Numbers 23:7

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 

Ge 10:22; Ge 28:2,7; Nu 22:5; Nu 22:6,11,17; Nu 23:18; Nu 24:3,15,23; De 23:4; 1Sa 17:10,25,26,36,45; 2Sa 21:21; 2Sa 23:9; Job 27:1; Job 29:1; Ps 78:2; Pr 26:2; Eze 17:2; Eze 20:49; Mic 2:4; Hab 2:6; Mt 13:33,35; Mr 12:12

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.