Numbers 23:21

Numbers 23:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.
• New International Version (NIV)“No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them.

Context of Numbers 23:21

19God is not human. He does not tell lies. He does not change his thoughts. If he promises to do something, it happens. 20He told me that I must bless the Israelites. He has blessed them, so I must do it too. I do not see that any trouble will come to the Israelites. The Lord their God is with them, to help them. They call him their king. 22He brought them out of Egypt. He fights on their behalf, as strong as a wild bull. 23Nobody can curse the Israelites. No magic has any power to hurt them. Now people will say about them, “See the great things that God has done for them!”

Numbers 23:21 word by word

לֹֽא־הִבִּ֥יט אָ֙וֶן֙ בְּיַעֲקֹ֔ב וְלֹא־רָאָ֥ה עָמָ֖ל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהָיו֙ עִמּ֔וֹ וּתְרוּעַ֥ת מֶ֖לֶךְ בּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He hath not beheldנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
• iniquityאָ֫וֶן'âven · evil: troubleH205
• in Jacobיַעֲקֹבya‛ăqôb · JacobH3290
• neither hath he seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• perversenessעָמָל‛âmâl · troubleH5999
• in Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• his Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• with him, and the shoutתְּרוּעָהterû‛âh · shoutH8643
• of a kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428

Cross-references for Numbers 23:21

• Psalms 103:12How far is the east from the west? The Lord has taken our sins further away than that! He no longer says that we are guilty.
• Isaiah 1:18The Lord says, ‘Please come, so that we talk about this together. Even if your sins are like a red stain, they will become as white as snow. Even if they are bright red, they will become like white wool.
• Isaiah 38:17Yes, it was good for me to have this trouble. You rescued me from the deep hole of death. You removed my sins, and you put them behind your back.
• Jeremiah 50:20At that time, I will forgive the sins of my people. I have let a few people of Israel and Judah remain. And they will no longer be guilty of any sins.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Hosea 14:2Return to the Lord and pray to him! Say to him, ‘Please forgive all our sins. Be kind to us as we come to you. We will praise you with our mouths, as our sacrifice to you.
• Micah 7:18No other god is like you. You chose us to be your people. And you decide not to remember what we have done wrong. Not many of your people remain and we have done bad things. But you choose to forget those bad things. You will not always be angry, because you want very much to be kind.
• Romans 4:7David says: ‘The people that God has forgiven are really happy. They have done wrong things, but he has forgiven them.
• Romans 6:14Sin will no longer have authority over you. You do not have a new life because you obey the Law which God gave to Moses. You have a new life because God is very kind to you.
• Romans 8:1Now we know this: God has forgiven those people who are united with Christ Jesus. God will never say that they are guilty.
• 2 Corinthians 5:19God's message is this: By Christ's death, God was bringing people of the world back to himself, as his friends. He would no longer keep their sins in his thoughts. This is the message that God wants us to tell people.
• Exodus 13:21As they travelled, the Lord was leading them. During the day, he was there as a pillar of cloud that went in front of them. During the night, he went as a pillar of fire. This gave them light, so they could travel during the day or the night.
• Exodus 29:45I will live among the Israelites and I will be their God.
• Exodus 33:14The Lord replied, ‘I myself will go with you. I will give you rest.’
• Exodus 34:9He said, ‘Lord, my God, if you are pleased with me, please travel with us! It is true that these people are proud and they often do not obey you. But please forgive all our sins. Please accept us as your own people.’
• Judges 6:13Gideon replied, ‘But sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this trouble happened to us? Our ancestors told us about all the great things that the Lord did for them. They told us how he brought them safely out of Egypt. But the Lord has not helped us like that. He has turned away from us. He has put us under the power of the Midianites.’
• 2 Chronicles 13:12Listen to me! God himself is our leader. He is here to help us. His priests are ready to make a loud noise with their trumpets to start the battle against you. Israelite people, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors. You will not win the battle.’

Commentaries on Numbers 23:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel - This is a difficult passage; for if we take the words as spoken of the people Israel, as their iniquity and their perverseness were almost unparalleled, such words cannot be spoken of them with strict truth. If we consider them as spoken of the patriarch Jacob and Israel, or of Jacob after he became Israel, they are most strictly true, as after that time a more unblemished…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21“Iniquity” and “perverseness” are found together again in the Hebrew of Psalm 10:7; Psalm 90:10, and elsewhere; and import wickedness together with that tribulation which is its proper result. The shout - The word is used (Leviticus 23:24 note) to describe the sound of the silver trumpets. The “shout of a king” will therefore refer to the jubilant sounds by which the presence of the Lord as their King among them was celebrated by Israel.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-30Verses 11-30 Balak was angry with Balaam. Thus a confession of God's overruling power is extorted from a wicked prophet, to the confusion of a wicked prince. A second time the curse is turned into a blessing; and this blessing is both larger and stronger than the former. Men change their minds, and break their words; but God never changes his mind, and therefore never recalls his promise. And when in Scripture he is said to repent, it does not mean any…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-21The Lord kept his promises to bless his people, bringing them no misfortune or trouble. Balaam could not change God's plans. God punished the Hebrews for disobedience. Yet, he supported Israel's cause ever since he freed them from Egypt.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. 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.Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 23:21

• God
• Perfection
• Pisgah

In the dictionaries

• God
• Israel
• Jacob
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Count
• Abel-Shittim
• Balaam
• Balak

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