Numbers 22:6

Numbers 22:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
• New International Version (NIV)Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

Context of Numbers 22:6

4Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this horde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me. Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” 7So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and repeated Balak’s words to him. 8He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you as the Lord may speak to me.” And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam.

Numbers 22:6 word by word

וְעַתָּה֩ לְכָה־נָּ֨א אָֽרָה־לִּ֜י אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֗ה כִּֽי־עָצ֥וּם הוּא֙ מִמֶּ֔נִּי אוּלַ֤י אוּכַל֙ נַכֶּה־בּ֔וֹ וַאֲגָרְשֶׁ֖נּוּ מִן־הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי אֵ֤ת אֲשֶׁר־תְּבָרֵךְ֙ מְבֹרָ֔ךְ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּאֹ֖ר יוּאָֽר׃Read the interlinear

• Nowעַתָּ֫ה‛attâh · nowH6258
• therefore, pleaseנָאnâ' · pleaseH4994
• comeהָלַךְhâlak · to go: come!H1980
• curseאָרַר'ârar · to curseH779
• thisזֶהzeh · thisH2088
• peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• for me sinceכִּיkîy · forH3588
• they are tooמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
• mightyעָצוּם‛âtsûm ‛âtsûm · mightyH6099
• for me; perhapsאוּלַי'ûlay 'ûlay · perhapsH194
• I may be ableיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• defeatנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• them and driveגָּרַשׁgârash · to drive out: drive outH1644
• them out of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• For I knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• that he whomאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• you blessבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288

Cross-references for Numbers 22:6

• Numbers 23:7He took up his discourse and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, Moab’s king from the mountains of the East, ‘Come curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!’
• Numbers 24:9He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you.”
• Genesis 12:3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
• Genesis 27:29May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.”
• Deuteronomy 23:4because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
• Joshua 24:9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.
• 1 Samuel 17:43The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
• Nehemiah 13:2because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
• Psalms 109:17He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
• 1 Kings 22:6Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
• Psalms 109:28Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, they shall be ashamed, But Your servant shall be glad.
• Proverbs 26:2Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, So a curse without cause does not alight.
• Isaiah 47:12“Stand fast now in your spells And in your many sorceries With which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you may cause trembling.
• Ezekiel 13:6They see falsehood and lying divination who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word.
• Acts 8:9Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;
• Acts 16:16It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling.

Commentaries on Numbers 22:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Come now, therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people - Balaam, once a prophet of the true God, appears to have been one of the Moshelim, (see Numbers 21:27;), who had added to his poetic gift that of sorcery or divination. It was supposed that prophets and sorcerers had a power to curse persons and places so as to confound all their designs, frustrate their counsels, enervate their strength, and fill them with fear, terror, and dismay. See Genesis 9:25…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-6Balaam was a pagan religious specialist called a diviner. A diviner was someone who claimed to receive messages from the spiritual world and predict the future. Balaam came from northwest Mesopotamia (see “Balaam” Profile). Like many ancient peoples, the nations of Moab and Midian believed that spoken words had power. They believed that a blessing or a curse spoken by a skilled diviner could shape future events. Diviners claimed they had special power to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Come ... curse me this people--Among the heathen an opinion prevailed that prayers for evil or curses would be heard by the unseen powers as well as prayers for good, when offered by a prophet or priest and accompanied by the use of certain rites. Many examples are found in the histories of the Greeks and Romans of whole armies being devoted to destruction, and they occur among the natives of India and other heathen countries still. In the Burmese war…Read the comment

Topics related to Numbers 22:6

• Balaam
• Balak
• Curse
• Prayer
• Sorcery

In the dictionaries

• Crush
• Curse
• Lick
• Midianite
• Moab
• Promote
• Abel-Shittim
• Angel
• Ass
• Balaam

Commentaries on Numbers 22

• 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