And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
- BSB Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.”
- NKJV Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
- NASB Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.”
- NLT The Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.”
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
Yahweh puts a word in Balaam's mouth and sends him back to speak it to Balak. God directly controls the content of the oracle.
Overview
This verse makes explicit that the message comes from Yahweh, not from Balaam's craft. God commandeers the mouth of the hired seer to declare His own purpose. It guarantees that what follows will be God's blessing on Israel rather than Balak's desired curse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Jer 1:9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
- Deut 18:18I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
- Isa 59:21As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
- Isa 51:16And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
- Num 23:16And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
- Luke 12:12For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
- Prov 16:1The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
- Prov 16:9A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
- Num 22:35And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
- John 11:51And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
- Num 22:20And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 23:5 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.