Amplified Bible
Numbers 23:8
8How shall I curse those whom God has not cursed? Or how can I [violently] denounce those the Lord has not denounced?
Numbers 23:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?
- New International Version (NIV)How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?
- English Standard Version (ESV)How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
- New King James Version (NKJV)“How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
Context of Numbers 23:8
6Balaam returned to Balak, and behold, he was standing by his burnt sacrifice, he and all the leaders of Moab. 7Balaam took up his [first] discourse (oracle) and said: “Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram (Syria), from the mountains of the east, [saying,] ‘Come, curse [the descendants of] Jacob for me; And come, [violently] denounce Israel.’ How shall I curse those whom God has not cursed? Or how can I [violently] denounce those the Lord has not denounced? 9For from the top of the rocks I see Israel, And from the hills I look at him. Behold, the people [of Israel] shall dwell alone And will not be reckoned among the nations. 10Who can count the dust (the descendants) of Jacob And the number of even the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God], And let my end be like his!”
Read all of Numbers 23Numbers 23:8 word by word
מָ֣ה אֶקֹּ֔ב לֹ֥א קַבֹּ֖ה אֵ֑ל וּמָ֣ה אֶזְעֹ֔ם לֹ֥א זָעַ֖ם יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Numbers 23:8
- Numbers 23:20Behold, I have received His command to bless [Israel]. He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
- Isaiah 44:25Frustrating the signs and confounding the omens of boasters (false prophets), Making fools out of fortune-tellers, Counteracting the wise And making their knowledge ridiculous,
- Isaiah 47:12“Persist, then, [Babylon] in your enchantments And your many sorceries With which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit [from them], Perhaps you may prevail and cause trembling.
Commentaries on Numbers 23:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? - It was granted on all hands that no incantations nor imprecations could avail, unless God concurred and ratified them. From God's communication to Balaam he saw that God was determined to bless and defend Israel, and therefore all endeavors to injure them must be in vain.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8Instead of cursing Israel, Balaam spoke about their special status (compare Exodus 19:5–6; Deuteronomy 7:6–9). He recognized that God's blessing had transformed a humble people into a great nation (compare Genesis 12:2–3; 13:16; 28:14). Balaam hoped for similar good fortune for himself (Numbers 23:10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. 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.Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 23:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Amplified Bible — © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
Commentaries