Numbers 23:20

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Behold, I have received [commandment] to bless: And he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

הִנֵּ֥ה בָרֵ֖ךְ לָקָ֑חְתִּי וּבֵרֵ֖ךְ וְלֹ֥א אֲשִׁיבֶֽנָּה׃

Transliteration

hinnēh bārēk lāqāḥtî û-bērēk wə-lōʾ ʾăšîbennâ

Grammar Details

*hinnēh*: demonstrative particle - behold
*bārēk*: piel infinitive absolute - to bless
*lāqāḥtî*: qal perfect, 1st singular - I have received
*û-bērēk*: waw conjunction + piel perfect, 3rd masculine singular - and he has blessed
*wə-lōʾ*: waw conjunction + negative particle - and not
*ʾăšîbennâ*: hiphil imperfect, 1st singular + 3rd feminine singular suffix - I will reverse it

Word Meanings

*bārēk*: to bless/blessing (emphatic)
*lāqāḥtî*: I have received/I have taken/I have accepted
*bērēk*: he has blessed/he has favored
*ʾăšîbennâ*: I will reverse it/I will turn it back/I will retract it

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

🔄 Compare with

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Gen 22:17 : 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Num 22:12 : 12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed.
Gen 12:2 : 2 and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make they name great; and be thou a blessing:
Num 22:18 : 18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah my God, to do less or more.
Isa 43:13 : 13 Yea, since the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who can hinder it?
John 10:27-29 : 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who hath given [them] unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand.
Rom 8:38-39 : 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Pet 1:5 : 5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Num 22:38 : 38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to speak anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Num 23:7-9
3 verses
77%
7And he took up his parable, and said, From Aram hath Balak brought me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: Come, curse me Jacob, And come, defy Israel.
8How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom Jehovah hath not defied?
9For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Num 23:19
75%
19God is not a man, that he should lie, Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and will he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good?
Num 23:11-13
3 verses
74%
11And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
12And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which Jehovah putteth in my mouth?
13And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.
Num 22:12
74%
12And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed.
Num 23:21
73%
21He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob; Neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: Jehovah his God is with him, And the shout of a king is among them.
Num 23:25-26
2 verses
73%
25And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
26But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that Jehovah speaketh, that I must do?
Num 22:17-18
2 verses
71%
17for I will promote thee unto very great honor, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
18And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah my God, to do less or more.
Deut 11:26-27
2 verses
71%
26Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse:
27the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I command you this day;
Heb 6:14
71%
14saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
Gen 12:3
71%
3and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Num 24:9-13
5 verses
71%
9He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee.
10And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.
11Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honor.
12And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers that thou sentest unto me, saying,
13If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what Jehovah speaketh, that will I speak?
Num 22:6
71%
6Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
Deut 23:5
70%
5Nevertheless Jehovah thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but Jehovah thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because Jehovah thy God loved thee.
Num 23:23
70%
23Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob; Neither is there any divination with Israel: Now shalt it be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!
Josh 24:10
70%
10but I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
Deut 28:8
69%
8Jehovah will command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and he will bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.
Gen 48:20
69%
20And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee will Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
Num 6:23-24
2 verses
69%
23Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel: ye shall say unto them,
24Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee:
Ps 37:22
69%
22For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land; And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off.
Num 22:38
69%
38And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to speak anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
1 Chr 16:17
68%
17And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
Neh 13:2
68%
2because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Deut 33:1
68%
1And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2 Chr 6:4
68%
4And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hands fulfilled it, saying,
Gen 18:18
68%
18seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Gen 31:29
68%
29It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
1 Kgs 8:56
68%
56Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant.
Lev 27:33
68%
33He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
Gen 26:3
67%
3sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
Exod 34:10
67%
10And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been wrought in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of Jehovah; for it is a terrible thing that I do with thee.
Num 24:1
67%
1And when Balaam saw that it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
Gen 24:50
67%
50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from Jehovah: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Heb 11:20
67%
20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come.
Gen 27:29
67%
29Let peoples serve thee, And nations bow down to thee: Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: Cursed be every one that curseth thee, And blessed be every one that blesseth thee.
Mal 2:2
67%
2If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
Gen 22:17
67%
17that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;