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Numbers 24:25 Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Numbers 24:25 Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/numbers/24-25.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/9/04_Num_24_25.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Numbers 24:25 - Balaam's Final Three Oracles" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/numbers/24-25.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/numbers/24-25.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/numbers/">Numbers</a> > <a href="/numbers/24.htm">Chapter 24</a> > Verse 25</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad5.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/numbers/24-24.htm" title="Numbers 24:24">◄</a> Numbers 24:25 <a href="/numbers/25-1.htm" title="Numbers 25:1">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/numbers/24.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter"> (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/numbers/24.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/numbers/24.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Then Balaam left and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/numbers/24.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/numbers/24.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/numbers/24.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/numbers/24.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place; Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/numbers/24.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then Balaam arose, and he departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/numbers/24.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/numbers/24.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/numbers/24.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Then Balaam arose and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/numbers/24.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/numbers/24.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Balaam then arose and went back to his homeland, and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/numbers/24.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Balaam then arose and went back to his homeland, and Balak also went his way. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/numbers/24.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/numbers/24.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />After Balaam finished, he started home, and Balak also left. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/numbers/24.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/numbers/24.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Then Balaam got up and went back home, and Balak also went on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/numbers/24.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Then Balaam got ready and went back home, and Balak went on his way. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/numbers/24.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Then Balaam got up, returned to his country, and Balak went on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/numbers/24.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/numbers/24.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home, and Balak also went his way. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/numbers/24.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/numbers/24.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And Balaam arose, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/numbers/24.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/numbers/24.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And Balaam rises, and goes, and turns back to his place, and Balak has also gone on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/numbers/24.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> And Balaam riseth, and goeth, and turneth back to his place, and Balak also hath gone on his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/numbers/24.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And Balaam will rise up and will go, and turn back to his place; and also Balak went to his way.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/numbers/24.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And Balaam rose, and returned to his place: Balac also returned the way that he came. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/numbers/24.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And Balaam rose up, and he returned to his place. Likewise, Balak went back, along the way by which he had arrived.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/numbers/24.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Then Balaam set out on his journey home; and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/numbers/24.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/numbers/24.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Then Balaam rose up and returned to his country; and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/numbers/24.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And Balaam stood and returning he went to his place also Balaq went his way. <div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/numbers/24.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/numbers/24.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And Balaam rose up and departed and returned to his place, and Balac went to his own home.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/numbers/24-25.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yauBFvKLNNo?start=7717" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/numbers/24.htm">Balaam's Final Three Oracles</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">24</span>Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will perish forever.” <span class="reftext">25</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/1109.htm" title="1109: bil·‘ām (N-proper-ms) -- Probably from bal and am; not people, i.e. Foreigner; Bilam, a Mesopotamian prophet; also a place in Palestine.">Then Balaam</a> <a href="/hebrew/6965.htm" title="6965: way·yā·qām (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms) -- To arise, stand up, stand. A primitive root; to rise.">arose</a> <a href="/hebrew/1980.htm" title="1980: way·yê·leḵ (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms) -- To go, come, walk. Akin to yalak; a primitive root; to walk."></a> <a href="/hebrew/7725.htm" title="7725: way·yā·šāḇ (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms) -- A primitive root; to turn back transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively; generally to retreat; often adverbial, again.">and returned</a> <a href="/hebrew/4725.htm" title="4725: lim·qō·mōw (Prep-l:: N-msc:: 3ms) -- Or maqom; also mqowmah; or mqomah; from quwm; properly, a standing, i.e. A spot; but used widely of a locality; also of a condition.">to his homeland,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1111.htm" title="1111: bā·lāq (N-proper-ms) -- Devastator, a Moabite king. From balaq; waster; Balak, a Moabitish king.">and Balak</a> <a href="/hebrew/1571.htm" title="1571: wə·ḡam- (Conj) -- Also, moreover, yea. ">also</a> <a href="/hebrew/1980.htm" title="1980: hā·laḵ (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To go, come, walk. Akin to yalak; a primitive root; to walk.">went</a> <a href="/hebrew/1870.htm" title="1870: lə·ḏar·kōw (Prep-l:: N-csc:: 3ms) -- Way, road, distance, journey, manner. From darak; a road; figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb.">on his way.</a> </span><div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/12-1.htm">Genesis 12:1-3</a></span><br />Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you. / I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. / I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/49-10.htm">Genesis 49:10</a></span><br />The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/18-15.htm">Deuteronomy 18:15-19</a></span><br />The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. / This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!” / Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/5-2.htm">Micah 5:2</a></span><br />But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/11-1.htm">Isaiah 11:1-10</a></span><br />Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. / The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. / And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear, ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/72-8.htm">Psalm 72:8-11</a></span><br />May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth. / May the nomads bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust. / May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/7-12.htm">2 Samuel 7:12-16</a></span><br />And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. / He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. / I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/9-6.htm">Isaiah 9:6-7</a></span><br />For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. / Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/23-5.htm">Jeremiah 23:5-6</a></span><br />Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. / In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/21-27.htm">Ezekiel 21:27</a></span><br />A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! And it will not be restored until the arrival of Him to whom it belongs, to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/2-1.htm">Matthew 2:1-2</a></span><br />After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, / asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/2-9.htm">Matthew 2:9-11</a></span><br />After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was. / When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight. / On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/1-32.htm">Luke 1:32-33</a></span><br />He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, / and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/1-45.htm">John 1:45</a></span><br />Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/7-42.htm">John 7:42</a></span><br />Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/24-1.htm">Numbers 24:1</a></b></br> And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/24-6.htm">Numbers 24:6</a></b></br> As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, <i>and</i> as cedar trees beside the waters.</p><p class="hdg">Shittim</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/33-49.htm">Numbers 33:49</a></b></br> And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth <i>even</i> unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/joshua/2-1.htm">Joshua 2:1</a></b></br> And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/joshua/3-1.htm">Joshua 3:1</a></b></br> And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.</p><p class="hdg">the people</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/31-15.htm">Numbers 31:15,16</a></b></br> And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ecclesiastes/7-26.htm">Ecclesiastes 7:26</a></b></br> And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart <i>is</i> snares and nets, <i>and</i> her hands <i>as</i> bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_corinthians/10-8.htm">1 Corinthians 10:8</a></b></br> Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/numbers/24-13.htm">Balak</a> <a href="/numbers/22-7.htm">Departed</a> <a href="/numbers/24-11.htm">Home</a> <a href="/numbers/23-24.htm">Riseth</a> <a href="/numbers/22-21.htm">Rose</a> <a href="/numbers/23-6.htm">Turneth</a> <a href="/numbers/22-34.htm">Way</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/joshua/24-9.htm">Balak</a> <a href="/numbers/33-3.htm">Departed</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/6-7.htm">Home</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/22-26.htm">Riseth</a> <a href="/numbers/25-7.htm">Rose</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/29-18.htm">Turneth</a> <a href="/numbers/30-15.htm">Way</a><div class="vheading2">Numbers 24</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/numbers/24-1.htm">Balaam, leaving divinations, prophesies the happiness of Israel</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/numbers/24-10.htm">Balak, in anger, dismisses him</a></span><br><span class="reftext">15. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/numbers/24-15.htm">He prophesies of the Star of Jacob, and the destruction of some nations</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-ATF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-300x250-ATF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-BTF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-300x250-BTF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-BTF2 --> <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/numbers/24.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/numbers/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/numbers/24.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Then Balaam arose</b><br>Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet, had been summoned by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel. Despite his intentions, God used Balaam to bless Israel instead. This phrase indicates a decisive action, suggesting Balaam's recognition of God's sovereignty. His arising signifies the end of his prophetic mission concerning Israel.<p><b>and returned to his homeland</b><br>Balaam's homeland was in Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in Mesopotamia. This return marks the conclusion of his involvement with Balak and the Moabites. It underscores the futility of opposing God's will, as Balaam's journey ends without achieving Balak's desired curse on Israel. This return also highlights the transient nature of human plans against divine purposes.<p><b>and Balak also went on his way</b><br>Balak, having failed to secure a curse against Israel, departs without achieving his goal. This phrase reflects the broader biblical theme of God's protection over Israel, as seen in passages like <a href="/genesis/12-3.htm">Genesis 12:3</a>, where God promises to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse them. Balak's departure signifies the end of his attempts to manipulate spiritual forces against God's chosen people.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/b/balaam.htm">Balaam</a></b><br>A non-Israelite prophet who was hired by Balak to curse Israel but ended up blessing them instead. His account is a complex one, involving divine intervention and a talking donkey.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/b/balak.htm">Balak</a></b><br>The king of Moab who feared the Israelites and sought to curse them through Balaam. His plans were thwarted by God's sovereignty.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/m/moab.htm">Moab</a></b><br>The region ruled by Balak, located east of the Dead Sea. It was a place of tension and conflict with Israel during their wilderness journey.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/i/israelites.htm">Israelites</a></b><br>The people of God, journeying to the Promised Land. They were the intended target of Balak's curse, but God protected them.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/h/homeland.htm">Homeland</a></b><br>Refers to Balaam's place of origin, which he returned to after his encounter with Balak and the Israelites.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty.htm">God's Sovereignty</a></b><br>God's plans cannot be thwarted by human intentions. Despite Balak's efforts, God turned the intended curse into a blessing for Israel.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_danger_of_compromise.htm">The Danger of Compromise</a></b><br>Balaam's account serves as a warning against compromising one's integrity for personal gain. His initial obedience was overshadowed by his later actions, which led Israel into sin.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/d/divine_protection.htm">Divine Protection</a></b><br>Just as God protected Israel from Balaam's curse, He continues to protect His people today. Trust in God's provision and protection in all circumstances.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_consequences_of_disobedience.htm">The Consequences of Disobedience</a></b><br>Balaam's eventual downfall illustrates the consequences of disobedience and the pursuit of selfish desires over God's will.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/returning_to_god.htm">Returning to God</a></b><br>Like Balaam returning to his homeland, we are reminded of the importance of returning to God and His ways, especially after straying.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_numbers_24.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Numbers 24</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_balaam's_blessing_show_free_will.htm">If Balaam's initial intention was to curse Israel (Numbers 24:1), how does his eventual blessing align with the notion of free will and divine sovereignty?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_to_reconcile_balaam's_differing_portrayals.htm">How should we address the seeming discrepancy between Balaam's portrayal here in Numbers 24 and other biblical texts that condemn him (e.g., 2 Peter 2:15)?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_blame_balaam_alone_for_midian's_fate.htm">Numbers 31:15-16: Why is Balaam's influence singled out as the sole reason for divine judgment on Midian, given previous chapters mention other deeds?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_the_doctrine_of_balaam.htm">What is the Doctrine of Balaam?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/numbers/24.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(25) <span class= "bld">And returned to his place.--</span>Balaam probably set out with the intention of returning home. He. turned <span class= "ital">towards </span>his place. The sequel shows that he remained amongst the Midianites, and perished with them.<p><span class= "bld"><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/numbers/24.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 25.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And</span> <span class="cmt_word">returned to his place.</span> <span class="hebrew">יָשֹׁב לִמְקֹ ו</span>. It is doubtful whether this expression, which is used in <a href="/genesis/18-33.htm">Genesis 18:33</a> and in other places, implies that Balaam returned to his home on the Euphrates. If he did he must have retraced his steps almost immediately, because he was slain among the Midianites shortly after (chapter 31:8). The phrase, however, may merely mean that he set off homewards, and is not inconsistent with the supposition that he went no further on his way than the headquarters of the Midianites. It is not difficult to understand the infatuation which would keep him within reach of a people so strange and terrible. <span class="ref_word">NOTE ON THE PROPHECIES OF BALAAM.</span> That the prophecies of Balaam have a Messianic character, and are only to be fully understood in a Christian sense, seems to lie upon the face of them. The Targums of Onkelos and Palestine make mention of King Meshiba here, and the great mass of Christian interpretation has uniformly followed in the track of Jewish tradition. It is of course possible to get rid of the prophetic element altogether by assuming that the utterances of Balaam were either composed or largely interpolated after the events to which they seem to refer. It would be necessary in this case to bring their real date down to the period of the Macedonian conquests, and much later still if the Greek empire also was to "perish for ever." The difficulty and arbitrary character of such an assumption becomes the more evident the more it is considered; nor does it seem consistent with the form into which the predictions are cast. A patriotic Jew looking <span class="accented">back</span> from the days of Alexander or his successors would not call the great Eastern power by the name of Asshur, because two subsequent empires had arisen in the place of Assyria proper. But that Balaam, <span class="accented">looking forward</span> down the dim vista of the future, should see Asshur, and only Asshur, is in perfect keeping with what we know of prophetic perspective, - the further off the events descried by inward vision, the more extreme the foreshortening, - according to which law it is well known that the first and second advents of Christ are inextricably blended in almost every case. If we accept the prophecies as genuine, it is, again, only possible to reject the Messianic element by assuming that no Jewish prophecy overleaps the narrow limits of Jewish history. The mysterious Being whom Balaam descries in the undated future, who is the King of Israel, and whom he identifies with the Shiloh of Jacob's dying prophecy, and who is to bring to nought all nations of the world, cannot be David, although David may anticipate him in many ways; still less, as the reference to Agag, Amalek, and the Kenites might for a moment incline us to believe, can it be Saul. At the same time, while the Messianic element in the prophecy cannot reasonably be ignored, it is obvious that it does not by any means exist by itself; it is so mixed up with what is purely local and temporal in the relations between Israel and the petty tribes which surrounded and envied him, that it is impossible to isolate it or to exhibit it in any clear and definite form. The Messiah indeed appears, as it were, upon the stage in a mysterious and remote grandeur; but he appears with a slaughter weapon in his hand, crushing such enemies of Israel as were then and there formidable, and exterminating the very fugitives from the overthrow. Even where the vision loses for once its local colouring in one way, so that the King of Israel deals with all the sons of men, yet it retains it in another, for he deals with them in wrath and destruction, not in love and blessing. There is here so little akin to the true ideal, that we are readily tempted to say that Christ is not here at all, but only Saul or David, or the Jewish monarchy personified in the ruthlessness of its consolidated power. But if we know anything of the genius of prophecy, it is exactly this, that the future and the grand and the heavenly is seen through a medium of the present and the paltry and the earthly. The Messianic element almost always occurs in connection with some crisis in the outward history of the chosen people; it is inextricably mixed up with what is purely local in interest, and often with what is distinctly imperfect in morality. To the Jew - and to Balaam also, however unwillingly, as the servant of Jehovah - the cause of Israel was the cause of God; he could not discern between them. "Our country, right or wrong," was an impossible sentiment to him, because he could not conceive of his country being wrong; he knew nothing of moral victories, or the triumphs of defeat or of suffering; he could not think of God's kingdom as asserting itself in any other way than in the overthrow, or (better still) the annihilation, of Moab, Edom, Assyria, Babylon, Rome, the whole world which was not Israel. The sufferings of the vanquished, the horrors of sacked cities, the agonies of desolated homes, were nothing to him; nothing, unless it were joy - joy that the kingdom of God should be exalted in the earth, joy that the reign of wickedness should be broken. All these feelings belonged to a most imperfect morality and we rightly look upon them with horror, because we have (albeit as yet very imperfectly) conformed our sentiments to a higher standard. But it was the very condition of the old dispensation that God adopted the then moral code, such as it was, and hallowed it with religious sanctions, and gave it a strong direction God-ward, and so educated his own for something higher. Hence it is wholly natural and consistent to find this early vision of the Messiah, the heaven-sent King of Israel, introduced in connection with the fall of the petty pastoral state of Moab. To Balaam, standing where he did in time and place, and all the more because his personal desires went with Moab as against Israel, Moab stood forth as the representative kingdom of darkness, Israel as the kingdom of light, Through that strong, definite, narrow, and essentially imperfect, but not untrue, conviction of his he saw the Messiah, and he saw him crushing Moab first, and then trampling down all the rest of a hostile world. That no one would have been more utterly astonished if he had beheld the Messiah as he was, is certain; but that is not at all inconsistent with the belief that he really prophesied concerning him. That he should put all enemies under his feet was what Balaam truly saw; but he saw it and gave utterance to it according to the ideas and imagery of which his mind was full. God ever reveals the supernatural through the natural, the heavenly through the earthly, the future through the present. It remains to consider briefly the temporal fulfillments of Balaam's prophecies. Moab was not apparently seriously attacked until the time of David, when it was vanquished, and a great part of the inhabitants slaughtered (<a href="/2_samuel/8-2.htm">2 Samuel 8:2</a>). In the division of the kingdom it fell to the share of Israel, with the other lands beyond Jordan, but the vicissitudes of the northern monarchy gave it opportunities to rebel, of which it successfully availed itself after the death of Ahab (<a href="/2_kings/1-1.htm">2 Kings 1:1</a>). Only in the time of John Hyrcanus ( <span class="date">B.C. 129</span>) was it finally subdued, and ceased to have an independent existence. Edom was also conquered for the first time by David, and the people as far as possible exterminated (<a href="/1_kings/11-15.htm">1 Kings 11:15, 16</a>). Nevertheless, it was able to shake off the yoke under Joram (<a href="/2_kings/8-20.htm">2 Kings 8:20</a>), and, although defeated, was never again subdued (see on Genesis 27:40). The prophecies against Edom were indeed taken up again and again by the prophets (<span class="accented">e.g.</span>, Obadiah), but we must hold that they were never adequately fulfilled, unless we look for a spiritual realization not in wrath, but in mercy. The later Jews themselves came to regard "Edom" as a Scriptural synonym for all who hated and oppressed them. Amalek was very thoroughly overthrown by Saul, acting under the directions of Samuel (<a href="/1_samuel/15-7.htm">1 Samuel 15:7, 8</a>), and never appears to have regained any national existence. Certain bands of Amalekites were smitten by David, and others at a later period in the reign of Hezekiah by the men of Simeon (<a href="/1_chronicles/4-39.htm">1 Chronicles 4:39-43</a>). The prophecy concerning the Kenites presents, as noted above, great difficulty, because it is impossible to know certainly whether the older Kenites of Genesis or the later Kenites of 1 Samuel are intended. In either case, however, it must be acknowledged that sacred history throws no light whatever on the fulfillment of the prophecy; we know nothing at all as to the fate of this small clan. No doubt it ultimately shared the lot of all the inhabitants of Palestine, with the exception of Judah and Jerusalem, and was transplanted by one of the Assyrian generals to some far-off spot, where its very existence as a separate people was lost. The "ships from the side of Cyprus" clearly enough represent in the vision of Balaam invaders from over the western seas, as opposed to previous conquerors from over the eastern deserts and mountains. That the invasion of Alexander the Great was not actually made by the way of Cyprus is nothing to the point. It was never any part of spiritual illumination to extend geographical knowledge. To Balaam's mind the only open way from the remote and unknown western lands was the waterway by the sides of Cyprus, and accordingly he saw the hostile fleets gliding down beneath the lee of those sheltering coasts towards the harbours of Phoenicia. Doubtless the ships which Balaam saw were rigged as ships were rigged in Balaam's time, and not as in the time of Alexander. But the rigging, like the route, belonged to the local and personal medium through which the prophecy came, not to the prophecy itself. As a fact it remains true that a maritime power from the West, whose home was beyond Cyprus, did overwhelm the older power which stood in the place and inherited the empire of Assyria. Whether the subsequent ruin of this maritime power also is part of the prophecy must remain doubtful. <p> <p> <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/numbers/24-25.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Then Balaam</span><br /><span class="heb">בִּלְעָ֔ם</span> <span class="translit">(bil·‘ām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1109.htm">Strong's 1109: </a> </span><span class="str2">Balaam -- a prophet</span><br /><br /><span class="word">arose</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיָּ֣קָם</span> <span class="translit">(way·yā·qām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6965.htm">Strong's 6965: </a> </span><span class="str2">To arise, stand up, stand</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and returned</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיָּ֣שָׁב</span> <span class="translit">(way·yā·šāḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7725.htm">Strong's 7725: </a> </span><span class="str2">To turn back, in, to retreat, again</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to his homeland,</span><br /><span class="heb">לִמְקֹמ֑וֹ</span> <span class="translit">(lim·qō·mōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4725.htm">Strong's 4725: </a> </span><span class="str2">A standing, a spot, a condition</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and Balak</span><br /><span class="heb">בָּלָ֖ק</span> <span class="translit">(bā·lāq)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1111.htm">Strong's 1111: </a> </span><span class="str2">Balak -- 'devastator', a Moabite king</span><br /><br /><span class="word">also</span><br /><span class="heb">וְגַם־</span> <span class="translit">(wə·ḡam-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1571.htm">Strong's 1571: </a> </span><span class="str2">Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and</span><br /><br /><span class="word">went</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ</span> <span class="translit">(way·yê·leḵ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1980.htm">Strong's 1980: </a> </span><span class="str2">To go, come, walk</span><br /><br /><span class="word">on his way.</span><br /><span class="heb">לְדַרְכּֽוֹ׃</span> <span class="translit">(lə·ḏar·kōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1870.htm">Strong's 1870: </a> </span><span class="str2">A road, a course of life, mode of action</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/numbers/24-25.htm">Numbers 24:25 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/numbers/24-25.htm">OT Law: Numbers 24:25 Balaam rose up and went and returned (Nu Num.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/numbers/24-24.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Numbers 24:24"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Numbers 24:24" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/numbers/25-1.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Numbers 25:1"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Numbers 25:1" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>