Bible Strands
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?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jephthah addresses the Ammonite king’s envoys, challenging their territorial claims by contrasting God’s past grant of land with the historical record of Moab.
The words — הֲ/ט֥וֹב (ha./Tov) and מִ/בָּלָ֥ק (mi./ba.Lak) function as the interrogative “¿/ really <good>” and the comparative “more than/ Balak,” structuring the rhetorical question around perceived superiority.
The thread — The text references Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, in Joshua 24:9 and Micah 6:5, while Deuteronomy 23:3 establishes the exclusion of Moabites and Ammonites from the assembly of the LORD.
Why it lands — It demands a reader verify present claims against recorded history and divine action, treating theological authority as the standard for territorial and political legitimacy.
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
And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,
Cross-references
- 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.’”
- 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,
- Deuteronomy 23:3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation.
- Numbers 22:2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,