Bible Strands
Numbers 22:14
And the princes of Moab arose, returned to Balak, and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Moabite princes return to King Balak after their meeting with Balaam. They deliver Balaam's message of refusal directly to their employer.
The words — The Hebrew מֵאֵן (me'En) literally means "he has refused" or "he has declined," emphasizing a firm rejection. The princes use this term to report Balaam's stance to Balak.
The thread — The refusal echoes Balaam’s own declaration in Numbers 22:13 that the LORD has denied him permission to go. Balak later challenges this same refusal in Numbers 22:37 when asking why Balaam did not come.
Why it lands — The text explicitly records the princes reporting Balaam's refusal to travel. It requires the reader to acknowledge that diplomatic pressure and royal authority cannot override a stated divine prohibition.
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 the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
Cross-references
- Numbers 22:13 So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your homeland, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”
- Numbers 22:37 And he said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to reward you richly?”