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Numbers 23

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The Whosoever Study Bible
Whosoever will, may come.
the fourth book of moses, called numbers
Moses · c. 1445–1405 BC
Chapter the Twenty-third
And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.
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.
And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.
And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.
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.
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?
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.
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!
And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?
And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.
And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.
And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?
And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!
Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?
And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.
And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
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Chuck Smith on Numbers 23

Verse by verse, the C2000 series. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Verses 1-30 Num 23:1-30 And God met Balaam: and Balaam said to him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and tell him this. And so he returned to him, and he was standing by the burnt sacrifice with all of the princes of Moab. And so Balaam took up this parable, and he 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. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: and lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. And 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! And the king said, Hey why have you done this unto me? I brought you to curse my enemies, not to bless them. And Balaam answered and said, I must take heed to speak that which the LORD has put in my mouth? ( Numbers 23:4-12 ) Now this one part of this prophecy is interesting. He said, "May I die the death of the righteous and may my last end be like his". Interesting thing how many people want to die the death of the righteous but they don't want to live the life of the righteous. They think of Christianity as something that is good to die by. Well, I wouldn't want to die any other way, but it's something that's great to live by. And yet there are people that aren't so interested in living a life of righteousness, only dying; "Let my last end be as his". I wanna die the death of the righteous. You wanna die the death of the righteous then you better live the life of the righteous. So Balak said, "Come, and I'll show you another place, because you didn't see all of them here: there's another part, and maybe you can curse this part over here". And so he took him to the mount, the top of the mount Pisgah, and there again they built seven altars, and they offered seven rams and seven bullocks, one on each altar. And so Balaam went to meet the Lord And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again to Balak, and tell him this. And so he said, Rise up Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?( Numbers 23:16 , Numbers 23:18-19 )

Commentary on Numbers 23

Whosoever Will · the Seven Threads Commentary

Numbers 23:1

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:2

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:3

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:4

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:5

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:6

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:7

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:8

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:9

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:10

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:11

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:12

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:13

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:14

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:15

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:16

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:17

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:18

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:19

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:20

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:21

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:22

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:23

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:24

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:25

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:26

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:27

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:28

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:29

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

Numbers 23:30

Balak king of Moab is terrified of Israel. He sends for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with genuine prophetic gifting, to curse Israel. God tells Balaam: do not go, for they are blessed. Balaam refuses. Balak sends again with more prestigious messengers and greater promises. God tells Balaam he may go but must speak only what God tells him. On the way the donkey sees the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword and stops. Three times. Balaam beats the donkey. Then the LORD opens the donkey's mouth: what have I done to you that you have struck me three times? Then the LORD opens Balaam's eyes and he sees the angel and falls on his face. Balaam goes to Balak. Four times he opens his mouth to curse Israel and four times blessings come out instead. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them: a people who dwell apart, not reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright. The third oracle: God is not human that he should lie, or a son of man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. Thread 2 is the blessing of the corporate covenant people that cannot be reversed. Thread 7 is in the scope of the blessing. The fourth oracle contains the star: darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov, a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The magi who follow the star to Bethlehem are following a tradition that traces back to Balaam's oracle. Thread 3 is in the star and the sceptre: the royal trajectory is being announced by a pagan prophet who cannot help himself.
Balaam cannot curse what God has not cursed. The Balaam oracles are among the most remarkable prophecies in the OT, forced from the mouth of a diviner who wanted to speak otherwise, blessing Israel with language that includes the star prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל (darakh kokhav mi-Ya'akov ve-qam shevet mi-Yisrael): there shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel: kokhav (star, the star is a royal symbol throughout the ANE; Jewish tradition consistently read this as a messianic prophecy; Matthew 2 connects the magi's star to this text; the Magi are following what the star-reading tradition had preserved from Balaam's oracle); shevet (sceptre, the rod of authority, the same word as Genesis 49:10; the royal trajectory
threads t1 · t2 · t7 · see Genesis 49:10 · Matthew 2:2 · 2 Peter 2:15-16
study these verses in the reader