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Numbers 23:19

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Numbers 23:19

Verse 19 of 30

Scripture focus

God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Numbers 23:19 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Numbers 23:19

Theological / Devotional

God is not a man. It seems strange that Balaam did not sense that he was treating Jehovah as if He were altogether a man, to be influenced to change His mind. Such was a purely heathen concept.

Neither the son of man. The word here translated “man” is the generic word meaning any member of the human race; God is not a mere mortal.

Repent. In the sense of grieving over one’s doings. The change of location, the additional altars and the sacrifices offered on them, did not convince Jehovah that He had made a mistake in not being influenced by the first location and offerings. It is only a sincere turning away from evil by the sinner that can influence God to withhold due punishment (see Jer. 18:8; 26:3; Mal. 3:6; Rom. 11:29; James 1:17).

By SdaBc