23:8 How 3 can I curse 4 one whom God has not cursed,
or how can I denounce one whom the Lord has not denounced?
1 tn The two verbs are negated imperfects; they have the nuance of prohibition: You must not go and you must not curse.
2 tn The word בָּרוּךְ (barukh) is the Qal passive participle, serving here as the predicate adjective after the supplied verb “to be.” The verb means “enrich,” in any way, materially, spiritually, physically. But the indication here is that the blessing includes the promised blessing of the patriarchs, a blessing that gave Israel the land. See further, C. Westermann, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church (OBT).
3 tn The figure is erotesis, a rhetorical question. He is actually saying he cannot curse them because God has not cursed them.
4 tn The imperfect tense should here be classified as a potential imperfect.