Numbers 23:26 (LSB)

Passage

But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘Whatever Yahweh speaks, that I must do’?”

Nearby Context

Numbers 23:24 Behold, a people rises like a lioness, And as a lion it lifts itself; It will not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”

Numbers 23:25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

Numbers 23:26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘Whatever Yahweh speaks, that I must do’?”

Numbers 23:27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be right in the eyes of God that you curse them for me from there.”

Numbers 23:28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the wasteland.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "balaam", "replied", "balak", "tell", "saying", "whatever", "yahweh", and "speaks". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "balaam" and "replied", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "Then Balak said to Balaam Do not..." into verse 27's "Then Balak said to Balaam Please come...", so "balaam" and "replied" 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 "balaam" and "replied" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.