng to him
d. God
3. הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God
4. אֱלֹהִים = God
H6310
n-m — mouth, blowing, speech, edge, portion, side, according to
Derivation: from 6284;
the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech); specifically edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition) according to
KJV: accord(-ing as, -ing to), after, appointment, assent, collar, command(-ment), × eat, edge, end, entry, file, hole, × in, mind, mouth, part, portion, × (should) say(-ing), sentence, skirt, sound, speech, × spoken, talk, tenor, × to, two-edged, wish, word.
n.m — mouth
פֶּה 485 n.m. mouth
1.
a. mouth, of man, organ of eating and drinking
b. external organ
2.
a. much oftener, as organ of speech, of man
b. as laughing; panting
c. of God
d. of idols
e. of musical instr. = sound
3. of animals; hence of edge of sword
4. mouth = opening, orifice
5.
a. extremity, end
b. = portion
6. with preps.
H853
prt — self, even, namely
Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].
mark of the accusative
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
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Verses 36–41
Numbers 22:36–41
We have here the meeting between Balak and Balaam, confederate enemies to God's Israel; but here they seem to differ in their expectations of the success. 1. Balak speaks of it with confidence, not doubting but to gain his point now that Balaam had come. In expectation of this, he went out to meet him, even to the utmost border of his country (Num 22:36), partly to gratify his own impatient desire to see one he had such great expectations from, and partly to do honour to Balaam, and so to engage him with his utmost power to serve him. See what respect heathen princes paid to those that had but the name and face of prophets, and pretended to have any interest in heaven; and how welcome one was that came with his mouth full of curses. What a shame is it then that the ambassadors of Christ are so little respected by most, so much despised by some, and that those are so coldly entertained who bring tidings of peace and a blessing! Balak has now nothing to complain of but that Balaam did not come sooner, Num 22:37. And he thinks that he should have considered the importunity Balak had used, Did I not earnestly send to thee? (and the importunity of people inferior to kings has prevailed with many against their inclinations), and that he should also have considered Balak's intentions concerning him: Am not I able to promote thee to honour? Balak, as king, was in his own kingdom the fountain of honour, and Balaam should have his choice of all the preferments that were in his gift; he therefore thinks himself affronted by Balaam's delays, which looked as if he thought the honours he prepared not worthy his acceptance. Note, Promotion to honour is a very tempting bait to many people; and it were well if we would be drawn into the service of God by the honour he sets before us. Why do we delay to come unto him? Is not he able to promote us to honour? 2. Balaam speaks doubtfully of the issue, and bids Balak not depend to much upon him (Num 22:38): "Have I now any power at all to say any thing? I have come, but what the nearer am I? Gladly would I curse Israel; but I must not, I cannot, God will not suffer me." He seems to speak with vexation at the hook in his nose and the bridle in his jaws, such as Sennacherib was tied up with, Isa 37:29. 3. They address themselves with all speed to the business. Balaam is nobly entertained over night, a sacrifice of thanksgiving is offered to the gods of Moab, for the safe arrival of this welcome guest, and his is treated with a feast upon the sacrifice, Num 22:40. And the next morning, that no time might be lost, Balak takes Balaam in his chariot to the high places of his kingdom, not only because their holiness (such as it was), he thought, might give some advantage to his divinations, but their height might give him a convenient prospect of the camp of Israel, which was to be the butt or mark at which he must shoot his envenomed arrows. And now Balaam is really as solicitous to please Balak as ever he had pretended to be to please God. See what need we have to pray every day, Our Father in heaven, lead us not into temptation.
Cross-references: Num 22:36 · Num 22:37 · Num 22:38 · Isa 37:29 · Num 22:40