And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes who were with him.
- BSB Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he gave portions to Balaam and the princes who were with him.
- NKJV Then Balak offered oxen and sheep, and he sent some to Balaam and to the princes who were with him.
- NASB Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
- NLT where the king sacrificed cattle and sheep. He sent portions of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Balak offers sacrifices and sends portions to Balaam and the princes. The rituals aim to enlist divine favor for the cursing.
Overview
Balak's sacrifices reflect a pagan attempt to manipulate the spiritual realm through offerings. Sharing the sacrificial meat seals the alliance between king and seer. Yet all this religious activity cannot move the God who has already declared Israel blessed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Num 23:14And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
- Prov 1:16For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
- Gen 31:54Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
- Num 23:2And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
- Num 23:30And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 22:40 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.