🔢WEB · Numbers 22:10
What does Numbers 22:10 mean?
"Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has said to me,"
— Numbers 22:10 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.
He said to them, “Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as Yahweh shall speak to me.” The princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
God came to Balaam, and said, “Who are these men with you?”
Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has said to me,
‘Behold, the people that has come out of Egypt covers the surface of the earth. Now, come curse me them. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out.’”
God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people; for they are blessed.”
Balaam rose up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land; for Yahweh refuses to permit me to go with you.”
Explanation
Numbers 22:10 shows Balaam beginning to answer God after God asked him, "Who are these men with you?" (v.9). In plain language, Balaam is simply reporting back to God the message he had received: Balak, the king of Moab and son of Zippor, had sent messengers to him with a specific request. The verse itself is transitional—it sets up Balaam's fuller explanation in the following verses, where he repeats Balak's plea for him to come and curse Israel.
The context is important for understanding the scene. Balaam was a diviner or prophet-for-hire living in Mesopotamia, known even outside Israel for his ability to pronounce effective blessings and curses. Balak, the Moabite king, was terrified of the Israelites as they moved toward his territory after their exodus from Egypt, so he sent elders and officials with payment to hire Balaam to curse Israel and weaken them before battle. What makes this passage remarkable is that the God of Israel—not a false god—directly engages with Balaam, a non-Israelite diviner, asking him questions and giving him instructions. Num
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