Numbers 23:13

Numbers 23:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp. And from there, curse them for me.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.”

Context of Numbers 23:13

11Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!” 12He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?” Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” 14So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the Lord over there.”

Numbers 23:13 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֜יו בָּלָ֗ק לְכָה נָּ֨א אִתִּ֜י אֶל־מָק֤וֹם אַחֵר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּרְאֶ֣נּוּ מִשָּׁ֔ם אֶ֚פֶס קָצֵ֣הוּ תִרְאֶ֔ה וְכֻלּ֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִרְאֶ֑ה וְקָבְנוֹ־לִ֖י מִשָּֽׁם׃Read the interlinear

• Then Balakבָּלָקbâlâq · BalakH1111
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• to him, “Pleaseנָאnâ' · pleaseH4994
• comeהָלַךְhâlak · to go: comeH1980
• with me to anotherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
• placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• from whereאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• from whereשָׁםshâm · thereH8033
• you may seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• them, although you will onlyאֶ֫פֶס'ephes · endH657
• the extremeקָצֶהqâtseh qêtseh · endH7097
• allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• of them; and curseקָבַבqâbab · to curseH6895

Cross-references for Numbers 23:13

• 1 Kings 20:23Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.
• Micah 6:5My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled And what Balaam son of Beor answered him, And from Shittim to Gilgal, So that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
• Numbers 22:41Then it came about in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, and he saw from there a portion of the people.
• 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.
• Psalms 109:17He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
• James 3:9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;

Commentaries on Numbers 23:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Thou shalt see but the utmost part of them - Balak thought that the sight of such an immense camp had intimidated Balaam, and this he might gather from what he said in the tenth verse: Who can count the dust of Jacob, etc.; he thought therefore that he might get Balaam to curse them in detached parties, till the whole camp should be devoted to destruction by successive execrations.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13Balak seems to hope that the prophet‘s words in Numbers 23:10 reflected the impression conveyed by the scene before him at the moment of the augury; and so that the sight of a mere few straggling Israelites in the utmost part of the camp might induce a different estimate of their resources and prospects.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. 13-26Balak hoped for different results by changing the location. The exact location of the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak is unknown. Yet, Pisgah is part of the ridge that is above the plains of Moab (Deuteronomy 34:1). It is near Bamoth-baal and Mount Peor (Numbers 22:41; 23:28).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1513-15. 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.Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Count
• Abel-Shittim
• Balaam
• Balak
• Charm
• Divination
• Genealogy
• Magic; Magician
• Numbers, Book of
• Poetry, Hebrew

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