He looked at Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, “Amalek was the first of the nations, But his latter end shall come to destruction.”
Parallel Translations
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He looked at Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, “Amalek was the first of the nations, But his latter end shall come to destruction.”
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And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.
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And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said: Amalek was the first of the nations; but his end shall come to destruction.
Cross-references (13)
Passages linked to Numbers 24:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Exodus 17:14 Yahweh said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky.”
- Exodus 17:8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
- Exodus 17:16 He said, “Yah has sworn: ‘Yahweh will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’ ”
- Judges 6:3 So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them.
- 1 Samuel 14:48 He did valiantly, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
- 1 Samuel 15:3-8 Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don’t spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ” Saul summoned the people, and counted them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. Saul came to the city of Amalek, and set an ambush in the valley. Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt. He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
- 1 Samuel 27:8-9 David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, on the way to Shur, even to the land of Egypt. David struck the land, and saved no man or woman alive, and took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned, and came to Achish.
- 1 Samuel 30:1 When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South, and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire,
- 1 Samuel 30:17 David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled.
- 1 Chronicles 4:43 They struck the remnant of the Amalekites who escaped, and have lived there to this day.
- Esther 3:1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.
- Esther 7:9-10 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were with the king said, “Behold, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, is standing at Haman’s house.” The king said, “Hang him on it!” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath was pacified.
- Esther 9:14 The king commanded this to be done. A decree was given out in Susa; and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain The Amalekites first made war against Israel, as Num.…
The Amalekites first made war against Israel, as Num. 14:45.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Num 24:20 And when he looked on Amalek, he…
Num 24:20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek [was] the first of the nations; but his latter end [shall be] that he perish for ever.
Ver. 20. First of the nations.] Or, Principal See Num 24:7.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain He looked from the top of Pisgah, which was…
He looked from the top of Pisgah, which was exceeding high, and gave him the prospect of parts of all these kingdoms.
The first, Heb. the first-fruits; so called either,
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1. Because they were the first of all the neighbouring nations which were embodied together in one government. Or,
2. Because they were the most powerful and eminent of them, as is implied above, Num 24:7, the best things in each kind being oft signified by the name of first-fruits. Or,
3. Because he was the first who fought against Israel, and was vanquished by them, in that famous battle Exo 17, which victory was an earnest and first-fruits of that large harvest of victories which the Israelites should in due time get over all their enemies, and, among others, over Amalek himself, 1Sa 15:3.
That he perish for ever: he began with God and with Israel. but God will end with him; and the firm purpose and will of God is, that he shall be utterly destroyed, Exo 17:14; so that Saul lost his kingdom for not executing this decree and God’s command pursuant thereunto, 1Sa 15.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And he looked on the Kenites,.... Not the family…
And he looked on the Kenites,.... Not the family and posterity of Jethro, as Aben Ezra, Jarchi, and Abendana; for they were not a people by themselves, but were now encamped with Israel, and went with them into the land of Canaan, and were not carried captive with the ten tribes, though some might that dwelt in Naphtali, Jdg 9:4, for they after that remained with Judah under the name of Rechabites, Jer 35:2 and returned with the two tribes, being carried captive with them, Ch1 2:55 but they were a people, though of the same original and family Jethro descended from, which dwelt near, and afterwards among the Amalekites, and therefore were seen by Balaam, and taken notice of at the same time they were; see Sa1 15:6. Abarbinel takes them to be the same with those in Gen 15:19.
and took up his parable; or prophecy concerning them, and delivered it:
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and said, strong is thy dwelling place, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock, they dwelling in craggy rocky places, where they thought themselves secure and out of danger; and this their habitation he calls "Ken", a nest, in allusion to their name Kenites.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain He looked on Amalek - From the top of…
He looked on Amalek - From the top of Pisgah, which was exceeding high, and gave him the prospect of part of all these kingdoms. The first - Hebrew. the firstfruits; so called either, because they were the first of all the neighbouring nations which were embodied together in one government: or, because he was the first who fought against Israel and was vanquished by them. That victory was an earnest and first-fruit of the large harvest of victories which the Israelites should in due time get over all their enemies. He shall perish forever - He began with God and with Israel, but God will end with him, and the firm purpose of God is, that he shall be utterly destroyed; so that Saul lost his kingdom for not executing this decree, and God's command pursuant thereunto.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 20. Amalek was the first of the nations]…
Verse 20. Amalek was the first of the nations] The most ancient and most powerful of all the nations or states then within the view of Balaam; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever, or his posterity אחריתו acharitho, shall be destroyed, or shall utterly fail. This oracle began to be fulfilled by Saul, 1Sa 15:7-8, who overthrew the Amalekites, and took their king, Agag, prisoner. Afterwards they were nearly destroyed by David, 1Sa 27:8, and they were finally exterminated by the sons of Simeon in the days of Hezekiah, 1Ch 4:41-43; since that time they have ceased to exist as a people, and now no vestige of them remains on the face of the earth; so completely is their posterity cut off, according to this prophecy. The marginal reading does not appear to give the proper sense.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Num 24:20. He looked upon Amalek — From the…
Num 24:20. He looked upon Amalek — From the top of Pisgah, which was exceeding high, and gave him the prospect of part of all these kingdoms, he turned his eyes from the Moabites more to the south and west, and looked on their neighbours the Amalekites. Amalek was the first of the nations — Hebrew, the beginning, or first-fruits, so called, either because they were the first of all the neighbouring nations which were imbodied together in one government, or because they were the first who fought against Israel and were vanquished by them. That victory was an earnest and first-fruit of the large harvest of victories which the Israelites should, in due time, get over all their enemies. “The Amalekites appear to have been a very ancient nation. They are mentioned as early as the wars of Chedorlaomer, (Gen 14:7,) and therefore must have been a nation before the times of Abraham and Lot, and consequently much older than the Moabites or Edomites, or any of the nations descended from those patriarchs. But though they were the most ancient and powerful of the neighbouring nations, yet, says Balaam, their latter end shall be that they perish for ever — Here he confirms what God had before denounced by Moses: see Exo 17:14. Balaam had before declared that the king of Israel should prevail over the king of Amalek; but here the menace is carried further, and Amalek is consigned to utter destruction. And this sentence was in a great measure executed by Saul, 1Sa 15:7; afterward more fully by David, 1Sa 27:8-9; and 1Sa 30:1. And at last, in the days of Hezekiah, the sons of Simeon smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt in their habitations, 1Ch 4:41-43. And where is the name or nation of Amalek subsisting at this day? What history, what tradition of them is remaining anywhere? They are but just enough known and remembered to show that what God hath threatened he hath punctually fulfilled.” How incontrovertible is the argument arising from hence in favour not only of the truth of Balaam’s prophecy, but of the assurance which Moses had of its truth, and of the certainty of its accomplishment, inasmuch as he recorded it while Amalek was yet a very powerful nation, and thereby risked on its truth and fulfilment all his credit as an historian and his authority as a lawgiver and messenger of God!
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain When he looked - i. e., in spirit, as…
When he looked - i. e., in spirit, as he saw the Star Num 24:17.
Amalek was the first of the nations - Rather, is pre-eminent among the neighboring nations: compare the same expression in Amo 6:1. Hence, the force of the words Num 24:7 “higher than Agag,” i. e., than the king of this powerful nation (compare Num 14:45; Exo 17:8). This rank, due to the warlike prowess of the tribe, Balaam contrasts with its approaching downfall and extinction.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Nations, which rose up to attack the Hebrews. (Onkelos)…
Nations, which rose up to attack the Hebrews. (Onkelos) --- Saul will punish them, 1 Kings xv. The Amalecites were a very ancient people, known in the days of Abraham, Genesis xiv. 7. But now they are no more. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Amalek . . . his latter end shall be…
Amalek . . . his latter end shall be that he perish for ever--Their territory was seen at the remote extremity of the desert. (See on Exo 17:13; also 1Sa. 15:1-35).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 20. Amalek was the first of the nations —…
20. Amalek was the first of the nations — Not (as the Chaldee) in age, power, and renown, but as the first of the Gentiles that came into conflict against Israel as the people of God. Exo_17:8-13. These first fruits of the wicked nations, like Jericho, the first Canaanite city, were devoted to destruction. Exo_17:14-16; Deu_25:17-19; 1Sa_15:3-7.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. The utterance on Amalek.
20. The utterance on Amalek.
And he saw Amalek] The country of the Amalekites and that of the Kenites (Num_24:21) might be just visible from the Moabite hills, lying far to the south and south-west.
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the first of the nations] i.e. the choicest; Heb. rê’shîth. Cf. Num_18:12. There is no historical evidence that the Amalekites ever occupied a high position among the nations (see on Num_24:7).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (20) And when he looked on Amalek . .…
(20) And when he looked on Amalek . . . —From the. mountain of Peor, on which Balaam then stood, he had a view of the country of the Amalekites, which lay to the south of the land of Canaan (Num_13:29; Gen_36:12).
Amalek was the first of the nations.—The ancestor of the Amalekites was Eliphaz, the son of Esau (Gen_36:12). It has been supposed that the Amalekites separated themselves at a very early period from the rest of the Edomites. The word reshith, which is here rendered “first,” may denote priority in rank, but more frequently denotes priority in time. The corresponding word in the second clause of the verse, aharith (latter end), may be thought to denote that the reference is to time, not to rank. On the other hand, the reference in Num_24:7 to the kings of the Amalekites may be urged in favour of the reference to rank. Some understand the allusion to be to the fact that the Amalekites were the first nation which attacked Israel when they had come out of Egypt (Exo_17:8). It is possible, however, that there may be a reference both to time and to rank. (Comp. Amo_6:1.)
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But his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.—Or, come to destruction. More literally, But his latter end shall be even to one perishing—i.e., he shall come to the position of one who is perishing. The destruction of the Amalekites began in the reign of Saul (1Sa_14:48; 1Sa_15:7), was continued by David (1Sa_27:8; 1Sa_30:17; 2Sa_8:12), and was completed by Hezekiah (1Ch_4:42-43).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain He looked on Amalek. This looking must have been…
He looked on Amalek. This looking must have been an inward vision, because the haunts of the Amalekites were far away. (see on Gen_36:12 Exo_17:8 Num_14:25, Num_14:45) The first of the nations. Amalek was in no sense a leading nation, nor was it a very ancient nation. It was indeed the very first of the nations to attack Israel, but it is a most arbitrary treatment of the words to understand them in that sense. The prophet Amos (Amo_6:1) uses the same expression of the Jewish aristocracy of his day. As it was in no better position than Amalek to claim it in any true sense, we can but suppose that in either case there is a reference to the vainglorious vauntings of the people threatened; it would be quite in keeping with the Bedawin character if Amalek gave himself out be "the first of nations."
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain Or, the first of the nations that warred against…
nations
Or, the first of the nations that warred against Isael. (See Scofield "Exo 17:8").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Balaam looked at Amalek
Balaam looked at Amalek
Here "Amalek" is a metonym that refers to the people of Amalek. This continues Balaam's vision while turning to look in the direction of the Amalek nation, and then he prophecies about the Amalekites. (See: Metonymy)
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his final end
A singular pronoun is used because the Amalekites are spoken of as a single person. (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
translationWords
Balaam
Amalek
prophet
nation
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.