1Na ,a mea a Paraama ki a Paraka, Hanga etahi aata maku kia whitu, kia rite mai hoki maku he puru kia whitu, he hipi toa hoki kia whitu. 2Na rite tonu t Paraka i mea ai ki nga mea i korerotia e Paraama: a whakaekea ana e Paraka raua ko Paraama he puru, he hipi, ki tetahi aata, ki tetahi aata. 3Na ka mea a Paraama ki a Paraka, E tu ki te taha o tau tahunga tinana, a ka haere ahau: tera pea a Ihowa e tupono mai ki ahau: a me korero atu e ahau ki a koe te kupu e whakakitea mai e ia ki ahau. Na ka haere ia ki tetahi puke hamore. 4Na ka tupono a Ihowa ki a Paraama: a ka mea ia ki a ia, Kua oti i ahau nga aata e whitu, kua whakaekea ano hoki he puru, he hipi, ki tenei aata, ki tenei aata. 5Na ka homai e Ihowa he kupu ki te waha o Paraama, ka mea, Hoki atu ki a Paraka, a kia penei tau ki atu. 6A ka hoki atu ia ki a ia, na, i te taha ia o tana tahunga tinana e tu ana, ratou ko nga rangatira katoa o Moapa. 7Na ka ara tana ki pepeha, ka mea, Na Paraka kingi o Moapa ahau i arahi mai i Arame, i nga maunga o te rawhiti, i mea, Haere mai hei kaikanga maku mo Hakopa, haere mai hoki hei whakatara ki a Iharaira. 8Me aha e kanga ai ahau i ta te Atua i kore ai e kanga? me aha hoki e whakatara ai ahau ki ta Ihowa kihai i whakatara? 9Tenei hoki ahau kei te tihi o nga kamaka e titiro atu ana ki a ia, e kite atu ana i a ia i runga i nga pukepuke: nana, he iwi noho ko ia anake, e kore ano hoki e taua i roto i nga tauiwi. 10Ma wai e tatau te puehu o Hakopa, e titiro ranei te maha o te whakawha o Iharaira? Hei te mate o te hunga tika he matenga moku, kia rite hoki toku whakamutunga ki tona! 11Na ka mea a Paraka, ki a Paraama, He aha tau e mea nei ki ahau? i tikina atu koe e ahau hei kanga i oku hoariri, na, kua manaakitia rawatia ratou e koe. 12Na ka whakautua e ia, ka mea, Kaua ranei ahau e mahara ki te whakapuaki i te kupu e homai e Ihowa ki toku waha? 13Na ka mea a Paraka ki a ia, Tena, haere mai taua ki tetahi wahi ke atu, e kite ai koe i a ratou: ko to ratou pito tau e kite ai; e kore hoki koe e kite i a ratou katoa: a hei reira puaki ai i a koe taku kanga mo ratou. 14Na ka kawea ia e ia ki te mara o Topimi, ki te tihi o Pihika, a hanga ana e ia e whitu nga aata, whakaekea atu ana hoki e ia he puru, he hipi, ki tenei aata, ki tenei aata. 15Na ka mea ia ki a Paraka, E tu ki konei ki te taha o tau tahunga tinana, ka whakatau ahau ki ko, ki a Ihowa. 16Na ka tupono a Ihowa ki a Paraama, ka homai e ia he kupu ki tona waha, ka mea, Hoki atu ki a Paraka, kia penei hoki tau ki atu. 17A ka haere atu ia ki a ia, na, e tu ana ia e te taha o tanga tahunga tinana, ratou ko nga rangatira o Moapa. A ka mea a Paraka ki a ia, I pehea mai te kupu a Ihowa? 18Na ka ara tana ki pepeha, ka mea, Whakatika, e Paraka, whakarongo mai; kia whai taringa mai ki ahau, e te tama a Tiporo: 19Ehara te Atua i te tangata e teka ai; i te tama ranei a te tangata e puta ke ai ona whakaaro. Tera ranei ia e korero, a kore ake e mahi? e puaki ranei tana kupu, a kahore e mana? 20Nana, kua riro mai i ahau te kupu manaaki; kua oti hoki i a ia te kupu manaaki; a e kore e taea e ahau te whakaputa ke. 21Kahore i tirohia e ia he kino i a Hakopa, kahore ano hoki i kitea he tutu i a Iharaira: kei a ia a Ihowa, tona Atua, kei roto hoki i a ratou te hamama a te kingi. 22Na Ihowa ratou i whakaputa mai i Ihipa; kei te te unikanga tona kaha. 23He pono kahore he makutu mo Hakopa, kahore ano hoki he whaiwhaia mo Iharaira: hei tenei wa ano ka korerotia a Hakopa, ae ra, a Iharaira, ano te mahi a te Atua! 24Nana, ka whakatika te iwi ano he raiona katua, ka ara ake ano hoki ano he raiona: e kore e takoto, kia kainga ra ano te tupapaku, kia inumia hoki nga toto o te parekura. 25Na ka mea a Paraka ki a Paraama, Kaua rawa e kanga i a ratou, kaua rawa ranei e manaaki i a ratou. 26Na ka whakautua e Paraama, ka mea ki a Paraka, Kahore ianei ahau i korero ki a koe, i mea, Ko nga mea katoa e korero mai ai a Ihowa, ko tena taku e mea ai? 27Na ka mea a Paraka ki a Paraama, Tena, me kawe koe e ahau ki tetahi atu wahi; tera pea e pai te Atua kia whakapuakina e koe i reira taku kanga mo ratou. 28Katahi ka kawea a Paraama e Paraka ki te tihi o Peoro, e titiro iho ana ki te koraha. 29A ka mea a Paraama ki a Paraka, hanga he aata maku ki konei kia whitu, kia rite hoki maku ki konei he puru kia whitu, he hipi toa kia whitu. 30A rite tonu ta Paraka i mea ai ki nga mea i korerotia e Paraama, a whakaekea ana e ia he puru, he hipi, ki runga ki tenei aata, ki tenei aata.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 BALAK'S SACRIFICES. (Num. 23:1-30)
Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars--Balak, being a heathen, would naturally suppose these altars were erected in honor of Baal, the patron deity of his country. It is evident, from
Num 23:4 that they were prepared for the worship of the true God; although in choosing the high places of Baal as their site and rearing a number of altars (
2Kgs 18:22;
Isa 17:8;
Jer 11:13;
Hos 8:11;
Hos 10:1), instead of one only, as God had appointed, Balaam blended his own superstitions with the divine worship. The heathen, both in ancient and modern times, attached a mysterious virtue to the number seven; and Balaam, in ordering the preparation of so many altars, designed to mystify and delude the king.
3 Stand by thy burnt offering--as one in expectation of an important favor.
peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he showeth me--that is, makes known to me by word or sign.
he went to an high place--apart by himself, where he might practise rites and ceremonies, with a view to obtain a response of the oracle.
4 God met Balaam--not in compliance with his incantations, but to frustrate his wicked designs and compel him, contrary to his desires and interests, to pronounce the following benediction [
Num 23:8-
Num 23:10].
7 took up his parable--that is, spoke under the influence of inspiration, and in the highly poetical, figurative, and oracular style of a prophet.
brought me from Aram--This word joined with "the mountains of the East," denotes the upper portion of Mesopotamia, lying on the east of Moab. The East enjoyed an infamous notoriety for magicians and soothsayers (
Isa 2:6).
8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?--A divine blessing has been pronounced over the posterity of Jacob; and therefore, whatever prodigies can be achieved by my charms, all magical skill, all human power, is utterly impotent to counteract the decree of God.
9 from the top--literally, "a bare place" on the rocks, to which Balak had taken him, for it was deemed necessary to see the people who were to be devoted to destruction. But that commanding prospect could contribute nothing to the accomplishment of the king's object, for the destiny of Israel was to be a distinct, peculiar people, separated from the rest of the nations in government, religion, customs, and divine protection (
Deut 33:28). So that although I might be able to gratify your wishes against other people, I can do nothing against them (
Exod 19:5;
Lev 20:24).
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob?--an Oriental hyperbole for a very populous nation, as Jacob's posterity was promised to be (
Gen 13:16;
Gen 28:14).
the number of the fourth part of Israel--that is, the camp consisted of four divisions; every one of these parts was formidable in numbers.
Let me die the death of the righteous--Hebrew, "of Jeshurun"; or, the Israelites. The meaning is: they are a people happy, above all others, not only in life, but at death, from their knowledge of the true God, and their hope through His grace. Balaam is a representative of a large class in the world, who express a wish for the blessedness which Christ has promised to His people but are averse to imitate the mind that was in Him.
13 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.
14 he brought him into the field of Zophim . . . top of Pisgah--a flat surface on the summit of the mountain range, which was cultivated land. Others render it "the field of sentinels," an eminence where some of Balak's guards were posted to give signals [CALMET].
18 Rise up--As Balak was already standing (
Num 23:17), this expression is equivalent to "now attend to me." The counsels and promises of God respecting Israel are unchangeable; and no attempt to prevail on Him to reverse them will succeed, as they may with a man.
21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob--Many sins were observed and punished in this people. But no such universal and hopeless apostasy had as yet appeared, to induce God to abandon or destroy them.
the Lord his God is with him--has a favor for them.
and the shout of a king is among them--such joyful acclamations as of a people rejoicing in the presence of a victorious prince.
22 he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn--Israel is not as they were at the Exodus, a horde of poor, feeble, spiritless people, but powerful and invincible as a reem--that is, a rhinoceros (
Job 39:9;
Ps 22:21;
Ps 92:10).
23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob--No art can ever prevail against a people who are under the shield of Omnipotence, and for whom miracles have been and yet shall be performed, which will be a theme of admiration in succeeding ages.
26 All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do--a remarkable confession that he was divinely constrained to give utterances different from what it was his purpose and inclination to do.
28 Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor--or, Beth-peor (
Deut 3:29), the eminence on which a temple of Baal stood.
that looketh toward Jeshimon--the desert tract in the south of Palestine, on both sides of the Dead Sea.
