KJV King James Version
And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, [saying], Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Numbers 23:7
And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, [saying], Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’
WEB World English Bible
He took up his parable, and said, “From Aram has Balak brought me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East. Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, defy Israel.
ASV American Standard Version
And he took up his parable, and said, From Aram hath Balak brought me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: Come, curse me Jacob, And come, defy Israel.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
And he taketh up his simile, and saith: ‘From Aram he doth lead me—Balak king of Moab; From mountains of the east: Come—curse for me Jacob, And come—be indignant with Israel.
Surrounding context — Numbers 23
4 And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon [every] altar a bullock and a ram.
5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.
6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.
7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, [saying], Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, [whom] the LORD hath not defied?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth [part] of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
וַיִּשָּׂ֥אH5375 · na.sato lift: raiseמְשָׁל֖וֹH4912 · ma.shalproverbוַיֹּאמַ֑רH559 · a.marto sayמִן־H4480 · minfromאֲ֠רָםH758 · a.ramAramיַנְחֵ֨נִיH5148 · na.chahto leadבָלָ֤קH1111 · ba.laqBalakמֶֽלֶךְ־H4428 · me.lekhkingמוֹאָב֙H4124 · mo.avMoabמֵֽהַרְרֵי־H2042 · ha.rarmountainקֶ֔דֶםH6924 · qe.demEastלְכָה֙H1980 · ha.lakhto go: wentאָֽרָה־H779 · a.rarto curseלִּ֣יH9030 · nimeיַעֲקֹ֔בH3290 · ya.a.qovJacobוּלְכָ֖הH1980 · ha.lakhto go: wentזֹעֲמָ֥הH2194 · za.ambe indignantיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃H3478 · yis.ra.elIsrael
Cross-references
Numbers 24:3And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:Numbers 22:5-6He 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:Numbers 23:18And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:Deuteronomy 23:4Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.Numbers 24:15And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:Psalm 78:2I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:Numbers 24:23And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!Micah 2:4In that day shall [one] take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, [and] say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed [it] from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.Job 29:1Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,Job 27:1Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,Proverbs 26:2As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.1 Samuel 17:45Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.Matthew 13:35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.2 Samuel 23:9And after him [was] Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, [one] of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines [that] were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:Matthew 13:33Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.Mark 12:12And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.2 Samuel 21:21And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.1 Samuel 17:10And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
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