Bible Strands
Joshua 24:9
Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joshua addresses the assembled tribes of Israel, recounting God’s past interventions immediately after describing the deliverance from the Amorites.
The words — וַ/יָּ֨קָם (va/i.Ya.kom) means he arose or set out, and וַ/יִּלָּ֖חֶם (va/i.yi.La.chem) means he fought, marking Balak’s direct military mobilization against Israel.
The thread — This event is cross-referenced in Judges 11:25, Micah 6:5, and Numbers 22:2, where Balak’s failed campaign and Balaam’s altered message are repeatedly cited as historical markers.
Why it lands — It demands recognition that organized opposition to God’s people is recorded not as a threat, but as a precedent for divine sovereignty overriding human plotting.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
Cross-references
- Judges 11:25 Are you now so much better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?
- Micah 6:5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”
- Numbers 22:2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,
- Deuteronomy 23:4 For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.
- Numbers 22:5 he sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.