Numbers 23:7 (GNV)

Passage

Then he vttered his parable, and sayde, Balak the king of Moab hath brought mee from Aram out of the mountaines of the East, saying, Come, curse Iaakob for my sake: come, and detest Israel.

Nearby Context

Numbers 23:5 And the Lord put an answere in Balaams mouth, and sayde, Go againe to Balak, and say on this wise.

Numbers 23:6 So when he returned vnto him, loe, hee stoode by his burnt offering, he, and all the princes of Moab.

Numbers 23:7 Then he vttered his parable, and sayde, Balak the king of Moab hath brought mee from Aram out of the mountaines of the East, saying, Come, curse Iaakob for my sake: come, and detest Israel.

Numbers 23:8 How shall I curse, where God hath not cursed? or howe shall I detest, where the Lord hath not detested?

Numbers 23:9 For from the top of the rocks I did see him, and from the hils I did beholde him: lo, the people shall dwell by themselues, and shall not be reckened among the nations.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "vttered", "parable", "sayde", "balak", "king", "moab", "hath", and "brought". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "vttered" and "parable", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "So when he returned vnto him loe..." into verse 8's "How shall I curse where God hath...", so "vttered" and "parable" 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 "vttered" and "parable" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.