🔢WEB · Numbers 22:16
What does Numbers 22:16 mean?
"They came to Balaam, and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me,"
— Numbers 22:16 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.”
The princes of Moab rose up, and they went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”
Balak again sent princes, more, and more honorable than they.
They came to Balaam, and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me,
for I will promote you to very great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Please come therefore, and curse this people for me.’”
Balaam answered the servants of Balak, “If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can’t go beyond the word of Yahweh my God, to do less or more.
Now therefore please stay here tonight as well, that I may know what else Yahweh will speak to me.”
Explanation
Numbers 22:16 comes in the middle of a narrative about Balak, king of Moab, who is desperate to secure the services of Balaam, a diviner or seer known for the effectiveness of his blessings and curses. The verse itself is simple: Balak sends messengers to Balaam a second time, and they relay his urgent plea, "let nothing hinder you from coming to me." In plain language, Balak is saying, "Don't let anything stop you—please come."
To understand the context, we need to back up. The Israelites, having left Egypt and wandered the wilderness, are now camped on the plains of Moab, poised to enter the Promised Land. Balak sees this enormous nation and is terrified, believing Israel will overwhelm his people. His first attempt to hire Balaam failed—Balaam consulted God, who told him not to go and not to curse Israel "for they are blessed" (Numbers 22:12). Undeterred, Balak sends a second delegation, more distinguished and numerous than the first (22:15), and increases the pressure and the promised reward (22:17). Verse 16 records their message: a repeated, more insistent invitation, essentially begging Balaam to overcome whatever hesitation kept him from coming the first time.
Theologically, this verse highlights the contrast between human scheming and divine sovereignty. Balak assumes that with enough persuasion, wealth, or persistence, he can manipulate spiritual power to serve his own political and military ends. The narrative as a whole (chapters 22–24) demonstrates that
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.