Bible Strands
Numbers 23:18
Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Arise, O Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of Zippor.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Balaam speaks to Balak, identified as the son of Zippor, immediately after returning from the high places to report what the Lord has communicated.
The words — מְשָׁלוֹ (me.sha.L/o) denotes a formal oracle or proverb, and קוּם (kum) commands an immediate physical or mental awakening.
The thread — The declaration formula parallels the prophetic address in Judges 3:20, situating this speech within the broader biblical pattern of a messenger delivering a divinely sourced oracle.
Why it lands — The text requires the listener to direct full attention to a message that originates outside human calculation, establishing the necessity of verifying the oracle’s content against the speaker’s subsequent statement on divine reliability.
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 he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
Cross-references
- Judges 3:20 Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.