The Meaning of Numbers 23:3 Explained

Numbers 23:3

KJV: And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.

YLT: and Balaam saith to Balak, 'Station thyself by thy burnt-offering and I go on, it may be Jehovah doth come to meet me, and the thing which He sheweth me -- I have declared to thee;' and he goeth to a high place.

Darby: And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go; perhaps Jehovah will come to meet me; and whatever he shews me I will tell thee. And he went to a hill.

ASV: And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go: peradventure Jehovah will come to meet me; and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee. And he went to a bare height.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Balaam  said  unto Balak,  Stand  by thy burnt offering,  and I will go:  peradventure the LORD  will come  to meet  me: and whatsoever  he sheweth  me I will tell  thee. And he went  to an high place. 

What does Numbers 23:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Numbers 23:1-12 - A Blessing Instead Of A Curse
Notice the position of these chapters, preceding the awful story of Baal-peor. Presently the Israelites will be perpetrating such terrible sins that it might seem impossible for God to continue to acknowledge them; yet here God stands for them and restrains the spirit of evil. He will take their chastisement, when needed, into his own hands.
With all his might Balaam strove to earn the royal gifts. Ah, thought he, that I could really feel that I was the organ of the divine malediction! But he could not feel in his heart that God's spirit was urging him in the direction that Balak wished. The stream of destiny was not running that way. On the contrary, he could forge no weapon against Israel that could prosper, and when he tried to raise his tongue in judgment against the people of God he was condemned. It was as if God said, "Touch not mine anointed." Psalms 105:15; Isaiah 54:17; Romans 8:31. [source]

Chapter Summary: Numbers 23

1  Balak's sacrifices

What do the individual words in Numbers 23:3 mean?

And said Balaam to Balak Stand by your burnt offering and I will go perhaps will come Yahweh to meet me and the word of what he shows me and I will tell you so He went to a desolate height
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר בִּלְעָ֜ם לְבָלָ֗ק הִתְיַצֵּב֮ עַל־ עֹלָתֶךָ֒ וְאֵֽלְכָ֗ה אוּלַ֞י יִקָּרֵ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לִקְרָאתִ֔י וּדְבַ֥ר מַה־ יַּרְאֵ֖נִי וְהִגַּ֣דְתִּי לָ֑ךְ וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ שֶֽׁפִי

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בִּלְעָ֜ם  Balaam 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בִּלְעָם 
Sense: the son of Beor, a man endowed with the gift of prophecy.
לְבָלָ֗ק  to  Balak 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּלָק  
Sense: a king of Moab who hired Balaam to curse Israel.
הִתְיַצֵּב֮  Stand 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: יָצַב 
Sense: to place, set, stand, set or station oneself, present oneself.
עֹלָתֶךָ֒  your  burnt  offering 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹלָה  
Sense: whole burnt offering.
וְאֵֽלְכָ֗ה  and  I  will  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אוּלַ֞י  perhaps 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אוּלַי  
Sense: perhaps, peradventure.
יִקָּרֵ֤ה  will  come 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָה 
Sense: to encounter, meet, befall, happen, come to meet.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לִקְרָאתִ֔י  to  meet  me 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to encounter, befall, meet.
וּדְבַ֥ר  and  the  word 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
מַה־  of  what 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
יַּרְאֵ֖נִי  he  shows  me 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וְהִגַּ֣דְתִּי  and  I  will  tell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ  so  He  went  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
שֶֽׁפִי  a  desolate  height 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁפִי  
Sense: bareness, smooth or bare height, bare place, high places, barren height.