Numbers 22:30

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

²²Then God's anger was kindled because Balaam was going along, and the Angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³When the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in His hand, she turned off the path and went into a field. So Balaam beat her to return her to the path. ²⁴Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow passage between two vineyards, with walls on either side. ²⁵And the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD and pressed herself against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her once again. ²⁶And the Angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or left. ²⁷When the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he became furious and beat her with his staff. ²⁸Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?" ²⁹Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!" ³⁰But the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?" "No," he replied.³¹Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in His hand. And Balaam bowed low and fell facedown.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the ass said: 2 Peter 2:16

upon which thou hast ridden: Heb. who hast ridden upon me, ever since I was thine. or, ever since thou wast, unto, etc. 1 Corinthians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 1:28

Reciprocal: Numbers 16:15 - I have not

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the ass said unto Balaam,.... Made a reply to him, as if it understood what he said, and had the faculty of reasoning and discoursing, as well as of speaking, which is very amazing:

am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? or rather, "ever since thou wast"; not ever since he was in being, but ever since he could ride, so Aben Ezra; according to which, it seems that this was the first he rode upon, and which he had always been used to; hence the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it,

"upon which thou hast rode from thy youth unto this day;''

and be it that Balaam was a man pretty well advanced in years, an ass is a creature that lives a long time: Pliny says r it lives thirty years; and an Arabic writer s makes mention of an ass that the owner of it rode on forty years:

was I ever wont to do so unto thee? to start out of the way, or lie down with him, could anyone instance be given of it? suggesting that she was a sure footed creature, and had always carefully and safely carried him, for which it appeals to him:

and he said, nay; she had never been used to serve him in such a manner as she had now, and therefore he might have concluded that something more than ordinary was the matter; and it is much his conscience had not accused him that he was wrong in coming with the princes, taking the alarm from these circumstances, had he not been an hardened creature, or, at least, had he not been so eagerly bent on riches and honour.

r Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 43. s Algiahid in Damir. apud Bochart, ut supra, (Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 14.) col. 195.