#book of numbers

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel

21 So in the morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

22 Then God’s anger was kindled because Balaam was going along, and the angelb of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into a field. So Balaam beat her to return her to the path.

24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow passage between two vineyards, with walls on either side. 25 And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD and pressed herself against the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her once again.

26 And the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he became furious and beat her with his staff.

28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”

29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!”

30 But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?”

“No,” he replied.

31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. And Balaam bowed low and fell facedown.

32 The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perversec before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now I would surely have killed you and let her live.”

34 “I have sinned,” Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “for I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is displeasing in your sight, I will go back home.”

35 But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37 And he said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to richly reward you?”

38 “See, I have come to you,” Balaam replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth.”

39 So Balaam accompanied Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. — Numbers 22:21-39 | Majority Standard Bible (MSB) The Holy Bible, Majority Standard Bible is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God’s Word has been dedicated to the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 21:19; Exodus 4:24; Exodus 23:20; Numbers 14:40; Numbers 21:13; Numbers 22:40; Joshua 5:13; 1 Samuel 15:24; 2 Chronicles 18:13; Proverbs 12:10; Isaiah 16:12; Matthew 15:19; James 1:19; 2 Peter 2:15-16

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Story of Balaam - Prophet and Talking Donkey in the Bible?

[justana0kguy]

2025 JANUARY 01 W01 Solemnity of Mary Mother of God Wednesday

"The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!"

~ Numbers 6:24-26

[m0th-person]

Nahshon sketches

I like his character a lot and I’m disappointed that so many series and movies about Moses don’t have him and his sister Elisheba in them, because imo they’re so important as Elisheba is Aaron’s wife and Nahshon is King David’s direct ancestor!!!

[words-of-wisdom-found]

[apenitentialprayer]

The LORD said to Moses: Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them, this is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:

"The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!"

So shall they invoke My Name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.

the Book of Numbers (6:22-27)

Peace: the Hebrew word Shalom [שָׁלֽוֹם] includes the idea of happiness, good health, prosperity, friendship, and general well-being. The use of this term as a greeting was to pray for all these things upon the one greeted.

the commentary for Numbers 6:26 given in the New American Bible, Revised Edition translation.

Almost identical forms of this blessing were found on two silver plaques in a tomb near Jerusalem, dating to the late 7th or early 6th century BCE. Each line, with God as subject, is progressively longer (three, five, seven Hebrew words). Perhaps the second verb in each case defines the first more specifically; together the six verbs cover God's benevolent activity from various angles and state God's gracious will for Israel. To bless signifies any divine gift that serves the life and well-being of individuals and communities. To keep is a specific blessing to those with safety concerns, focusing on God's protection from all kinds of evil (cf. Ps 121.7-9). The shining face of God (contrasting the hiding face) signifies God's benevolent disposition (cf. Ps 67.1). Lift up his countenance ["look upon you kindly," above] signifies a favorable movement toward the other in granting peace, that is, wholeness and fullness of life.

the commentary for this passage in the New Oxford Annotated Bible, Fourth Edition.

[Hugo] Grotius observes that they pronounced them aloud, standing, with their hands lifted up.

George Leo Hadydock's commentary.

This blessing is sometimes called the blessing of Saint Francis, for he recommended this greeting to his followers.

Rev. Jude Winkler, O.F.M. Conv.'s commentary.

[foodandfolklore]

Why there is a Man in the Moon

The book of numbers is probably the weirdest book from the bible. And that's really saying something. But I love weird so here we are. The man in the moon is often talked about and referenced when discussing iconic Fable characters. If you've ever seen Dreamwork's Rise of the Guardians, the Man in the Moon is like the Nick Furry to the Holiday Avengers. He's often mentioned in European folktales to explain why the craters of the moon kind of look like a face to some.

But it actually goes back further than that. The story of the man in the moon is a Jewish folk tale about a man gathering wood on the Sabbath, and was placed on the moon as punishment for working on the day of rest. In the book of Numbers, I believe the man is stoned to death as ordered by God.

Similar retellings can be found in many other cultures, and has mostly been retold in Europe. Most have been Christianized, thus having the day be on a Sunday rather a Saturday. In some retellings, the man is actually Cain who has been doomed to a life of immortality wandering the earth. Placing him on the moon cause like "What else can we do?".

This version is quite a short one, from the 1902 Book of Nature Myths. It's a tad funny upon reading that the man fears his wife more than God or God-like being.

"Goodman," said the goodwife, "you must go out into the forest and gather sticks for the fire. To-morrow will be Sunday, and we have no wood to burn."

"Yes, goodwife," answered the goodman, "I will go to the forest."

He did go to the forest, but he sat on a mossy rock and fished till it was dark, and so he brought home no wood. "The goodwife shall not know it," he thought. "I will go to the forest to-morrow morning and gather sticks."

When morning came, he crept softly out of the house when it was hardly light, and went to the forest. Soon he had as many sticks as he could carry, and he was starting for home when a voice called sternly, "Put those sticks down." He looked to the right, to the left, before him, behind him, and over his head. There was no one to be seen.

"Put those sticks down," said the voice again.

"Please, I do not dare to put them down," replied the goodman, trembling with fear. "They are to burn, and my wife cannot cook the dinner without them."

"You will have no dinner to-day," said the voice.

"The goodwife will not know that I did not gather them last night, and she will let me have some dinner. I am almost sure she will," the goodman replied.

"You must not gather sticks to-day," said the voice more sternly than ever. "It is Sunday. Put them down."

"Indeed, Mr. Voice, I dare not," whispered the goodman; and afar off he thought he heard his wife calling, "Goodman, where are you? There is no wood to burn."

"Will you put them down, or will you carry them forever?" cried the voice angrily.

"Truly, I cannot put them down, for I dare not go home without them," answered the goodman, shaking with fear from head to foot. "The goodwife would not like it."

"Then carry them forever," said the voice. "You care not for Sunday, and you shall never have another Sunday."

The goodman could not tell how it came about, but he felt himself being lifted, up, up, up, sticks and all, till he was in the moon.

"Here you shall stay," said the voice sternly. "You will not keep Sunday, and here you need not. This is the moon, and so it is always the moon's day, or Monday, and Monday it shall be with you always. Whenever any one looks up at the moon, he will say, 'See the man with the sticks on his back. He was taken to the moon because he gathered wood on Sunday.'"

"Oh dear, oh dear," cried the goodman, "what will the goodwife say?"

[movieposters1]

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Book of Numbers

By Joshua Cohen.

Design by Suzanne Dean.

[letthehatersbark]

The funniest one star review of Wicked I've seen so far

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Er hat sich niedergelegt wie ein Löwe und wie ein junger Löwe; wer will sich gegen ihn auflehnen? Gesegnet sei, der dich segnet, und verflucht, der dir flucht!

(He stooped, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness: who will stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.) — Numeri (Numbers) 24:9 | Lutherbibel 1912 (LUTH) The 1912 Luther Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 12:3; Genesis 27:29; Genesis 49:9; Exodus 23:22; Numbers 22:6; Numbers 22:12; Numbers 23:24; Numbers 24:10; Isaiah 31:4; Micah 5:8

Read full chapter (Lutherbibel 1912)

Read full chapter (KJV)

Numbers 24:9 Commentaries

[justana0kguy]

2023 SEPTEMBER 14 Exaltation of the Holy Cross Thursday

"We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us."

~ Numbers 21:7b

[bookwyrminspiration]

I can behave normally around books

[zebratoys]

בִּרְכַּת כֹּהֲנִים

The Kohanim blessing (Birkat Kohanim) known as the Priestly Blessing carries significant importance in Jewish faith, religion and history. Its origin can be traced thousands of years ago to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, to the Book of Numbers in the Bible where God instructs Moses on the manner by which Aaron and his priest sons called Kohanim should bless the People of Israel. It’s a deep spiritual yearning for God’s blessing, guardiance and peaceful enlightened presence that lifts our soul to higher realms, shimmering sparkles of Divinity from Heaven and bringing serenity and peace to the realm of life.

The content and structure of the blessing reflect a profound connection between Am Yisrael and God. Each element of the blessing encapsulates the collective longing of the tribe for God's providence, enlightenment, blessings, grace and peace. The Kohanim blessing consists of three parts: The text of the blessing is found in the Book of Numbers 6:23–27 "May God bless you and protect you": This expresses the longing to be blessed by God's divine protection. It is a plea for physical wellness, spiritual well-being and Divine providence.

"May God shine his countenance upon you and be gracious toward you": This part prays for God's favor and grace. The idea is that God's face metaphorically shines upon us, coring to benevolence and kindness." May God lift up his countenance upon you and grant you peace": The blessing concludes with a prayer for God’s sight and peace. This peace encompasses a state of peaceful holistic synergy of well-being, protection and harmony. To Download PDFs, click here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/zebratoys?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1443513348&from_page=listing&search_query=birkat+kohanim

[wanologic]

sorry danny, sam will never think you’re cool

[northemoonduringthenight]

"Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him, and having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock?"

Numbers 20:9-10 Douay-Rheims Bible.

Artwork: Joachim Wtewael (Dutch, 1566 - 1638), Moses Striking the Rock (1624).

[thyateira]

This post is so beautiful, and I always love your thoughts in the tags!! The part about Moses and God having something special reminded me of this reflection on Numbers 12:8, and the different ways of translating it:

For context, some translations say God speaks to Moses “face to face,” whilst others render a more literal translation — “mouth to mouth.”

Mouth to mouth is an intimacy. When you think about the breath of God, which brings life to all things, and the fact that every word comes from the mouth of God and then is spoken by the prophet, what we actually see here is Moses is not in that confrontational or negative relationship ‘face to face’, but in fact, there’s a sense of a conspiracy – breathing each other’s breath as the Word is given. I think this is actually very, very beautiful. When Jesus was going about his ministry, he spoke the Word of God through his own breath into the hearts of others. In St Matthew’s Gospel, he says, “I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” It’s not the face, it’s the mouth. That sense of opening ourselves, to be conspirators, as in breathing the same spirit, breathing the same breath of God, I think is a very, very beautiful thing.

No please you don't get it you don't get how heart-wrenchingly sad the golden calf thing was

Remember the conversation right before it? in which God tells Moses all about the ark and the offerings and the tent and the rituals and the garments and the Sabbath? The conversation that everybody thought was boring (fight me. FIGHT me this instant)?

The conversation in which God excitedly says, "Okay Moses, my Love, this is gonna be so great! I will live among you, among my people! I'm so happy!!! So here's the plans I've made while I was up here, you will build me a little house! That I will dwell in! Here's how I want it to look, I thought about the exact measurements and ornaments so you could build it for Me and we can live together! I will be your God and you will be My people and I love you all, I love you so much. And here's what I will eat, here's what I like so you can cook it and we can have meals together! And here's how we'll be spending our holidays together and here's how we will all be dressed, I thought about everything! And, and-"

And suddenly His face drops.

"Moses," He says quietly. "I think you should go back down."

"...Why?" asks Moses, his heart already sinking.

"They've made themselves a new god to worship. They... didn't want Me."

Can you imagine? All this holiest excitement doused, all this going out of His way for the Almighty to be family with humans crushed in one moment when God maybe suddenly realizes He isn't loved back? How heartbroken, how utterly crushed must He have been that the Boundless Love could even think about just killing Their people then and there?

Good thing Moses still couldn't see His face. No human would be able to handle so much sorrow.