Numbers 22:19

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹⁵Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first messengers. ¹⁶They came to Balaam and said, "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: 'Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, ¹⁷for I will honor you richly and do whatever you say. So please come and put a curse on these people for me!'" ¹⁸But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, "If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything small or great to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. ¹⁹So now, please stay here overnight as the others did, that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me."²⁰That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you." ²¹So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Numbers 22:7, Numbers 22:8, 1 Timothy 6:9, 1 Timothy 6:10, 2 Peter 2:3, 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11

Reciprocal: Numbers 22:12 - thou shalt not curse 1 Kings 13:16 - General Job 4:13 - thoughts

Cross-References

Genesis 21:31
So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.

Joshua 15:28
Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,

Judges 20:1
Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night,.... As the former messengers had; this shows his strong inclination to go along with them, and do what was desired of him, could he be permitted; otherwise he might and ought to have told the messengers at once that Balak needed not to have given himself and them so much trouble, since it was not in his power to do for him what he requested; nor would he attempt it, as being contrary to the will of God, and therefore it would be their best way to return as soon as they could; but instead of that, he desires them to stay that night, which must give them some hope of succeeding in their embassy:

that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more; he hoped he would change his mind, and say something to him different from, and contrary to what he had before declared unto him, which to suppose of God is great vileness and wickedness; to such a pitch did his greedy desire after riches and honour work him up into; he ought to have been satisfied with the answer already given him, and not to have inquired more.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ye also - i. e., as the other envoys before you. Had Balaam possessed a sincere spirit of obedience, he would have found in the first instructions Numbers 22:12 a final decision upon the matter. His hypocritical importunity with God when the fresh messengers came from Balak demonstrates his aversion to God’s declared will.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 22:19. What the Lord will say unto me more. — He did not know but God might make a farther discovery of his will to him, and therefore he might very innocently seek farther information.