English Standard Version
Numbers 24:7
7Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
Numbers 24:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
- New International Version (NIV)Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. “Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He shall pour water from his buckets, And his seed shall be in many waters. “His king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Water will flow from their buckets; their offspring have all they need. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.
Context of Numbers 24:7
5How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! 6Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. 9He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you."
Read all of Numbers 24Numbers 24:7 word by word
יִֽזַּל־מַ֙יִם֙ מִדָּ֣לְיָ֔ו וְזַרְע֖וֹ בְּמַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים וְיָרֹ֤ם מֵֽאֲגַג֙ מַלְכּ֔וֹ וְתִנַּשֵּׂ֖א מַלְכֻתֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- He shall pourנָזַלnâzal · to flowH5140
- the waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- of his bucketsדְּלִיdelîy dŏlîy · bucketH1805
- and his seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: childrenH2233
- in manyרַבrab · manyH7227
- and his kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- shall be higherרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
- than Agagאֲגָג'ăgag · AgagH90
- and his kingdomמַלְכוּתmalkûth malkûth malkûyâh · royaltyH4438
- shall be exaltedנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: exaltH5375
Cross-references for Numbers 24:7
- Numbers 21:5And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."
- Numbers 23:22God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
- Numbers 14:9Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them."
- Numbers 23:24Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain."
- Deuteronomy 7:1"When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you,
- Psalms 2:9You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
- Isaiah 38:13I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end.
- Jeremiah 50:17"Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones.
- Daniel 6:24And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
- Deuteronomy 32:23"'And I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend my arrows on them;
- Psalms 21:12For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
- Psalms 45:5Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.
- Jeremiah 50:9For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon a gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed.
Commentaries on Numbers 24:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7He shall pour the water out of his buckets, etc. - Here is a very plain allusion to their method of raising water in different parts of the East. By the well a tall pole is erected, which serves as a fulcrum to a very long lever, to the smaller end of which a bucket is appended. On the opposite end, which is much larger, are many notches cut in the wood, which serve as steps for a man, whose business it is to climb up to the fulcrum, in order to lower the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Balaam‘s native soil was ordinarily irrigated by water fetched from the neighboring Euphrates, and carried in buckets suspended from the two ends of a pole. Thus the metaphor would import that Israel should have his own exuberant and unfailing channels of blessing and plenty. Some take the word to be predictive of the future benefits which, through the means of Israel, were to accrue to the rest of the world. Agag - The name, apparently hereditary…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7The Lord’s favor is shown by comparing Israel to groves and gardens that have plenty of water. In a dry land, water brings life and growth. This picture shows how God was caring for his people. Israel’s growing population also showed God’s blessing (24:7; as mentioned in 23:10). This growth would become even clearer in the second census recorded in chapter 26.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-75-7. How goodly are thy tents, ... O Israel!--a fine burst of admiration, expressed in highly poetical strains. All travellers describe the beauty which the circular area of Bedouin tents impart to the desert. How impressive, then, must have been the view, as seen from the heights of Abarim, of the immense camp of Israel extended over the subjacent plains.Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 24:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 24
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries