The Bible Software
bible.software › Numbers › Numbers 22 › Numbers 22:23

Numbers 22:23

Balaam’s donkey saw the angel. The angel was standing in the road and was holding a sword in his hand, but Balaam did not see him. Balaam’s donkey turned off the road into a field. So Balaam struck the donkey and forced it to go back onto the road.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

In Context

22Even though God had given Balaam permission to go, he was still angry. So he sent one of his angels to Balaam. This angel stood in the road to block Balaam’s path. As Balaam and the two servants were riding on their donkeys,

24Then the angel stood in a place where the road was very narrow, between two vineyards, with walls on each side of the road.

Read all of Numbers 22

Cross References

Joshua 5:13One day when Joshua came near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man was holding a sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you going to fight for us or against us?”

1 Chronicles 21:16David looked up and saw the angel whom Yahweh had sent, standing between the sky and the ground. The angel had a sword in his hand that was pointed toward Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of the city, who were wearing clothes made of rough sackcloth, prostrated themselves on the ground.

Daniel 10:7I, Daniel, was the only one who saw this vision. The men who were with me did not see anything, but they sensed that someone was there, and they became terrified. They ran away and hid themselves.

1 Corinthians 1:27Instead, it was usually those whom unbelievers considered to be foolish whom God chose. He did that in order to shame/discredit those whom unbelievers consider [IRO] wise. It was usually those whom unbelievers considered [IRO] unimportant whom God chose, in order to shame/discredit those whom unbelievers consider important.

Jude 1:11God will do terrible things to those who teach false doctrine! They conduct their lives wickedly like Cain, who murdered his brother because he was ◄ jealous/angry because God accepted his brother’s sacrifice and did not accept his►. These false teachers ◄devote themselves to [MET] doing wrong things like Balaam, who tried to induce God’s people to sin in order to get the money that was offered to him. They will perish like Korah, who rebelled against the authority that God gave to Moses.

Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:23-36

God's Displeasure against Balaam; Remonstrance of Balaam's Ass; The Angel Appears to Balaam. ( b. c. 1452.) 22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

King James VersionBíblia Almeida (Português)Luther Bibel (Deutsch)Bible Louis Segond (Français)Библия (Русский)聖經 (中文)성경 (한국어)الكتاب المقدس (العربية)बाइबल (हिन्दी)Biblia (Kiswahili)Bibbia Diodati (Italiano)Alkitab (Bahasa Indonesia)Kinh Thánh (Tiếng Việt)

Study Numbers 22:23

Matthew HenryJamieson-Fausset-BrownAdam ClarkeJohn WesleyJohn CalvinKeil and DelitzschScofieldFamily Bible NotesGeneva Bible Notes (1599)
← Numbers 22:22Numbers 22Numbers 22:24 →