Numbers 23

This chapter is part of the Balaam narrative in Numbers 22–24. It continues the story from Numbers 22, in which Balak king of Moab summons Balaam to curse Israel. The chapter contains Balaam's first and second oracles.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 At Balaam's request, seven altars are built, and a bullock and a ram are offered on each altar. Balaam goes up to a bare height, receives the word of the LORD, and returns.
• Verses 7–10 The first oracle. Balaam declares that he cannot curse those whom God has not cursed, that Israel is a people who shall dwell alone, and that they are as numerous as the dust.
• Verses 11–12 Balak protests, and Balaam replies that he can speak only the word the LORD has given him.
• Verses 13–17 Balak takes Balaam to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where offerings are again made on seven altars.
• Verses 18–24 The second oracle. Balaam declares that God does not lie, that His blessing cannot be reversed, and that no enchantment can prevail against Israel.
• Verses 25–26 Balak tells Balaam neither to curse nor to bless, and Balaam repeats the same answer.
• Verses 27–30 Balak takes Balaam to the top of Peor, and offerings are made on seven altars a third time.

Key Verses

• Numbers 23:8 "How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?" — This verse encapsulates the theme of the entire narrative.
• Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie" — This is a classic verse on the unchanging nature of God's promises.

People and Places

• Balaam — The son of Beor, a diviner summoned from Aram.
• Balak — The son of Zippor and king of Moab.
• Pisgah — A summit in the field of Zophim. It is mentioned together with Mount Nebo in Deuteronomy 34:1.
• Peor — A mountain overlooking the wilderness. The third oracle, in chapter 24, is delivered from here.

Points to Consider When Reading

• In this chapter Balaam is portrayed as one who speaks only the word he has received. However, Numbers 31:16, 2 Peter 2, Jude 1, and Revelation 2:14 assess Balaam negatively, stating that he enticed Israel into sin. This assessment comes from those other passages, not from the text of chapter 23.
• The phrase "son of man" in 23:19 refers simply to a human being. Its usage differs from that of the title Son of Man applied to Jesus in the New Testament.
• In Reformed preaching, "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob" in 23:21 is sometimes read in connection with justification. Other interpreters, comparing it with the account of Israel's sin that immediately follows in chapter 25, read the verse as a declaration that God will protect His covenant people.

In the Korean Church

Numbers 23:19 is frequently quoted in sermons on God's promises and faithfulness.