Nevertheless Kain shall be burned. How long until Asshur carries you away captive?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur carries you away captive.”
- KJV Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
- BSB Yet Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.”
- NASB “Nevertheless Kain will suffer devastation; How long will Asshur keep you captive?”
- NLT But the Kenites will be destroyed when Assyria takes you captive.”
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
Despite their stronghold, the Kenites will be ravaged and eventually carried away captive by Assyria. Even secure nations fall under God's appointed judgments.
Overview
Balaam foretells that the Kenites' apparent safety will not save them from being swept away when Assyria rises to power. The prophecy looks far ahead to the imperial conquests that would reshape the region. It reinforces that no human security can stand against the unfolding of God's sovereign purposes in history.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Gen 10:11Out of that land he went into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,
- Ps 83:8Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah.
- Ezra 4:2they came near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as you do; and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esar Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”
- Gen 10:22The sons of Shem were: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
- Hos 14:3Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.”
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 24:22 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.