New Living Translation
Numbers 23:20
20Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!
Numbers 23:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.
- New International Version (NIV)I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
Context of Numbers 23:20
18This was the message Balaam delivered: “Rise up, Balak, and listen! Hear me, son of Zippor. 19God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it! 21No misfortune is in his plan for Jacob; no trouble is in store for Israel. For the Lord their God is with them; he has been proclaimed their king. 22God brought them out of Egypt; for them he is as strong as a wild ox.
Read all of Numbers 23Numbers 23:20 word by word
הִנֵּ֥ה בָרֵ֖ךְ לָקָ֑חְתִּי וּבֵרֵ֖ךְ וְלֹ֥א אֲשִׁיבֶֽנָּה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Numbers 23:20
- Numbers 22:12But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!”
- Genesis 12:2I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
- Genesis 22:17I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.
- Numbers 22:18But Balaam responded to Balak’s messengers, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord my God.
- John 10:27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
- Romans 8:38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
- 1 Peter 1:5And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
Commentaries on Numbers 23:20
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20I have received commandment to bless - literally, “I have received to bless.” The reason of his blessing lay in the augury which he acknowledged, and in the divine overruling impulse which he could not resist, not in any “commandment” in words.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. 1-301. Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars--Balak, being a heathen, would naturally suppose these altars were erected in honor of Baal, the patron deity of his country. It is evident, from Nu 23:4 that they were prepared for the worship of the true God; although in choosing the high places of Baal as their site and rearing a number of altars (2Ki 18:22; Is 17:8; Jr 11:13; Ho 8:11; 10:1), instead of one only, as God had appointed, Balaam blended…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 23:20
In the dictionaries
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
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