Numbers 22:17

For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
promote	כַבֵּ֤ד kha.Bed	H3513	to be heavy · verb, piel infinitive construct
very	מְאֹ֔ד me.'Od	H3966	properly · cardinal number, masculine singular absolute
great	אֲכַבֶּדְךָ֙ 'a.kha.bed.Kha	H3513	to be heavy · verb, piel imperfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
honour	כָּבַד kâbad	H3513	to be heavy
do	אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֑ה 'e.'e.Seh	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
sayest	תֹּאמַ֥ר to.Mar	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
come	יָלַךְ yâlak	H3212	to walk (literally or figuratively)
curse	קָֽבָה ka.vah-	H6895	to scoop out · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular + paragogic he
people	הָעָ֥ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Numbers 24:11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.
Numbers 22:6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them,…
Numbers 22:37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to prom…
Numbers 23:2-3 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
Numbers 23:29-30 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
Deuteronomy 16:9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
Esther 5:11 And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and…
Esther 7:9 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai,…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:15-21

We have here a second embassy sent to Balaam, to fetch him over to curse Israel. It were well for us if we were as earnest and constant in prosecuting a good work, notwithstanding disappointments, as Balak was in pursuing this ill design. The enemies of the church are restless and unwearied in their attempts against it; but he that sits in heaven laughs at them. Observe, I. The temptation Balak laid before Balaam. He contrived to make this assault more vigorous than the former. It is very probable that he sent double money in the hands of his messengers; but, besides that, now he tempted him with honours, laid a bait not only for his covetousness, but for his pride and ambition. How earnestl…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 22:13

the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you--This answer has an appearance of being good, but it studiously concealed the reason of the divine prohibition [Num 22:12], and it intimated his own willingness and desire to go--if permitted. Balak despatched a second mission, which held out flattering prospects, both to his avarice and his ambition (Gen 31:30).

John Gill on Numbers 22:17

For I will promote thee unto very great honour,.... In his court, by making him some great officer there, perhaps his prime minister; so that as before he laid a bait for his covetousness, sending him large presents, and rewards of divination; here, for his pride and ambition, promising him court preferment; though Aben Ezra interprets it of mammon or riches, of which he could give him an immense sum: "in honouring I will exceedingly honour thee" (f); or load thee with wealth and riches; and so Balaam seems to understand it, since in his answer he says, "if Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold"; both civil honour and worldly wealth may be taken into the account, since they a…

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John Calvin on Numbers 22:15-19

The Church Fathers

Love of money then is an old and ancient vice, which showed itself even at the declaration of the divine law; for a law was given to check it. On account of love of money Balak thought Balaam could be tempted by rewards to curse the people of our fathers. Love of money would have won the day too, had not God bidden him hold back from cursing.
— Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 2.26.130

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Balak · Tries to bribe Balaam to curse Israel — Tries to bribe Balaam to curse Israel
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Balak sends for Balaam — Balak sends for Balaam
Temptation · Often arises through: Worldly glory — Often arises through: Worldly glory

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Numbers 22:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:15-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 22:13

John Gill on Numbers 22:17

John Calvin on Numbers 22:15-19

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 22:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:15-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 22:13

John Gill on Numbers 22:17

John Calvin on Numbers 22:15-19

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 22:2-21

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 22:9-18

Rashi on Numbers 22:17