Numbers 22:38

And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Balaam	בִּלְעָ֜ם bil.'Am	H1109	Bilam · proper noun, a man's name
said	וַיֹּ֨אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Balak	בָּלָ֗ק ba.Lak	H1111	Balak · proper noun, a man's name
come	בָ֙אתִי֙ va.ti	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
power	הֲיָכ֥וֹל ha.ya.Khol	H3201	to be able · interrogative particle + verb, qal infinitive absolute
all	אוּכַ֖ל 'u.Khal	H3201	to be able · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
say	דַּבֵּ֣ר da.Ber	H1696	perhaps properly · verb, piel infinitive construct
thing	מְא֑וּמָה me.'U.mah	H3972	properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
word	הַדָּבָ֗ר ha.da.Var	H1697	a word · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
God	אֱלֹהִ֛ים 'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
putteth	יָשִׂ֧ים ya.Sim	H7760	to put (used in a great variety of applications · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
mouth	בְּפִ֖י be.Fi	H6310	the mouth (as the means of blowing) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
speak	אֲדַבֵּֽר 'a.da.Ber	H1696	perhaps properly · verb, piel imperfect, 1st person common singular

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 22:18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the wo…
Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
Numbers 23:16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
Numbers 23:26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?
Numbers 24:13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine o…
1 Kings 22:14 And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.
2 Chronicles 18:13 And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.
Psalms 33:10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:36–end

We have here the meeting between Balak and Balaam, confederate enemies to God's Israel; but here they seem to differ in their expectations of the success. 1. Balak speaks of it with confidence, not doubting but to gain his point now that Balaam had come. In expectation of this, he went out to meet him, even to the utmost border of his country (Num 22:36), partly to gratify his own impatient desire to see one he had such great expectations from, and partly to do honour to Balaam, and so to engage him with his utmost power to serve him. See what respect heathen princes paid to those that had but the name and face of prophets, and pretended to have any interest in heaven; and how welcome one wa…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 22:38

the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak--This appears a pious answer. It was an acknowledgment that he was restrained by a superior power.

John Gill on Numbers 22:38

And Balaam said unto Balak, lo, I am come unto thee,.... And therefore let nothing more be said of what is past: and as for future things: have I now any power at all to say anything? that would be agreeable to the king, and answer his purpose in sending for him, namely, to curse the people of Israel; he suggests that he had not, he was under the powerful restraint of God; he could not say what he himself was inclined to say, and what the king would have him say, and he expected he should; he could not say as some in Psalm 12:4, the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak; whether agreeable to Balak's will and design or not, and whether for or against Israel: however, it bein…

Read the whole note in the console

John Calvin on Numbers 22:38-37

And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.

Dictionary and topics

Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Balaam not permitted to curse Israel — Balaam not permitted to curse Israel

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 22:38

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:36–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 22:38

John Gill on Numbers 22:38

John Calvin on Numbers 22:38-37

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 22:38

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:36–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 22:38

John Gill on Numbers 22:38

John Calvin on Numbers 22:38-37

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 22:38

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 22:38

Rashi on Numbers 22:37