Bilangan 22:29

22:29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “You have made me look stupid; I wish ¹  there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now.”

Bilangan 22:1

Balaam Refuses to Curse Israel

22:1 ² The Israelites traveled on ³  and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River ⁴  across from Jericho. ⁵ 

1 Korintus 9:9

9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” ⁶  God is not concerned here about oxen, is he?

1 Korintus 9:1

The Rights of an Apostle

9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

1 Timotius 5:18

5:18 For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” ⁷  and, “The worker deserves his pay.” ⁸ 

¹ tn The optative clause is introduced with the particle לוּ (lu).

² sn The fifth section of the book (22:1-33:56) traces the Israelite activities in Transjordan. It is hard to determine how long they were in Transjordan, but a good amount of time must have elapsed for the number of moves they made and the wars they fought. There is a considerable amount of information available on this section of the book. Some of the most helpful works include: H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS); E. Burrows, The Oracles of Jacob and Balaam; G. W. Coats, “Balaam, Sinner or Saint?” BR 18 (1973): 21-29; P. C. Craigie, “The Conquest and Early Hebrew Poetry,” TynBul 20 (1969): 76-94; I. Parker, “The Way of God and the Way of Balaam,” ExpTim 17 (1905): 45; and J. A. Wharton, “The Command to Bless: An Exposition of Numbers 22:41–23:25,” Int 13 (1959): 37-48. This first part introduces the characters and sets the stage for the oracles. It can be divided into four sections: the invitation declined (vv. 1-14), the second invitation extended (vv. 15-21), God opposes Balaam (vv. 22-35), and Balaam meets Balak (vv. 36-41).

³ tn The verse begins with the vav (ו) consecutive.

⁴ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁵ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

⁶ sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.

⁷ sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.

⁸ sn A quotation from Luke 10:7.