Numbers 22:5

Therefore he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, a false diviner, that dwelled (in Pethor) on, or nigh, the flood of the land of the sons of Amaw, that they should call him, and should say, Lo! a people went out of Egypt, which people covered the face of the earth, and sitteth against me. (And so he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, a false diviner, who lived at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in the land of the sons of Amaw, and instructed the messengers to say to him, Behold! a people went out of Egypt, which people covered the face of the earth, and now they be ready to come against me.)

Wycliffe Modern Spelling

In The King James Version

He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

In Context

4And he said to the greater men in birth of Midian, So this people shall do away all men that dwell in our coasts, as an ox is wont to do away an herb till to the roots. Forsooth he, that is, Balak, was king in that time in Moab. (And the Moabites said to the men of great age, that is, the elders, of Midian, These people shall do away all the men who live in our land, as easily as an ox is wont to do away grass unto its roots. And he, that is, Balak, was king at that time in Moab.)

6Therefore come thou, and curse this people, that is stronger than I, if in any manner I may smite and drive him out of my land; for I know, that he is blessed whom thou blessest, and he is cursed whom thou hast cursed. (And so come thou, and curse these people who be stronger than I, and then I may be able to fight against them, and drive them out of my land; for I know that he is blessed whom thou blessest, and he is cursed whom thou cursest.)

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Cross References

Genesis 13:16And I shall make thy seed as the dust of the earth; if any man may number the dust of the earth, also he shall be able to number thy seed, (or and only if anyone can count all the dust on the earth, then shall they be able to count all thy descendants).

Exodus 10:15And those covered all the face of the earth, and wasted all things; therefore the herb of the earth was devoured, and whatever (thing) of apples was in (the) trees, which the hail had left, it was devoured; and utterly no green thing was left in trees, and in herbs of the earth, in all Egypt, (or and utterly nothing green was left on the trees, or on the plants of the land, in all of Egypt).

Numbers 31:8and the kings of them, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five princes of the folk of them. Also Israel killed with sword Balaam, the son of Beor. (and their kings, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five Midianite kings. And the Israelites also killed with the sword Balaam, the son of Beor.)

Deuteronomy 23:5and thy Lord God would not hear Balaam (or but the Lord thy God would not listen to Balaam), and God turned his curse into thy blessing, for he loved thee.

Joshua 24:9And Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose (up), and fought against Israel; and he sent (for), and called (on) Balaam, the son of Beor, that he should curse you.

Nehemiah 13:2for they met not the sons of Israel with bread and water, and they hired against the sons of Israel Balaam, for to curse them; and our God turned the cursing into blessing. (for they did not meet the Israelites with bread and water, but instead they hired Balaam against the Israelites, to curse them; but our God turned the curse into a blessing.)

Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:2-15

Balak Sends for Balaam. ( b. c. 1452.) 1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Numbers 22:5