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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Numbers 23:3

Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offering and I will go. If the Lord comes to me, I will tell you whatever he shows me." Then Balaam went to a higher place.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Thompson Chain Reference - Balaam;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   High Places;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Camp, Encampments;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Balaam;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Magi;   Sacrifice;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Balaam;   Balak;   Kibroth-Hattaavah;   Moab, Moabites;   Prophecy, Prophets;  

Encyclopedias:

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

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Bil`am said to Balak, Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go: perhaps the LORD will come to meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you. He went to a bare height.
King James Version
And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.
Lexham English Bible
And Balaam said to Balak, "Station yourself at your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell to you." So he went to a barren height.
English Standard Version
And Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you." And he went to a bare height,
New English Translation
Balaam said to Balak, "Station yourself by your burnt offering, and I will go off; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me I will tell you." Then he went to a deserted height.
Amplified Bible
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me; and whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went to a desolate hill.
New American Standard Bible
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went to a bare hill.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Balaam sayde vnto Balak, Stande by the burnt offring, and I will goe, if so be that the Lorde will come and meete me: and whatsoeuer he sheweth me, I will tell thee: so he went forth alone.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went to a bare hill.
Contemporary English Version
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.
Complete Jewish Bible
Bil‘am said to Balak, "Stand by your burnt offering while I go off; maybe Adonai will come and meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you." He went off to a bare hill.
Darby Translation
And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go; perhaps Jehovah will come to meet me; and whatever he shews me I will tell thee. And he went to a hill.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here near this altar. I will go to another place. Then the Lord will come to me, and he will tell me what I must say." Then Balaam went away to a higher place.
George Lamsa Translation
And Balaam said to Balak, Stand here by your burnt offerings, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you. So he went away quietly.
Good News Translation
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go to see whether or not the Lord will meet me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me." So he went alone to the top of a hill,
Christian Standard Bible®
Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the Lord will meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So he went to a barren hill.
Literal Translation
And Balaam said to Balak, Station yourself by your burnt offering, and I will go on; it may be that Jehovah will come to meet me, and I will declare to you the things which He reveals to me. And he went to a high place.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Balaam sayde vnto Balac: Stonde thou by yi burntofferynge, I wil go, yf happly the LORDE wil mete me, & call me, yt I maye tell the, what so euer he sheweth me. And he wente his waye, as he sayde.
American Standard Version
And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go: peradventure Jehovah will come to meet me; and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee. And he went to a bare height.
Bible in Basic English
Then Balaam said to Balak, Take your place by your burned offering, and I will go and see if the Lord comes to me: and I will give you word of whatever he says to me. And he went to an open place on a hill.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Balaam said vnto Balac: Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will go, if happly the Lorde will meete me: and whatsoeuer he sheweth me, I wyll tell thee. And he went vp hyer.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Balaam said unto Balak: 'Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go; peradventure the LORD will come to meet me; and whatsoever He showeth me I will tell thee.' And he went to a bare height.
King James Version (1611)
And Balaam said vnto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offring, and I wil goe: peraduenture the Lord will come to meete mee; and whatsoeuer he sheweth me, I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will go and see if God will appear to me and meet me, and the word which he shall shew me, I will report to thee. And Balac stood by his sacrifice.
English Revised Version
And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go; peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to a bare height.
Berean Standard Bible
"Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone," Balaam said to Balak. "Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you." So Balaam went off to a barren height,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Balaam seide to Balaach, Stond thou a litil while bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go, if in hap the Lord meete me; and Y schal `speke to thee what euer thing he schal comaunde.
Young's Literal Translation
and Balaam saith to Balak, `Station thyself by thy burnt-offering and I go on, it may be Jehovah doth come to meet me, and the thing which He sheweth me -- I have declared to thee;' and he goeth [to] a high place.
Update Bible Version
And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by your burnt-offering, and I will go: perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you. And he went to a bare height.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go: it may be the LORD will come to meet me: and whatever he showeth me I will tell thee. And he went to a high place.
World English Bible
Balaam said to Balak, Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go: perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you. He went to a bare height.
New King James Version
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went to a desolate height.
New Living Translation
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offerings, and I will go to see if the Lord will respond to me. Then I will tell you whatever he reveals to me." So Balaam went alone to the top of a bare hill,
New Life Bible
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt gift, and I will go. It might be that the Lord will come to me. And whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went up to a hill without trees.
New Revised Standard
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offerings while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you." And he went to a bare height.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Balaam unto Balak: Station thyself by thine ascending-sacrifice, and let me go my way - peradventure Yahweh may come and meet me, and what thing soever he may show me, I will tell thee. So he went his way to a bare height.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Balaam said to Balac: Stand a while by thy burnt offering, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet me, and whatsoever he shall command, I will speak to thee.
Revised Standard Version
And Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you." And he went to a bare height.
THE MESSAGE
Balaam instructed Balak: "Stand watch here beside your Whole-Burnt-Offering while I go off by myself. Maybe God will come and meet with me. Whatever he shows or tells me, I'll report to you." Then he went off by himself.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went to a bare hill.

Contextual Overview

1 Balaam said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven male sheep for me." 2 Balak did what Balaam asked, and they offered a bull and a male sheep on each of the altars. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offering and I will go. If the Lord comes to me, I will tell you whatever he shows me." Then Balaam went to a higher place. 4 God came to Balaam there, and Balaam said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar." 5 The Lord told Balaam what he should say. Then the Lord said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message." 6 So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak and all the leaders of Moab were still standing beside his burnt offering 7 when Balaam gave them this message: "Balak brought me here from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern mountains. Balak said, ‘Come, put a curse on the people of Jacob for me. Come, call down evil on the people of Israel.' 8 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. 9 I see them from the top of the mountains; I see them from the hills. I see a people who live alone, who think they are different from other nations. 10 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!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Stand: Numbers 23:15

burnt: Genesis 8:20, Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:7, Genesis 22:8, Genesis 22:13, Exodus 18:12, Leviticus 1:1

peradventure: Numbers 23:15, Numbers 22:8, Numbers 22:9, Numbers 22:31-35, Numbers 24:1

went to an high place: or, went solitary

Reciprocal: Exodus 3:18 - met Leviticus 1:3 - a burnt Numbers 22:12 - thou shalt not curse Numbers 22:17 - and I will do Numbers 23:6 - General Joshua 24:10 - General 1 Timothy 1:16 - for this

Cross-References

Genesis 10:15
Canaan was the father of Sidon, his first son, and of Heth.
Genesis 23:5
The Hittites answered Abraham,
Genesis 23:7
Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the Hittites.
Genesis 25:10
So Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah in the same field that he had bought from the Hittites.
Genesis 27:46
Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am tired of Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of these Hittite women here in this land, I want to die."
Genesis 49:30
That cave is in the field of Machpelah east of Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought the field and cave from Ephron the Hittite for a burying place.
1 Samuel 26:6
David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down into Saul's camp with me?" Abishai answered, "I'll go with you."
2 Samuel 23:39
and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Balaam said unto Balak, stand by thy burnt offering,.... By which it appears that the sacrifices offered were of this sort, and there might be one, which was more peculiarly the burnt offering of Balak; though he might be more or less with Balaam concerned in them all; at which he was directed to stand while it was burning, presenting that and himself to the Lord, that he would have respect to both:

and I will go; depart from thence, at some little distance, unto some private place:

peradventure the Lord will come to meet me; upon the offering of these sacrifices to him, though he could not be certain of it, he having lately shown some displeasure and resentment unto him; and this was also in the daytime, when it was in the night he usually came unto him:

and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee; the whole of it, truly as it is, whether agreeable or not:

and he went to an high place; but he was in one already, and therefore if this is the sense of the word, he must go to another, into a grove in one of the high places, where he might be retired, and so fit for a divine converse; and the Targum of Onkelos renders it alone: but rather the sense is, that he went into a plain, as De Dieu has shown from the use of the word in the Syriac language; he was upon a high place, and he went down from thence into the plain, perhaps into a cave at the bottom of the hill, a retired place, where he hoped the Lord would meet him, as he did.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Balaam apparently expected to mark some phenomenon in the sky or in nature, which he would be able, according to the rules of his art, to interpret as a portent. It was for such “auguries” (not as the King James Version “enchantments” Numbers 23:23) that he now departed to watch; contrast Numbers 24:1.

An high place - Or, “A bare place on the hill,” as opposed to the high place with its grove of trees.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 23:3. Stand by thy burnt-offering — We have already seen that blessing and cursing in this way were considered as religious rites, and therefore must be always preceded by sacrifice. See this exemplified in the case of Isaac, before he blessed Jacob and Esau, Genesis 27:19; Genesis 27:28-29; Genesis 27:33-40, and the notes there. The venison that was brought to Isaac, of which he did eat, was properly the preparatory sacrifice.


 
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