Numbers 23:19 (YLT)

Passage

God <FI>is<Fi> not a man--and lieth, And a son of man--and repenteth! Hath He said--and doth He not do <FI>it<Fi> ? And spoken--and doth He not confirm it?

Nearby Context

Numbers 23:17 And he cometh unto him, and lo, he is standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him, and Balak saith to him: `What hath Jehovah spoken?'

Numbers 23:18 And he taketh up his simile, and saith: `Rise, Balak, and hear; Give ear unto me, son of Zippor!

Numbers 23:19 God <FI>is<Fi> not a man--and lieth, And a son of man--and repenteth! Hath He said--and doth He not do <FI>it<Fi> ? And spoken--and doth He not confirm it?

Numbers 23:20 Lo, to bless I have received: Yea, He blesseth, and I <FI>can<Fi> not reverse it.

Numbers 23:21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, Nor hath He seen perverseness in Israel; Jehovah his God <FI>is<Fi> with him, And a shout of a king <FI>is<Fi> in him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "man--and", "lieth", "repenteth", "hath", "said--and", "doth", and "spoken--and". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "man--and" and "lieth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And he taketh up his simile and..." into verse 20's "Lo to bless I have received Yea...", so "man--and" and "lieth" 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 "man--and" and "lieth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.