But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?
Parallel translations
- WEB But Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘All that Yahweh speaks, that I must do?’”
- BSB But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”
- NKJV So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do’?”
- NASB But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the Lord speaks, I must do’?”
- NLT But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can do only what the Lord tells me?”
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 reminds Balak that he must do all that Yahweh speaks. He restates his obligation to God's word.
Overview
Balaam again pleads that he is bound to declare only what God says. The repeated theme underscores that no human authority can override divine revelation. Even a reluctant, mercenary prophet becomes a witness to God's unstoppable blessing.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Acts 5:29Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
- Num 22:18And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
- 2 Chr 18:13And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.
- Acts 4:19–20But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
- Num 22:38And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
- Num 24:12–13And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,
- Num 23:12–13And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?
- 1 Kgs 22:14And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.
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 23:26 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.