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the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Christian Standard Bible ®

Numbers 22:28

Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Ass (Donkey);   Balaam;   Miracles;   Repentance;   Thompson Chain Reference - Animals;   Asses;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ass, the Domestic;   Beasts;   Desert, Journey of Israel through the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Midianites;   Miracle;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Balaam;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Anthropomorphism;   Kill, Killing;   Miracle;   Mouth;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ass;   Balaam;   Vision;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ass;   Balaam;   Balak;   Moab, Moabites;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Miracles;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Balaam;   Balak;   Midian;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Balaam;   Mouth;   Numbers, Book of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Balaam;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hafá¹­arah;   Ibn Gabirol, Solomon ben Judah (Abu Ayyub Sulaiman Ibn Yaḥya Ibn Jabirul);   Joshua, the Samaritan Book of;   Miracle;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
Update Bible Version
And Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you, that you have smitten me these three times?
English Revised Version
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
New Century Version
Then the Lord made the donkey talk, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to make you hit me three times?"
New English Translation
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?"
Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
World English Bible
Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?
Amplified Bible
And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord openyde the `mouth of the femal asse, and sche spak, What have Y doon to thee? whi smytist thou me, lo! now the thridde tyme?
Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah openeth the mouth of the ass, and she saith to Balaam, `What have I done to thee that thou hast smitten me these three times?'
Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?"
Contemporary English Version
When that happened, the Lord told the donkey to speak, and it asked Balaam, "What have I done to you that made you beat me three times?"
American Standard Version
And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
Bible in Basic English
Then the Lord gave the ass the power of talking, and opening her mouth she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have given me blows these three times?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lorde opened the mouth of the asse, and she sayde vnto Balaam: What haue I done vnto thee, that thou hast smytten me nowe three tymes?
Complete Jewish Bible
But Adonai enabled the donkey to speak, and it said to Bil‘am, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"
Darby Translation
And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord caused the donkey to speak. The donkey said to Balaam, "Why are you angry at me? What have I done to you? You have hit me three times!"
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam: 'What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?'
King James Version (1611)
And the Lord opened the mouth of the asse, and shee saide vnto Balaam, What haue I done vnto thee, that thou hast smitten mee these three times?
New Life Bible
And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you? Why have you hit me these three times?"
New Revised Standard
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Yahweh opened the mouth of the ass, - and she said unto Balaam - What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me, these three times?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the Lorde opened the mouth of the asse, and she saide vnto Balaam, What haue I done vnto thee, that thou hast smitten me nowe three times?
George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD opened the mouth of the she-ass and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?
Good News Translation
Then the Lord gave the donkey the power of speech, and it said to Balaam, "What have I done to you? Why have you beaten me these three times?"
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?
Revised Standard Version
Then the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And God opened the mouth of the ass, and she says to Balaam, What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me this third time?
Hebrew Names Version
The LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Bil`am, What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?
King James Version
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What did I do to you that you struck me these three times?"
Literal Translation
And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then opened the LORDE the mouth of ye Asse, and she sayde vnto Balaam: What haue I done vnto the, that thou hast smytten me now thre tymes?
THE MESSAGE
Then God gave speech to the donkey. She said to Balaam: "What have I ever done to you that you have beat me these three times?"
New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
New King James Version
Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
New Living Translation
Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. "What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?" it asked Balaam.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

Contextual Overview

22But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing on the path with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path. 24Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a stone wall on either side. 25The donkey saw the angel of the Lord and pressed herself against the wall, squeezing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her once again. 26The angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. So he became furious and beat the donkey with his stick. 28Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” 29Balaam answered the donkey, “You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now!” 30But the donkey said, “Am I not the donkey you’ve ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” 31Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship on his face.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord opened: And where is the wonder of all this? If the ass had opened her own mouth, and reproved the rash prophet, we might well be astonished; but when God opens the mouth, an ass can speak as well as a man. It is to no purpose to speak of the construction of the ass's mouth, of the formation of the tongue and jaws being unfit for speaking; for an adequate cause is assigned for this wonderful effect, "The Lord opened the mouth of the ass"; and no one who believes in a God, can doubt of his power to do this and much more. Exodus 4:11, Luke 1:37, 1 Corinthians 1:19, 2 Peter 2:16

What have I: Romans 8:22

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:1 - he said Numbers 22:32 - Wherefore Proverbs 12:10 - righteous John 11:51 - he prophesied 1 Corinthians 9:9 - Doth 2 Peter 2:15 - who

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam,.... This was a very extraordinary and miraculous affair, and effected by a supernatural power, that a dumb creature, which had not organs endued with speech, should speak so plainly and distinctly, as is after expressed; and yet it should not be thought incredible, for what is it that Omnipotence cannot do? wherefore there is no need to say, as some Jewish writers i, that this was all done in a visionary way, and not really and literally performed; nor can Heathens well object to the verity of it, if they believe what they themselves report concerning one of the asses which carried Bacchus over a river, to which, for reward, he gave the power of speaking with an human voice k; though it is very probable the fable was framed from this story, and frequently do their writers speak of other brute creatures endued with speech; so Homer l represents Xanthus, the horse of Achilles, having the faculty of speech given it by Juno: Pliny says m, it is commonly reported among the wonderful things of the ancients, that an ox spoke; and Livy n frequently makes mention of an ox spoke speaking in divers places, and of one particularly that said,

"Rome, take heed to thyself;''

not to take notice of a lamb in Egypt in the times of Bocchoris that spoke, related by Aelianus o and others; nor of the ram of Phrixus, or the dog at Ariminum, and the elephant of Porus in India, with others Bochart p has collected together: the words spoken by the ass were as follow:

what have l done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? and just so many times she had been smitten by him,

Numbers 22:23.

i Maimon. Moreh Nevochim, par. 2. c. 42. Ben Gersom in loc. k Hygin. Poet. Astronomic. l. 2. c. 23. "Lactant, de falsa Relig". l. 1. c. 21. l Iliad. 19. "prope finem". m Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 45. n Hist. l. 24. c. 10. l. 27. c. 11. l. 28. c. 11. and l. 35. c. 21. o De Animal. l. 12. c. 3. p Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 14. col. 197, 198.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass - The account was perhaps given by Balaam to the Israelites after his capture in the war against Midian. Compare Numbers 31:8. That which is here recorded was apparently perceived by him alone among human witnesses. God may have brought it about that sounds uttered by the creature after its kind became to the prophet’s intelligence as though it addressed him in rational speech. Indeed to an augur, priding himself on his skill in interpreting the cries and movements of animals, no more startling warning could be given than one so real as this, yet conveyed through the medium of his own art.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 22:28. The Lord opened the mouth of the ass — And where is the wonder of all this? If the ass had opened her own mouth, and reproved the rash prophet, we might well be astonished; but when God opens the mouth, an ass can speak as well as a man. It is worthy of remark here, that Balaam testifies no surprise at this miracle, because he saw it was the Lord's doing. Of animate and inanimate things receiving for a short time the gift of speech, the heathen mythology furnishes many fictitious examples, with which I do not deem it proper to occupy the reader's time.


 
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