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Numbers 23:1 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 And Balaam saith unto Balak, `Build for me in this `place' seven altars, and make ready for me in this `place' seven bullocks and seven rams.'

Cross Reference

Numbers 23:29 YLT

and Balaam saith unto Balak, `Build for me in this `place' seven altars, and make ready for me in this `place' seven bullocks and seven rams;'

Exodus 20:24 YLT

`An altar of earth thou dost make for Me, and thou hast sacrificed on it thy burnt-offerings and thy peace-offerings, thy flock and thy herd; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered I come in unto thee, and have blessed thee.

Exodus 27:1-8 YLT

`And thou hast made the altar of shittim wood, five cubits the length, and five cubits the breadth -- the altar is square -- and three cubits its height. And thou hast made its horns on its four corners, its horns are of the same, and thou hast overlaid it `with' brass. And thou hast made its pots to remove its ashes, and its shovels, and its bowls, and its forks, and its fire-pans, even all its vessels thou dost make of brass. `And thou hast made for it a grate of net-work of brass, and hast made on the net four rings of brass on its four extremities, and hast put it under the compass of the altar beneath, and the net hath been unto the middle of the altar. `And thou hast made staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them `with' brass. And the staves have been brought into the rings, and the staves have been on the two sides of the altar in bearing it. Hollow with boards thou dost make it, as it hath been shewed thee in the mount, so do they make `it'.

Numbers 29:32 YLT

`And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs, sons of a year, perfect ones;

1 Samuel 15:22 YLT

And Samuel saith, `Hath Jehovah had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as `in' hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? lo, hearkening than sacrifice is better; to give attention than fat of rams;

2 Kings 18:22 YLT

`And when ye say unto me, Unto Jehovah our God we have trusted, is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath turned aside, and saith to Judah and to Jerusalem, Before this altar do ye bow yourselves in Jerusalem?

1 Chronicles 15:26 YLT

and it cometh to pass, in God's helping the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, that they sacrifice seven bullocks and seven rams.

2 Chronicles 29:21 YLT

and they bring in seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven young he-goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah; and he saith to sons of Aaron, the priests, to cause `them' to ascend on the altar of Jehovah.

Job 42:8 YLT

And now, take to you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go ye unto My servant Job, and ye have caused a burnt-offering to ascend for you; and Job My servant doth pray for you, for surely his face I accept, so as not to do with you folly, because ye have not spoken concerning Me rightly, like My servant Job.

Psalms 50:8-9 YLT

Not for thy sacrifices do I reprove thee, Yea, thy burnt-offerings `Are' before Me continually. I take not from thy house a bullock, From thy folds he goats.

Proverbs 15:8 YLT

The sacrifice of the wicked `is' an abomination to Jehovah, And the prayer of the upright `is' His delight.

Isaiah 1:11-15 YLT

`Why to Me the abundance of your sacrifices? saith Jehovah, I have been satiated `with' burnt-offerings of rams, And fat of fatlings; And blood of bullocks, and lambs, And he-goats I have not desired. When ye come in to appear before Me, Who hath required this of your hand, To trample My courts? Add not to bring in a vain present, Incense -- an abomination it `is' to Me, New moon, and sabbath, calling of convocation! Rendure not iniquity -- and a restraint! Your new moons and your set seasons hath My soul hated, They have been upon me for a burden, I have been weary of bearing. And in your spreading forth your hands, I hide mine eyes from you, Also when ye increase prayer, I do not hear, Your hands of blood have been full.

Ezekiel 33:31 YLT

And they come in unto thee as the coming in of a people, And they sit before thee -- My people, And have heard thy words, and they do them not, For doting loves with their mouth they are making, After their dishonest gain their heart is going.

Ezekiel 45:23 YLT

And the seven days of the feast he prepareth a burnt-offering to Jehovah, seven bullocks, and seven rams, perfect ones, daily seven days, and a sin-offering, a kid of the goats, daily.

Matthew 23:13 YLT

`Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for ye do not go in, nor those going in do ye suffer to enter.

Jude 1:11 YLT

wo to them! because in the way of Cain they did go on, and to the deceit of Balaam for reward they did rush, and in the gainsaying of Korah they did perish.

Commentary on Numbers 23 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 23

Nu 23:1-30. Balak's Sacrifices.

1. Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars—Balak, being a heathen, would naturally suppose these altars were erected in honor of Baal, the patron deity of his country. It is evident, from Nu 23:4 that they were prepared for the worship of the true God; although in choosing the high places of Baal as their site and rearing a number of altars (2Ki 18:22; Isa 17:8; Jer 11:13; Ho 8:11; 10:1), instead of one only, as God had appointed, Balaam blended his own superstitions with the divine worship. The heathen, both in ancient and modern times, attached a mysterious virtue to the number seven; and Balaam, in ordering the preparation of so many altars, designed to mystify and delude the king.

3. Stand by thy burnt offering—as one in expectation of an important favor.

peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he showeth me—that is, makes known to me by word or sign.

he went to an high place—apart by himself, where he might practise rites and ceremonies, with a view to obtain a response of the oracle.

4-6. God met Balaam—not in compliance with his incantations, but to frustrate his wicked designs and compel him, contrary to his desires and interests, to pronounce the following benediction [Nu 23:8-10].

7. took up his parable—that is, spoke under the influence of inspiration, and in the highly poetical, figurative, and oracular style of a prophet.

brought me from Aram—This word joined with "the mountains of the East," denotes the upper portion of Mesopotamia, lying on the east of Moab. The East enjoyed an infamous notoriety for magicians and soothsayers (Isa 2:6).

8. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?—A divine blessing has been pronounced over the posterity of Jacob; and therefore, whatever prodigies can be achieved by my charms, all magical skill, all human power, is utterly impotent to counteract the decree of God.

9. from the top—literally, "a bare place" on the rocks, to which Balak had taken him, for it was deemed necessary to see the people who were to be devoted to destruction. But that commanding prospect could contribute nothing to the accomplishment of the king's object, for the destiny of Israel was to be a distinct, peculiar people, separated from the rest of the nations in government, religion, customs, and divine protection (De 33:28). So that although I might be able to gratify your wishes against other people, I can do nothing against them (Ex 19:5; Le 20:24).

10. Who can count the dust of Jacob?—an Oriental hyperbole for a very populous nation, as Jacob's posterity was promised to be (Ge 13:16; 28:14).

the number of the fourth part of Israel—that is, the camp consisted of four divisions; every one of these parts was formidable in numbers.

Let me die the death of the righteous—Hebrew, "of Jeshurun"; or, the Israelites. The meaning is: they are a people happy, above all others, not only in life, but at death, from their knowledge of the true God, and their hope through His grace. Balaam is a representative of a large class in the world, who express a wish for the blessedness which Christ has promised to His people but are averse to imitate the mind that was in Him.

13-15. Come, … with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them—Surprised and disappointed at this unexpected eulogy on Israel, Balak hoped that, if seen from a different point of observation, the prophet would give utterance to different feelings; and so, having made the same solemn preparations, Balaam retired, as before, to wait the divine afflatus.

14. he brought him into the field of Zophim … top of Pisgah—a flat surface on the summit of the mountain range, which was cultivated land. Others render it "the field of sentinels," an eminence where some of Balak's guards were posted to give signals [Calmet].

18, 19. Rise up—As Balak was already standing (Nu 23:17), this expression is equivalent to "now attend to me." The counsels and promises of God respecting Israel are unchangeable; and no attempt to prevail on Him to reverse them will succeed, as they may with a man.

21. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob—Many sins were observed and punished in this people. But no such universal and hopeless apostasy had as yet appeared, to induce God to abandon or destroy them.

the Lord his God is with him—has a favor for them.

and the shout of a king is among them—such joyful acclamations as of a people rejoicing in the presence of a victorious prince.

22. he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn—Israel is not as they were at the Exodus, a horde of poor, feeble, spiritless people, but powerful and invincible as a reem—that is, a rhinoceros (Job 39:9; Ps 22:21; 92:10).

23. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob—No art can ever prevail against a people who are under the shield of Omnipotence, and for whom miracles have been and yet shall be performed, which will be a theme of admiration in succeeding ages.

26. All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do—a remarkable confession that he was divinely constrained to give utterances different from what it was his purpose and inclination to do.

28. Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor—or, Beth-peor (De 3:29), the eminence on which a temple of Baal stood.

that looketh toward Jeshimon—the desert tract in the south of Palestine, on both sides of the Dead Sea.