Discovery BoxNumbers 23:7 
Context23:7 Then Balaam 1 uttered 2 his oracle, saying,
“Balak, the king of Moab, brought me 3 from Aram,
out of the mountains of the east, saying,
‘Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’ 4
Numbers 23:10
Context23:10 Who 5 can count 6 the dust 7 of Jacob,
Or number 8 the fourth part of Israel?
Let me 9 die the death of the upright, 10
and let the end of my life 11 be like theirs.” 12
Numbers 23:21
Context23:21 He 13 has not looked on iniquity in Jacob, 14
nor has he seen trouble 15 in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
his acclamation 16 as king is among them.
Numbers 32:11
Context32:11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, 17 not 18 one of the men twenty years old and upward 19 who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore to give 20 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “took up.”
3 tn The passage calls for a past tense translation; since the verb form is a prefixed conjugation, this tense should be classified as a preterite without the vav (ו). Such forms do occur, especially in the ancient poetic passages.
4 sn The opening lines seem to be a formula for the seer to identify himself and the occasion for the oracle. The tension is laid out early; Balaam knows that God has intended to bless Israel, but he has been paid to curse them.
5 tn The question is again rhetorical; it means no one can count them – they are innumerable.
6 tn The perfect tense can also be classified as a potential nuance. It does not occur very often, but does occur several times.
7 sn The reference in the oracle is back to Gen 13:16, which would not be clear to Balaam. But God had described their growth like the dust of the earth. Here it is part of the description of the vast numbers.
8 tn Heb “and as a number, the fourth part of Israel.” The noun in the MT is not in the construct state, and so it should be taken as an adverbial accusative, forming a parallel with the verb “count.” The second object of the verse then follows, “the fourth part of Israel.” Smr and the LXX have “and who has numbered” (וּמִסְפָּר, umispar), making this colon more parallel to the preceding one. The editor of BHS prefers this reading.
9 tn The use of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) for the subject of the verb stresses the personal nature – me.
10 sn Here the seer’s words link with the promise of Gen 12:3, that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed. Since the blessing belongs to them, the upright (and not Balak), Balaam would like his lot to be with them.
11 tn Heb “my latter end.”
12 tn Heb “his.”
13 tn These could be understood as impersonal and so rendered “no one has discovered.”
14 sn The line could mean that God has regarded Israel as the ideal congregation without any blemish or flaw. But it could also mean that God has not looked on their iniquity, meaning, held it against them.
15 tn The word means “wrong, misery, trouble.” It can mean the idea of “disaster” as well, for that too is trouble. Here it is parallel to “iniquity” and so has the connotation of something that would give God reason to curse them.
16 tn The people are blessed because God is their king. In fact, the shout of acclamation is among them – they are proclaiming the
17 tn The clause is difficult; it means essentially that “they have not made full [their coming] after” the
18 tn The sentence begins with “if they see….” This is the normal way for Hebrew to express a negative oath – “they will by no means see….” The sentence is elliptical; it is saying something like “[May God do so to me] if they see,” meaning they won’t see. Of course here God is taking the oath, which is an anthropomorphic act. He does not need to take an oath, and certainly could not swear by anyone greater, but it communicates to people his resolve.
19 tc The LXX adds “those knowing bad and good.”
20 tn The words “to give” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
