Numbers 23:3
New International Version
Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren 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,

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,

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,

King James Bible
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.

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 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.

NASB 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.

NASB 1977
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.

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.

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.

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.

Holman 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.

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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Balaam said to Balaq: “Arise, stand with your burnt offerings and I shall go; perhaps LORD JEHOVAH shall call to meet me and the answer that He shows to me I shall show it to you”; and he went straight forward.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
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.

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.

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.

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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offering while I'm gone. Maybe the LORD will come and meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me." Then Balaam went off to a higher place where there were no trees.

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,

International Standard Version
Then Balaam instructed Balak, "Stand by your offering and leave me alone by myself. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me. I'll tell you whatever he reveals to me." And so he went to a high place,

JPS Tanakh 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.

Literal Standard Version
and Balaam says to Balak, “Station yourself by your burnt-offering and I go on, it may be YHWH comes to meet me, and the thing which He shows me I have declared to you”; and he goes [to] a high place.

Majority 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,

New American Bible
Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I go over there. Perhaps the LORD will meet me, and then I will tell you whatever he lets me see.” And so he went out on the barren height.

NET Bible
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.

New Revised Standard Version
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.

New Heart English Bible
Balaam said to Balak, "Station yourself by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps God will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you." And Balak went off and stationed himself by his offering, and Balaam called to God and went off to a barren 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. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” He went to a bare height.

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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Balaam's First Oracle
2So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3“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, 4and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”…

Cross References
Matthew 4:8
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

Numbers 23:2
So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Numbers 23:4
and God met with him. "I have set up seven altars," Balaam said, "and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram."


Treasury of Scripture

And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatever he shows me I will tell you. And he went to an high place.

Stand

Numbers 23:15
And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.

burnt

Genesis 8:20
And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 22:2,7,8,13
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of…

Exodus 18:12
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.

peradventure

Numbers 23:15
And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.

Numbers 22:8,9,31-35
And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam…

Numbers 24:1
And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

went to an high place.

Jump to Previous
Balak Bare Burnt Height High Hill Meet Offering Open Peradventure Perhaps Reveals Shews Showeth Shows Stand Station Thyself Whatever Whatsoever Word
Jump to Next
Balak Bare Burnt Height High Hill Meet Offering Open Peradventure Perhaps Reveals Shews Showeth Shows Stand Station Thyself Whatever Whatsoever Word
Numbers 23
1. Balak's sacrifices














(3) To an high place.--Rather, to a bare or barren height The heathen augurs were accustomed to choose elevated places for their auspices with an extensive prospect, especially the barren summits of mountains.

Verse 3. - Peradventure the Lord will come to meet me. It might be concluded from Numbers 24:1 that Balaam went only to look for "auguries," i.e., for such natural signs in the flight of birds and the like as the heathen were wont to observe as manifestations of the favour or disfavour of God, the success or failure of enterprises. It seems clear that it was his practice to do so, either as having some faith himself in such uncertainties, or as stooping to usual heathen arts which he inwardly despised. But from the fact that God met him (we know not how), and that such supernatural communication was not unexpected, we may conclude that Balaam's words meant more for himself than the mere observance of auguries, whatever they may have meant for Balak. To an high place. Rather, "to a bald place" (שֶׁפִי - compare the meaning of "Calvary"), from which the immediate prospect was uninterrupted.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Stay
הִתְיַצֵּב֮ (hiṯ·yaṣ·ṣêḇ)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 3320: To set or station oneself, take one's stand

here by
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

your burnt offering
עֹלָתֶךָ֒ (‘ō·lā·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5930: Whole burnt offering

while I am gone,”
וְאֵֽלְכָ֗ה (wə·’ê·lə·ḵāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

Balaam
בִּלְעָ֜ם (bil·‘ām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1109: Balaam -- a prophet

said
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to Balak.
לְבָלָ֗ק (lə·ḇā·lāq)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1111: Balak -- 'devastator', a Moabite king

“Perhaps
אוּלַ֞י (’ū·lay)
Adverb
Strong's 194: Perhaps

the LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

will meet with me.
לִקְרָאתִ֔י (liq·rā·ṯî)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7125: Against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way

And whatever
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

He reveals to me,
יַּרְאֵ֖נִי (yar·’ê·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7200: To see

I will tell
וְהִגַּ֣דְתִּי (wə·hig·gaḏ·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

you.”
לָ֑ךְ (lāḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew

So [Balaam] went off
וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ (way·yê·leḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

to a barren height,
שֶֽׁפִי׃ (še·p̄î)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8205: Bareness, a smooth or bare height


Links
Numbers 23:3 NIV
Numbers 23:3 NLT
Numbers 23:3 ESV
Numbers 23:3 NASB
Numbers 23:3 KJV

Numbers 23:3 BibleApps.com
Numbers 23:3 Biblia Paralela
Numbers 23:3 Chinese Bible
Numbers 23:3 French Bible
Numbers 23:3 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Numbers 23:3 Balaam said to Balak Stand by your (Nu Num.)
Numbers 23:2
Top of Page
Top of Page