Numbers 23:8

Contemporary English Version

But I can't go against God! He did not curse or condemn Israel.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? How shall I defy, whom the LORD has not defied?

King James Version
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?

Lexham English Bible
How can I curse whom God has not cursed, and how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?

English Standard Version
How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

New Century Version
But God has not cursed them, so I cannot curse them. The Lord has not called down evil on them, so I cannot call down evil on them.

New English Translation
How can I curse one whom God has not cursed, or how can I denounce one whom the Lord has not denounced?

Amplified Bible
"How shall I curse those whom God has not cursed? Or how can I [violently] denounce those the LORD has not denounced?

New American Standard Bible
"How am I to put a curse on him upon whom God has not put a curse? And how am I to curse him whom the LORD has not cursed?

Geneva Bible (1587)
How shal I curse, where God hath not cursed? or howe shall I detest, where the Lorde hath not detested?

Legacy Standard Bible
How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?And how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?

Complete Jewish Bible
"How am I to curse those whom God has not cursed? How am I to denounce those whom Adonai has not denounced?

Darby Translation
How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I denounce whom Jehovah doth not denounce?

Easy-to-Read Version
But God is not against them, so I cannot speak against them either! The Lord has not asked for bad things to happen to these people. So I cannot do that either.

George Lamsa Translation
How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I destroy whom the LORD has not destroyed?

Good News Translation
How can I curse what God has not cursed, Or speak of doom when the Lord has not?

Christian Standard Bible®
How can I curse someone God has not cursed?How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?

Literal Translation
How shall I curse him whom God has not cursed? And how shall I rage at him at whom Jehovah has not raged?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
How shall I curse, whom God curseth not? How shal I defye, whom ye LORDE defyeth not?

American Standard Version
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom Jehovah hath not defied?

Bible in Basic English
How may I put curses on him who is not cursed by God? how may I be angry with him with whom the Lord is not angry?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Howe shall I curse hym, whom God hath not cursed? or howe shall I defie hym, whom God hath not defied?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I execrate, whom the LORD hath not execrated?

King James Version (1611)
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defie, whom the Lord hath not defied?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
How can I curse whom the Lord curses not? or how can I devote whom God devotes not?

English Revised Version
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?

Berean Standard Bible
How can I curse what God has not cursed? How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
How schal Y curse whom God cursid not? bi what resoun schal Y `haue abhomynable whom God `hath not abhomynable?

Young's Literal Translation
What -- do I pierce? -- God hath not pierced! And what -- am I indignant? -- Jehovah hath not been indignant!

Update Bible Version
How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom Yahweh has not defied?

Webster's Bible Translation
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, [whom] the LORD hath not defied?

World English Bible
How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? How shall I defy, whom Yahweh has not defied?

New King James Version
"How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

New Living Translation
But how can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I condemn those whom the Lord has not condemned?

New Life Bible
How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I say that those should be punished whom God has not said should be punished?

New Revised Standard
How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How can I revile one whom GOD hath not reviled? Yea, how can I rage on one on whom Yahweh hath not raged.

Douay-Rheims Bible
How shall I curse him, whom God hath not cursed? By what means should I detest him, whom the Lord detesteth not?

Revised Standard Version
How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

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

Numbers 23:20, Numbers 23:23, Isaiah 44:25, Isaiah 47:12, Isaiah 47:13

Reciprocal: Genesis 27:29 - cursed Genesis 31:55 - blessed Numbers 22:6 - curse me Numbers 23:11 - General Deuteronomy 32:31 - General 1 Samuel 17:10 - I defy 2 Samuel 23:9 - defied Nehemiah 13:2 - our God Proverbs 26:2 - so Isaiah 49:25 - I will contend

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 25:9
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him east of Hebron in Machpelah Cave that was part of the field Abraham had bought from Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. Abraham was buried there beside his wife Sarah.

1 Kings 2:17
"Please ask Solomon to let me marry Abishag. He won't say no to you."

Hebrews 7:26
Jesus is the high priest we need. He is holy and innocent and faultless, and not at all like us sinners. Jesus is honored above all beings in heaven,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed?.... The sense is, that it was impossible for him to curse those that God did not curse himself, or would not have cursed by others; not but that he had a good will to it, to get Balak's money and honour, but he knew not how to accomplish it; yea, he saw it was in vain to attempt it, it was a thing that could not possibly be done: God does not, nor will he curse his spiritual Israel; they are blessed by him in Christ, and they shall be blessed; nor is it in the power of their enemies to curse them, or do them any harm: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, instead of God and the Lord in this and the following clause, use the phase,

"the Word of the Lord;''

the essential Word, the Son of God, who is so far from cursing his people, that he has delivered them from the curses of the law, being made a curse for them, that the blessings of the everlasting covenant of grace might come upon them; and they are blessed of God in him, and for his sake, with all spiritual blessings:

or how shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied? which is the same thing in other words, only this last word is expressive of more contempt and indignation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 23:8. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? — It was granted on all hands that no incantations nor imprecations could avail, unless God concurred and ratified them. From God's communication to Balaam he saw that God was determined to bless and defend Israel, and therefore all endeavours to injure them must be in vain.