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.

NUMBERS 23:3KJV
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Numbers 23:3 (KJV)

What does Numbers 23:3 mean?

Numbers 23:3 shows Balaam telling Balak to stay by his burnt offering while Balaam goes to see if the LORD will meet with him and reveal a message, which Balaam promises to report back honestly. The verse highlights Balaam’s uncertainty about whether God will appear and his willingness to pass along whatever God shows him.

In this scene, Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet, speaks to Balak, the king of Moab, who has hired him to curse Israel. Balaam instructs Balak to remain by the sacrificial altar, hoping that the LORD (the God of Israel) will come and communicate with him. Balaam then goes to a high place, a common location for seeking divine encounters in the ancient world.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 23:3

  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of the God of Israel, showing that Balaam is seeking a message from Israel’s God, not just any deity.
  • burnt offering (עֹלָה, ‘olah): This word refers to a specific type of sacrifice that is completely burned, often used in attempts to seek favor or communication from a deity.
  • meet (קָרָה, qarah) and come (קָרָא, qara’): These words together show that Balaam is not certain if God will appear; he is expressing hope, not confidence, about the encounter.
  • high place (שָּׂדֶה, shedeh): The word here points to a location often used for worship or seeking divine messages, emphasizing the seriousness of Balaam’s approach.

Why Numbers 23:3 matters

  • Numbers 23:3 clarifies that Balaam does not control the outcome; he cannot guarantee that God will speak, making his role as a messenger clear rather than as a manipulator of divine will.
  • The verse shows the tension between Balak’s desire for a curse and Balaam’s dependence on whatever God chooses to reveal, setting up the rest of the story where Balaam can only speak what he hears from God.
  • This verse connects to the broader narrative by highlighting the difference between human plans (Balak’s offerings and hopes) and God’s sovereignty over what will be spoken and done.

Where else these words appear

“place” Hebrew H8205 · used in 10 verses

  • Job 33:21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.
  • Jeremiah 3:2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
  • Jeremiah 7:29 Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

“come” Hebrew H7136 · used in 27 verses

  • Genesis 24:12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
  • Numbers 23:16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
  • Nehemiah 3:6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

“Balak” Hebrew H1111 · used in 40 verses

  • Numbers 22:2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
  • Numbers 22:39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth.
  • Numbers 23:25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

“Stand” Hebrew H3320 · used in 45 verses

  • Exodus 2:4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
  • Joshua 24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
  • 2 Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.