Numbers 23 · Verse 13

Numbers 23:13

And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.
Numbers 23:13, King James Version

Numbers 23:13 in other translations

BSBThen Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”
WEBBalak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, where you may see them. You shall see just part of them, and shall not see them all. Curse them from there for me.”
ASVAnd Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.
YLTAnd Balak saith unto him, ‘Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, whence thou dost see it, only its extremity thou dost see, and all of it thou dost not see, and pierce it for me thence;'
DARBYAnd Balak said to him, Come, I pray thee, with me to another place, from whence thou wilt see them; thou shalt see only the extremity of them and shalt not see them all, and curse me them from thence.
BBEAnd Balak said to him, Come with me now into another place from which you will not be able to see them all, but only the outskirts of them; and you will send curses on them from there.
WebsterAnd Balak said to him, Come, I pray thee, with me to another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and from thence curse them for me.

What does Numbers 23:13 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 23:13-15
13-15. Come, ... with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them--Surprised and disappointed at this unexpected eulogy on Israel, Balak hoped that, if seen from a different point of observation, the prophet would give utterance to different feelings; and so, having made the same solemn preparations, Balaam retired, as before, to wait the divine afflatus.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 13 Thou shalt see but the utmost part of them - Balak thought that the sight of such an immense camp had intimidated Balaam, and this he might gather from what he said in the tenth verse: Who can count the dust of Jacob, etc.; he thought therefore that he might get Balaam to curse them in detached parties, till the whole camp should be devoted to destruction by successive execrations.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 23:11-30

Balak was angry with Balaam. Thus a confession of God's overruling power is extorted from a wicked prophet, to the confusion of a wicked prince. A second time the curse is turned into a blessing; and this blessing is both larger and stronger than the former. Men change their minds, and break their words; but God never changes his mind, and therefore never recalls his promise. And when in Scripture he is said to…

Read the full comment on Numbers 23:11-30 →

Numbers 23:13 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אֵלָ֜יו'e.Lavto himH413
בָּלָ֗קba.LakBalakH1111
לְכָהle.khahcome there !H1980
נָּ֨אna'pleaseH4994
אִתִּ֜י'i.Tiwith meH854
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מָק֤וֹםma.Koma placeH4725
אַחֵר֙'a.CheranotherH312
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherwhereH834
תִּרְאֶ֣נּוּtir.'E.nuyou will see itH7200
מִשָּׁ֔םmi.Shamfrom thereH8033
אֶ֚פֶס'E.fesonlyH657
קָצֵ֣הוּka.Tze.huoutskirt[s] itsH7097
תִרְאֶ֔הtir.'Ehyou will seeH7200
וְכֻלּ֖וֹve.khu.Loand all of itH3605
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
תִרְאֶ֑הtir.'Ehyou will seeH7200
וְקָבְנוֹ\־ve.ka.ve.nov-and curse itH6895
לִ֖יlifor <the> me
מִשָּֽׁם\׃mi.Shamfrom thereH8033

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 23:13

  • Psalms 109:17

    As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

  • James 3:9-10

    Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

  • Joshua 24:9

    Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:

  • 1 Kings 20:28

    And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

  • Numbers 22:41

    And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

  • 1 Kings 20:23

    And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

  • Micah 6:5

    O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
unto.
1Ki 20:23,28; Mic 6:5
utmost.
22:41
and curse me.
Jos 24:9; Ps 109:17; Jas 3:9,10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 23:12

    And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?

  • Numbers 23:13

    And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.

  • Numbers 23:14

    And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Read all of Numbers 23

Numbers 23:13 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y dijo Balac: Ruégote que vengas conmigo á otro lugar desde el cual lo veas; su extremidad solamente verás, que no lo verás todo; y desde allí me lo maldecirás.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et Balak lui dit: Viens, je te prie, avec moi, dans un autre lieu d’où tu puisses le voir; tu n’en verras que l’extrémité, et tu ne le verras pas tout entier; et maudis-le-moi de là.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und Balak sprach zu ihm: Komm doch mit mir an einen anderen Ort, von wo aus du es sehen wirst; nur sein Äußerstes wirst du sehen, und ganz wirst du es nicht sehen; und verwünsche es mir von dort aus.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Dixit ergo Balac: Veni mecum in alterum locum unde partem Israël videas, et totum videre non possis: inde maledicito ei.