Numbers 23:10

Contemporary English Version

They are living alone in peace. And though they are many, they don't bother the other nations. "I hope to obey God for as long as I live and to die in such peace."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Who can count the dust of Ya`akov, Or number the fourth part of Yisra'el? Let me die the death of the righteous, Let my last end be like his!

King James Version
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!

Lexham English Bible
Who can count the dust of Jacob, or as a number the fourth part of Israel? Let my life die the death of an upright person, and let my end be like his!"

English Standard Version
Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!"

New Century Version
No one can number the many people of Jacob, and no one can count a fourth of Israel. Let me die like good men, and let me end up like them!"

New English Translation
Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let the end of my life be like theirs."

Amplified Bible
"Who can count the dust (the descendants) of Jacob And the number of even the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God], And let my end be like his!"

New American Standard Bible
"Who has counted the dust of Jacob, Or the number of the fourth part of Israel? May I die the death of the upright, And may my end be like his!"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Who can tell the dust of Iaakob, and the nomber of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last ende be like his.

Legacy Standard Bible
Who can number the dust of Jacob,Or count the fourth part of Israel?Let me die the death of the upright,And let my end be like his!"

Complete Jewish Bible
"Who has counted the dust of Ya‘akov or numbered the ashes of Isra'el? May I die as the righteous die! May my end be like theirs!"

Darby Translation
Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!

Easy-to-Read Version
Who can count Jacob's people? They are as many as the grains of dust. No one can count even a fourth of the Israelites. Let me die like a good man. Let my life end as happy as theirs!"

George Lamsa Translation
Who can count the multitude of the descendants of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like theirs!

Good News Translation
The descendants of Israel are like the dust— There are too many of them to be counted. Let me end my days like one of God's people; Let me die in peace like the righteous."

Christian Standard Bible®
Who has counted the dust of Jacobor numbered even one-fourth of Israel?Let me die the death of the upright;let the end of my life be like theirs.

Literal Translation
Who can count Jacob's dust, 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!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Who can tell the dust of Iacob, & the nombre of the fourth parte of Israel? My soule die ye death of ye righteous, and my ende be as the ende of these.

American Standard Version
Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my last end be like his!

Bible in Basic English
Who is able to take the measure of the dust of Jacob or the number of the thousands of Israel? May my death be the death of the upright and my last end like his!

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Who can tell the dust of Iacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? I pray God that my soule may dye the death of the righteous, and that my last ende may be like his.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Who hath counted the dust of Jacob, or numbered the stock of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let mine end be like his!

King James Version (1611)
Who can count the dust of Iacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let mee die the death of the righteous, & let my last end be like his.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Who has exactly calculated the seed of Jacob, and who shall number the families of Israel? let my soul die with the souls of the righteous, and let my seed be as their seed.

English Revised Version
Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my last end be like his!

Berean Standard Bible
Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Who may noumbre the dust, that is, kynrede, of Jacob, and knowe the noumbre of the generacioun of Israel? My lijf die in the deeth of iust men, and my laste thingis be maad lijk hem!

Young's Literal Translation
Who hath counted the dust of Jacob, And the number of the fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of upright ones, And let my last end be like his!'

Update Bible Version
Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my last end be like his!

Webster's Bible Translation
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!

World English Bible
Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, Let my last end be like his!

New King James Version
"Who can count the dust [fn] of Jacob,Or number one-fourth of Israel?Let me die the death of the righteous,And let my end be like his!"

New Living Translation
Who can count Jacob's descendants, as numerous as dust? Who can count even a fourth of Israel's people? Let me die like the righteous; let my life end like theirs."

New Life Bible
Who can number the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of those who are right and good. Let my end be like theirs!"

New Revised Standard
Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the dust-cloud of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Who hath counted the dust of Jacob? Or who hath numbered the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, And let my hereafter be like his!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who can count the dust of Jacob, and know the number of the stock of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the just, and my last end be like to them.

Revised Standard Version
Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, And let my end be like his!"

Contextual Overview

¹ Balaam said to Balak, "Build seven altars here, then bring seven bulls and seven rams." ² After Balak had done this, they sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar. ³ Then Balaam said, "Wait here beside your offerings, and I'll go somewhere to be alone. Maybe the Lord will appear to me. If he does, I will tell you everything he says." And he left. ⁴ When God appeared to him, Balaam said, "I have built seven altars and have sacrificed a bull and a ram on each one." ⁵ The Lord gave Balaam a message, then sent him back to tell Balak. ⁶ When Balaam returned, he found Balak and his officials standing beside the offerings. ⁷ Balaam said: "King Balak of Moab brought me from the hills of Syria to curse Israel and announce its doom. ⁸ But I can't go against God! He did not curse or condemn Israel. ⁹ "From the mountain peaks, I look down and see Israel, the obedient people of God. ¹⁰ They are living alone in peace. And though they are many, they don't bother the other nations. "I hope to obey God for as long as I live and to die in such peace."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

can count: Genesis 13:16, Genesis 22:17, Genesis 28:14

the dust: i.e. The posterity of Jacob, which was to be so numerous as to resemble the dust.

the fourth: Numbers 2:9, Numbers 2:16, Numbers 2:24, Numbers 2:31

me: Heb. my soul, or, my life

the death: Psalms 37:37, Psalms 116:15, Proverbs 14:32, Isaiah 57:1, Isaiah 57:2, Luke 2:29, Luke 2:30, 1 Corinthians 3:21, 1 Corinthians 3:22, 1 Corinthians 15:53-57, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Philippians 1:21-23, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 2 Peter 1:13-15, Revelation 14:13

Reciprocal: Leviticus 1:3 - a burnt Numbers 1:46 - General Numbers 2:34 - so they Numbers 24:2 - abiding 1 Kings 13:31 - lay my bones 2 Chronicles 1:9 - like the dust Proverbs 13:4 - desireth Proverbs 19:20 - be Ecclesiastes 7:2 - that Isaiah 26:15 - increased Romans 6:22 - and the end

Cross-References

Genesis 23:1
When Sarah was one hundred twenty-seven years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her,

Genesis 23:3
he went to the Hittites and said,

Genesis 23:4
"I live as a foreigner in your land, and I don't own any property where I can bury my wife. Please let me buy a piece of land."

Genesis 24:10
Soon after that, the servant loaded ten of Abraham's camels with valuable gifts. Then he set out for the city in northern Syria, where Abraham's brother Nahor lived.

Genesis 34:20
The two men met with the other leaders of their city and told them:

Genesis 34:24
Every grown man followed this advice and got circumcised.

Job 29:7
When I sat down at the meeting of the city council,

Isaiah 28:6
He will see that justice rules and that his people are able to defend their cities.

Matthew 9:1
Jesus got into a boat and crossed back over to the town where he lived.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Who can count, the dust of Jacob,.... The people of Israel, their posterity so called, not because of their original, the dust of the earth, but because of their numbers, being as numerous as the dust of the earth, or sand of the sea, as it was promised they should be,

Genesis 28:14 and which is here confirmed by the prophecy of Balaam:

and the number of the fourth part of Israel; one of the four camps of Israel, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; for this people was divided into four camps, under so many standards, which were those of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, see Numbers 2:1, and one of them is represented by Balaam as so numerous, as not to be counted, or should be so, see Hosea 1:10. The spiritual Israel of God, though comparatively few, are in themselves, and will be when all together, a great number, which no man can number, Revelation 7:9:

let me die the death of the righteous; which are among them, as Jarchi, among the Israelites; for they were not all righteous, nor are any, of themselves, or by their own works, but by the righteousness of Christ: or the death of the upright ones a; such as are upright in heart and life, who have right spirits renewed in them, and walk uprightly according to the rule of the divine word; such as are Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile; the word used is pretty near, in sound and signification, to Jeshurun, one of the names of Israel,

Deuteronomy 32:15, the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render it,

"the death of the true ones,''

who are truly righteous and upright, truly gracious persons; who have the truth of grace, and the root of the matter in them: these die as well as others, yet their death is different from others, not in the thing itself, but in the concomitants and consequences of it; they die in the Lord, in union to him, in faith of him, in hope of eternal life by him, and their death is precious to him; and in consequence of this they are carried by angels to glory at death are immediately in heaven with Christ, and it will be well with them to all eternity. Balaam had some notion of this; and though he did not care to live the life of such, he wished to die their death, or that he might be as happy at death as they; by which he bears a testimony to the immortality of the soul, to a future state after death, and to an eternal life and happiness to be enjoyed by good men:

and let my last end be like his; which is a phrase expressive of much the same thing as before: death is the end of a man in this world; and the end of a righteous man in it is peace, rest, salvation, and eternal life, or is what follows upon it, and he then enters into: some render it, "my reward" b, which comes to much the same sense, the above being the righteous man's reward, not in a way of debt, but grace; others render the word, "my posterity" c; but it is not certain Balaam had any, and if he had, his concern seems to be more for himself than for them.

a ישרים rectorum, Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator. b אחריתי see Prov. xxiv. 20. c το σπερμα μου Sept.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The fourth part of Israel - i. e., each one of the four camps, into which the host of Israel was divided (see Numbers 2:0), seemed to swarm with innumerable multitudes. Possibly Balaam could only see one camp. Balaam bears testimony in this verse to the fulfillment of the promises in Genesis 13:16; Genesis 28:14.

The righteous - i. e., the ancestors of Israel, who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off” Hebrews 11:13. With their histories Balaam was familiar, particularly with that of Abraham, “the righteous man” whom God had “raised up from the east (and) called to His foot” Isaiah 41:2.

Let my last end be like his - Render rather, “last estate,” for the reference is not so much to the act of death, as to all that followed upon it - to the future, in which the name and influence of the deceased person would be perpetuated.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 23:10. Let me die the death of the righteous — Probably Balaam had some presentiment that he should be taken off by a premature death, and therefore he lodges this petition against it. The death of the righteous in those times implied being gathered to one's fathers in a good old age, having seen his children, and children's children; and to this, probably, the latter part of this petition applies: And let my last end be like his, (ותהי אחריתי כמהו uthehi acharithi chamohu, And let my POSTERITY be like his.) It has been generally supposed that Balaam is here praying for a happy death, such as true Christians die who die in the Lord; and in this way his words are generally applied; but I am satisfied this is not their meaning. The prayer, however, understood in the common way, is a good one, and may be offered to God profitably. A righteous man is one who is saved from his sins, who is justified and sanctified through the blood of the covenant, and who lives, not only an innocent, but also a holy and useful life. He who would die well should live well; for a bad death must be the issue of a bad life.