Numbers 23:12 (YLT)

Passage

and he answereth and saith, `That which Jehovah doth put in my mouth--it do I not take heed to speak?'

Nearby Context

Numbers 23:10 Who hath counted the dust of Jacob, And the number of the fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of upright ones, And let my last end be like his!'

Numbers 23:11 And Balak saith unto Balaam, `What hast thou done to me? to pierce mine enemies I have taken thee--and lo, thou hast certainly blessed;'

Numbers 23:12 and he answereth and saith, `That which Jehovah doth put in my mouth--it do I not take heed to speak?'

Numbers 23:13 And Balak saith unto him, `Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, whence thou dost see it, only its extremity thou dost see, and all of it thou dost not see, and pierce it for me thence;'

Numbers 23:14 and he taketh him <FI>to<Fi> the field of Zophim, unto the top of Pisgah, and buildeth seven altars, and offereth a bullock and a ram on the altar.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answereth", "saith", "jehovah", "doth", "mouth--it", "take", "heed", and "speak". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answereth" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And Balak saith unto Balaam What hast..." into verse 13's "And Balak saith unto him Come I...", so "answereth" and "saith" 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 "answereth" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.