Numbers 23:16 (WEB)

Passage

Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and say this.”

Nearby Context

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

Numbers 23:15 He said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet God over there.”

Numbers 23:16 Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and say this.”

Numbers 23:17 He came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?”

Numbers 23:18 He took up his parable, and said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, you son of Zippor.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "yahweh", "balaam", "word", "mouth", "said", "return", and "balak". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "yahweh" and "balaam", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "He said to Balak Stand here by..." into verse 17's "He came to him and behold he...", so "yahweh" and "balaam" 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 "yahweh" and "balaam" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.