Numbers 23:18 (KJV)

Passage

And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

Nearby Context

Numbers 23:16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.

Numbers 23:17 And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?

Numbers 23:18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

Numbers 23:19 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 23:20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "took", "parable", "said", "rise", "balak", "hear", "hearken", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "took" and "parable", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And when he came to him behold..." into verse 19's "God is not a man that he...", so "took" 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 "took" and "parable" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.