NUM 22

Numbers 22:41

WEB

In the morning, Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal; and he saw from there part of the people.

BSB

The next morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see the outskirts of the camp of the people.

KJV

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

Matthew Henry

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

Hebrew interlinear

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H1242

בֹּקֶרbôqer/bo'-ker/

n-m — dawn, morning

Derivation: from 1239;

properly, dawn (as the break of day); generally, morning

KJV: ( ) day, early, morning, morrow.

בֹּ֫קֶר

n.m — morning

בֹּ֫קֶר 214 n.m. morning

1. morning (of point of time, time at which, never during which, Eng. morning = forenoon

2. morrow, next day

H3947

לָקַחlâqach/law-kakh'/

v — take

Derivation: a primitive root;

to take (in the widest variety of applications)

KJV: accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, × many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.

לָקַח

vb — take

לָקַח 965 vb. take

Qal

1. take, take in hand

2. take and carry along with oneself

3.

a. take from, or out of

b. take, carry away

c. take away from, so as to deprive of

d. esp. take away life

4. take to or for a person

5. take up, upon = put upon

6. = fetch

7. take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)

8. take = capture, seize

9. take = carry off

10. in phr. take vengeance

Niph.

1. be captured, of ark

2. be taken away, removed

3. be taken, brought unto

Pu.

1. be taken from, out of

2. = be stolen from

3. be taken captive

4. be taken away, removed

Hoph.

1. be taken, brought unto

2. be taken out of

3. be taken away from

Hithp. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning

H1111

בָּלָקBâlâq/baw-lawk'/

n-pr-m — Balak

Derivation: from 1110; waster;

Balak, a Moabitish king

KJV: Balak.

בָּלָק

n.pr.m — Balak

בָּלָק n.pr.m. (devastator) king of Moab

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

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].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H1109

בִּלְעָםBilʻâm/bil-awm'/

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.

בִּלְעָם

n.pr.m — Balaam

בִּלְעָם n.pr.m. Balaam

בִּלְעָם

n.pr.loc — Bileam

בִּלְעָם n.pr.loc. town in Manasseh 1 Ch 6:55

H5927

עָלָהʻâlâh/aw-law'/

v — ascend, high, mount

Derivation: a primitive root;

to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative

KJV: arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, × mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.

עָלָה

vb — go up

עָלָה 890 vb. go up, ascend, climb

Qal

1. of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

2. go up, in personal relations

3. of animals, go or come up

4. of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

5. of natural phenom., go up, rise

6. of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

7. of thoughts

8. come up before God, arrogance

9. go up, extend, of boundary

10. excel

Niph.

1.

a. be brought up

b. be taken up

c.

(1). pass., be taken up, away

(2). reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

2. reflex.: take oneself away

3. be exalted, of God

Hiph.

1. bring up persons

2. in personal relations

3. bring up animals

4. cause to ascend

5. mentally

6. offer a present; bring up tithe to

7. exalt

8. cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

Hoph.

1. be carried away

2. be taken up into, inserted in

3. be offered

Hithp. lift oneself

H1120

בָּמוֹתBâmôwth/baw-moth'/

n-pr-loc — Bamoth, Bamoth-Baal

Derivation: plural of 1116; heights; or (fully) בָּמוֹת בַּעַל; from the same and 1168; heights of Baal;

Bamoth or Bamoth-Baal, a place East of the Jordan

KJV: Bamoth, Bamoth-baal.

בָּמוֹת

n.pr.loc — Bamoth

בָּמוֹת n.pr.loc. (high place or great high place) place in Moab

H7200

רָאָהrâʼâh/raw-aw'/

v — see

Derivation: a primitive root;

to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)

KJV: advise self, appear, approve, behold, × certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, × indeed, × joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, × be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), × sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, × surely, × think, view, visions.

רָאָה

vb — see

רָאָה 1315 vb. see

Qal 1141

1.

a. see, subj.

b. see, c. acc. rei

2. see, sq. acc. cl. or phr. of closer design

3. see, so as to learn to know

4. abs. see, have (power of) vision

5. see = perceive

6. look at, see, by direct volition

7. of mental observation

8.

a. c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest

b. see, c. acc. rei

Niph.

1. appear

2. be seen

3. be visible

Pu. appar. his bones are not detected

Hithp. recipr. look at each other

Hiph.

1.

a. cause one to see something, shew

b. cause to experience something

2. cause to look intently at, to behold

Hoph.

1. be caused to see, be shewn

2. be exhibited to

H8033

שָׁםshâm/shawm/

adv — there, then, thither, thence

Derivation: a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834);

there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence

KJV: in it, thence, there (-in, of, out), thither, whither.

שָׁם

adv — there

שָׁם adv. there, thither

H7097

קָצֶהqâtseh/kaw-tseh'/

n-m — extremity

Derivation: or (negative only) קֵצֶה; from 7096; (used in a great variety of applications and idioms; compare 7093)

an extremity

KJV: × after, border, brim, brink, edge, end, (in-) finite, frontier, outmost coast, quarter, shore, (out-) side, × some, ut(-ter-) most (part).

קֵ֫צֶה

n.[m.] — end

קֵ֫צֶה n.[m.] end

קָצֶה

n.[m.] — end

קָצֶה 92 n.[m.] end, extremity

H5971

עַםʻam/am/

n-m — people, tribe, troops, attendants, flock

Derivation: from 6004;

a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock

KJV: folk, men, nation, people.

עַם

n.[m.] — kinsman

[עַם] n.[m.] kinsman (on father's side)

עַם

n.m — people

עַם, עָם 1810 n.m. people

1. a people, nation

2. = smaller units

3. = common people

4. people in gen., persons

5. phrases

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