7 He took up his parable, and said, From Aram has Balak brought me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: Come, curse me Jacob, Come, defy Israel.
He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they abide over against me. Please come now therefore curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.
because they didn't meet you with bread and with water in the way, when you came forth out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
He took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; Listen to me, you son of Zippor:
In that day they will take up a parable against you, And lament with a doleful lamentation, saying, 'We are utterly ruined! My people's possession is divided up. Indeed he takes it from me and assigns our fields to traitors!'"
He took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, The man whose eye was closed says;
Then said I, Ah Lord Yahweh! they say of me, Isn't he a speaker of parables?
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world."
He spoke another parable to them. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures{Literally, satas. 3 satas = about 0.5 bushel or 22 litres} of meal, until it was all leavened."
The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;
After him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines who were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.
When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, killed him.
Your servant struck both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.
The men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
He looked at the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is your dwelling-place, Your nest is set in the rock.
for I will promote you to very great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Please come therefore, and curse this people for me.
and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Numbers 23
Commentary on Numbers 23 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 23
In this chapter we have Balak and Balaam busy at work to do Israel a mischief, and, for ought that appears, neither Moses nor the elders of Israel know any thing of the matter, nor are in a capacity to break the snare; but God, who keeps Israel, and neither slumbers nor sleeps, baffles the attempt, without any intercession or contrivance of theirs. Here is,
Num 23:1-12
Here is,
Num 23:13-30
Here is,