Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024
the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Numbers 24:25

Balaam then arose and went back to his homeland, and Balak also went his way.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Thompson Chain Reference - Balaam;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Balaam;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Balak;   Magnificat;   Moab, Moabites;   Numbers, Book of;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Targums;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Magnificat;   Place (His Own);   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Balaam;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Balaam;   Moses;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Balaam;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.
Update Bible Version
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
English Revised Version
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
New Century Version
Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.
New English Translation
Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home, and Balak also went his way.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Balaam arose, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
World English Bible
Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
Amplified Bible
Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Balaam roos, and turnide ayen in to his place; and Balaach yede ayen bi the weye in which he cam.
Young's Literal Translation
And Balaam riseth, and goeth, and turneth back to his place, and Balak also hath gone on his way.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.
Contemporary English Version
After Balaam finished, he started home, and Balak also left.
American Standard Version
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
Bible in Basic English
Then Balaam got up and went back to his place: and Balak went away.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Balaam rose vp, and went and returned to his place: and Balac also went his way.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Bil‘am got up, left and returned to his home; and Balak too went his way.
Darby Translation
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Balaam got up and went back home, and Balak went his own way.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
King James Version (1611)
And Balaam rose vp, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
New Life Bible
Then Balaam got up and left. He returned to his place, and Balak went on his way.
New Revised Standard
Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then Balaam arose, and went and returned unto his place, - and, Balak also, went his way.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Balaam rose vp, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
George Lamsa Translation
Then Balaam rose up and returned to his country; and Balak also went his way.
Good News Translation
Then Balaam got ready and went back home, and Balak went on his way.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Balaam rose, and returned to his place: Balac also returned the way that he came.
Revised Standard Version
Then Balaam rose, and went back to his place; and Balak also went his way.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Balaam rose up and departed and returned to his place, and Balac went to his own home.
Hebrew Names Version
Bil`am rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
King James Version
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
Lexham English Bible
Then Balaam got up and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.
Literal Translation
And Balaam rose up and left, and returned to his place; and Balak also went on his way.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Balaam gat him vp, and departed, and came againe vnto his place, and Balac wente his waye also.
THE MESSAGE
Balaam got up and went home. Balak also went on his way.
New American Standard Bible
Then Balaam arose, and he departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.
New King James Version
So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place; Balak also went his way.
New Living Translation
Then Balaam left and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Balaam arose and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Contextual Overview

15Then he proclaimed his poem: 16the oracle of one who hears the sayings of Godand has knowledge from the Most High,who sees a vision from the Almighty,who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered: 17I see him, but not now;I perceive him, but not near.A star will come from Jacob,and a scepter will arise from Israel.He will smash the forehead of Moaband strike down all the Shethites. 18Edom will become a possession;Seir will become a possession of its enemies,but Israel will be triumphant. 19One who comes from Jacob will rule;he will destroy the city’s survivors. 20Then Balaam saw Amalek and proclaimed his poem: 21Next he saw the Kenites and proclaimed his poem: 22Kain will be destroyedwhen Asshur takes you captive. 23Once more he proclaimed his poem: 24Ships will come from the coast of Kittim;they will carry out raids against Asshur and Eber,but they too will come to destruction.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Numbers 24:11, Numbers 31:8, Joshua 13:22

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:55 - returned 2 Samuel 19:39 - returned

Cross-References

Genesis 24:4
but will go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac.”
Genesis 24:8
If the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are free from this oath to me, but don’t let my son go back there.”
Genesis 24:19
When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also draw water for your camels until they have had enough to drink.”
Genesis 24:21
while the man silently watched her to see whether or not the Lord had made his journey a success.
Isaiah 32:8
But a noble person plans noble things;he stands up for noble causes.
1 Peter 4:9
Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place,.... The country from whence he came, that is, he went from Balak, according to his command, in order to return to his own land; for he seems not to have reached it, but stayed by the way among the Moabites and Midianites, and was slain in a battle between Israel and them,

Numbers 31:8, or if he did reach Mesopotamia, he returned again, as Chaskuni says; and either before he left Balak, or in his journey homewards, or when he returned, he gave that advice, to seduce the Israelites first to whoredom, and by that to idolatry, the effects of which are observed in the following chapter, see Gill "Nu 24:14" and Balak also went his way; to his royal city, court, and family, attended, very probably, by the princes of Moab, who had been with him all this while; though how long these things were transacting is not certain.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Returned to his own place - i. e., among the Midianites to plot by new means against the people of God, and to perish in his sin Numbers 31:8, Numbers 31:16; Revelation 2:14.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 24:25. And Balaam - returned to his place — Intended to have gone to Mesopotamia, his native country, (see Deuteronomy 23:4), but seems to have settled among the Midianites, where he was slain by the Israelites; see Numbers 31:8.

THOUGH the notes in the preceding chapters have been extended to a considerable length, yet a few additional remarks may be necessary: the reader's attention is earnestly requested to the following propositions: -

1. It appears sufficiently evident from the preceding account that Balaam knew and worshipped the true God.

2. That he had been a true prophet, and appears to have been in the habit of receiving oracles from God.

3. That he practised some illicit branches of knowledge, or was reputed by the Moabites as a sorcerer, probably because of the high reputation he had for wisdom; and we know that even in our own country, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, persons who excelled their contemporaries in wisdom were reputed as magicians.

4. That though he was a believer in the true God, yet he was covetous; he loved the wages of unrighteousness.

5. That it does not appear that in the case before us he wished to curse Israel when he found they were the servants of the true God.

6. That it is possible he did not know this at first. Balak told him that there was a numerous people come out of Egypt; and as marauders, wandering hordes, freebooters, c., were frequent in those days, he might take them at first for such spoilers, and the more readily go at Balak's request to consult God concerning them.

7. That so conscientiously did he act in the whole business, that as soon as he found it displeased God he cheerfully offered to return and did not advance till he had not only the permission, but the authority of God to proceed.

8. That when he came in view of the Israelitish camp he did not attempt to make use of any means of sorcery, evocation of spirits, necromantic spells, c., to accomplish the wish of Balak.

9. That he did seek to find out the will of the true God, by using those means which God himself had prescribed, viz., supplication and prayer, and the sacrifice of the clean beasts.

10. That though he knew it would greatly displease Balak, yet he most faithfully and firmly told him all that God said on every occasion.

11. That notwithstanding his allowed covetous disposition, yet he refused all promised honours and proffered rewards, even of the most extensive kind, to induce him to act in any respect contrary to the declared will of God.

12. That God on this occasion communicated to him some of the most extraordinary prophetic influences ever conferred on man.

13. That his prophecies are, upon the whole, clear and pointed, and have been fulfilled in the most remarkable manner, and furnish a very strong argument in proof of Divine revelation.

14. That notwithstanding the wicked counsel given to the Midianites, the effects of which are mentioned in the following chapter, on which account he probably lost his life, (Numbers 31:8), the badness of this man's character has been very far overrated and that it does not appear that he was either a hypocrite, false prophet, or a sorcerer in the common acceptation of the term, and that he risked even life itself in following and fulfilling the will of the Lord!

15. That though it is expressly asserted, Numbers 31:16, and Revelation 2:14, that Israel's committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab was brought about by the evil counsel given by Balaam to cast this stumbling-block in their way, yet it does not appear from the text that he had those most criminal intentions which are generally attributed to him; for as we have already seen so much good in this man's character, and that this, and his love of money (and who thinks this a sin?) are almost the only blots in it, it must certainly be consistent with candour and charity to suggest a method of removing at least some part of this blame.

16. I would therefore simply say that the counsel given by Balaam to Balak might have been "to form alliances with this people, especially through the medium of matrimonial connections; and seeing they could not conquer them, to endeavour to make them their friends." Now, though this might not be designed by Balaam to bring them into a snare, yet it was a bad doctrine, as it led to the corruption of the holy seed, and to an unequal yoking with unbelievers; which, though even in a matrimonial way, is as contrary to sound policy as to the word of God. Revelation 2:14- : and "Numbers 25:6".

17. That it was the Moabitish women, not Balaam, that called the people to the sacrifice of their gods; and it argued great degeneracy and iniquity in the hearts of the people on so slight an invitation to join so suddenly so impure a worship, and so speedily to cast off the whole form of godliness, with every portion of the fear of the Almighty; therefore the high blame rests ultimately with themselves.


 
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