But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
Parallel translations
- WEB He answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh puts in my mouth?”
- KJV And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?
- NKJV So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”
- NASB He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”
- NLT But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the Lord puts in my mouth.”
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
Balaam answers that he must speak only what Yahweh puts in his mouth. He pleads compulsion as his defense.
Overview
Balaam's reply restates the controlling theme: God governs his words. Though his heart still leans toward Balak's reward, he cannot alter the divine message. The verse reinforces that God's purposes cannot be overturned by human desire or pressure.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Num 22:38“See, I have come to you,” Balaam replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth.”
- Num 24:13that even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD? I will speak whatever the LORD says.
- Num 23:20I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.
- Prov 26:25When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.
- Num 23:26But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”
- Titus 1:16They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
- Num 22:20That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”
- Rom 16:18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
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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 23:12 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.