Numbers 23:14 (ASV)

Passage

And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Nearby Context

Numbers 23:12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which Jehovah putteth in my mouth?

Numbers 23:13 And 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.

Numbers 23:14 And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Numbers 23:15 And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I meet [Jehovah] yonder.

Numbers 23:16 And Jehovah met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "took", "field", "zophim", "pisgah", "built", "seven", "altars", and "offered". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "took" and "field", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "And Balak said unto him Come I..." into verse 15's "And he said unto Balak Stand here...", so "took" and "field" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "took" and "field" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.