Numbers 22:11-13 New English Translation
11 ‘Look, a nation has come out[a] of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Come now and put a curse on them for me; perhaps I will be able to defeat them[b] and drive them out.’”[c] 12 But God said to Balaam, “You must not go with them; you must not curse the people,[d] for they are blessed.”[e]
13 So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land,[f] for the Lord has refused to permit me to go[g] with you.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 22:11 tn In this passage the text differs slightly; here it is “the nation that comes out,” using the article on the noun, and the active participle in the attributive adjective usage.
- Numbers 22:11 tn Here the infinitive construct is used to express the object or complement of the verb “to be able” (it answers the question of what he will be able to do).
- Numbers 22:11 tn The verb is the Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. It either carries the force of an imperfect tense, or it may be subordinated to the preceding verbs.
- Numbers 22:12 tn The two verbs are negated imperfects; they have the nuance of prohibition: You must not go and you must not curse.
- Numbers 22:12 tn The word בָּרוּךְ (barukh) is the Qal passive participle, serving here as the predicate adjective after the supplied verb “to be.” The verb means “enrich,” in any way, materially, spiritually, physically. But the indication here is that the blessing includes the promised blessing of the patriarchs, a blessing that gave Israel the land. See further, C. Westermann, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church (OBT).
- Numbers 22:13 tc The LXX adds “to your lord.”
- Numbers 22:13 tn The main verb is the Piel perfect, “he has refused.” This is followed by two infinitives. The first (לְתִתִּי, letitti) serves as a complement or direct object of the verb, answering the question of what he refused to do—“to give me.” The second infinitive (לַהֲלֹךְ, lahalokh) provides the object for the preceding infinitive: “to grant me to go.”
New English Translation (NET)
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