Then he took up his oracle and said: “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor!
Parallel translations
- WEB He took up his parable, and said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
- KJV And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
- BSB Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Arise, O Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of Zippor.
- NASB Then he took up his discourse and said, “Arise, Balak, and hear; Listen to me, son of Zippor!
- NLT This was the message Balaam delivered: “Rise up, Balak, and listen! Hear me, son of Zippor.
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 summons Balak to rise and listen carefully to the oracle. He prepares the king for a solemn divine word.
Overview
The call to attention signals that what follows carries great weight. Addressing Balak by his father's name lends formality to the pronouncement. The verse sets the stage for one of Scripture's clearest declarations of God's unchanging faithfulness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Judg 3:20Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God to you.” He arose out of his seat.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 23:18 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.