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

4The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This mob will devour everything in sight, like an ox devours grass in the field!” So Balak, king of Moab, 5sent messengers to call Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor near the Euphrates River. His message said: “Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me. Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse.” 7Balak’s messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel. They went to Balaam and delivered Balak’s message to him. 8“Stay here overnight,” Balaam said. “In the morning I will tell you whatever the Lord directs me to say.” So the officials from Moab stayed there 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• Comeיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• now therefore, I pray thee, curseאָרַר'ârar · to curseH779
• me this peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• too mightyעָצוּם‛âtsûm ‛âtsûm · mightyH6099
• for me: peradventure I shall prevailיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• we may smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• I may drive them outגָּרַשׁgârash · to drive out: drive outH1644
• of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• for I wotיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• that he whom thou blessestבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288

Cross-references for Numbers 22:6

• Numbers 23:7This was the message Balaam delivered: “Balak summoned me to come from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me! Come and announce Israel’s doom.’
• Numbers 24:9Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”
• Genesis 12:3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
• Genesis 27:29May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.”
• Deuteronomy 23:4These nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt. Instead, they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in distant Aram-naharaim to curse you.
• Joshua 24:9Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, started a war against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
• 1 Samuel 17:43“Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.
• Nehemiah 13:2For they had not provided the Israelites with food and water in the wilderness. Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them, though our God turned the curse into a blessing.
• Psalms 109:17He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him.
• 1 Kings 22:6So the king of Israel summoned the prophets, about 400 of them, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?” They all replied, “Yes, go right ahead! The Lord will give the king victory.”
• Psalms 109:28Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!
• Proverbs 26:2Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
• Isaiah 47:12“Now use your magical charms! Use the spells you have worked at all these years! Maybe they will do you some good. Maybe they can make someone afraid of you.
• Ezekiel 13:6Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions. They say, ‘This message is from the Lord,’ even though the Lord never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies!
• Acts 8:9A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great.
• Acts 16:16One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes.

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