Numbers 23:9
New International Version
From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.

New Living Translation
I see them from the cliff tops; I watch them from the hills. I see a people who live by themselves, set apart from other nations.

English Standard Version
For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!

Berean Standard Bible
For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.

King James Bible
For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

New King James Version
For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations.

New American Standard Bible
“For I see him from the top of the rocks, And I look at him from the hills; Behold, a people that lives in isolation, And does not consider itself to be among the nations.

NASB 1995
“As I see him from the top of the rocks, And I look at him from the hills; Behold, a people who dwells apart, And will not be reckoned among the nations.

NASB 1977
“As I see him from the top of the rocks, And I look at him from the hills; Behold, a people who dwells apart, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.

Legacy Standard Bible
For I see him from the top of the rocks, And I look at him from the hills; Behold, a people who dwells alone, And will not be reckoned among the nations.

Amplified Bible
“For from the top of the rocks I see Israel, And from the hills I look at him. Behold, the people [of Israel] shall dwell alone And will not be reckoned among the nations.

Christian Standard Bible
I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. There is a people living alone; it does not consider itself among the nations.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. There is a people living alone; it does not consider itself among the nations.

American Standard Version
For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because from the top of the mountains I saw him, and from Ramtha, his limit; behold the people dwells alone and is not counted among the nations.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For from the top of the mountains I shall see him, and from the hills I shall observe him: behold, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

Contemporary English Version
"From the mountain peaks, I look down and see Israel, the obedient people of God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
I shall see him from the tops of the rocks, and shall consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

English Revised Version
For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that dwell alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, I look at them from the hills. I see a nation that lives by itself, people who do not consider themselves to be like other nations.

Good News Translation
From the high rocks I can see them; I can watch them from the hills. They are a nation that lives alone; They know they are blessed more than other nations.

International Standard Version
I saw them from the top of the rocks. I watched them from the hills. Truly this is a people that lives by itself and doesn't matter among the nations.

JPS Tanakh 1917
For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.

Literal Standard Version
For from the top of rocks I see him, | And from heights I behold him; Behold a people! He dwells alone, | And does not reckon himself among nations.

Majority Standard Bible
For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.

New American Bible
For from the top of the crags I see him, from the heights I behold him. Here is a people that lives apart and does not reckon itself among the nations.

NET Bible
For from the top of the rocks I see them; from the hills I watch them. Indeed, a nation that lives alone, and it will not be reckoned among the nations.

New Revised Standard Version
For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him. Here is a people living alone, and not reckoning itself among the nations!

New Heart English Bible
For from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I see him. Look, it is a people that dwells alone, and not counting itself among the nations.

Webster's Bible Translation
For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

World English Bible
For from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I see him. Behold, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be listed among the nations.

Young's Literal Translation
For from the top of rocks I see it, And from heights I behold it; Lo a people! alone it doth tabernacle, And among nations doth not reckon itself.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Balaam's First Oracle
8How can I curse what God has not cursed? How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced? 9For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations. 10Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 32:8
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.

Deuteronomy 33:28
So Israel dwells securely; the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine, where even the heavens drip with dew.

Jeremiah 49:31
Rise up, advance against a nation at ease, one that dwells securely," declares the LORD. "They have no gates or bars; they live alone.


Treasury of Scripture

For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: see, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

the people.

Exodus 19:5,6
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: …

Exodus 33:16
For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 33:28
Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

shall not

Deuteronomy 32:8
When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

Ezra 9:2
For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

Jeremiah 46:28
Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

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Alone Apart Consider Dwell Dwelling Dwells Heights Hills Itself Live Mountains Nations Numbered Peaks Reckon Reckoned Reckoning Rocks Rocky Separate Tabernacle Themselves View
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Alone Apart Consider Dwell Dwelling Dwells Heights Hills Itself Live Mountains Nations Numbered Peaks Reckon Reckoned Reckoning Rocks Rocky Separate Tabernacle Themselves View
Numbers 23
1. Balak's sacrifices














(9) For from the top of the rocks I see him . . . --From the summit of the rocky mountain on which Balak had erected his seven altars, Balaam, according to one interpretation (see Numbers 22:41, and Note), had a full view of the outstretched camps of Israel.

Lo, the people shall dwell alone . . . --Better, Lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone, and that is not numbered, &c. In the fact that the host of Israel dwelt by itself in a separate encampment, Balaam discerned a type of the essential separation of Israel from the surrounding nations. When Israel adopted the ways of the heathen nations it speedily lost its external independence. Hengstenberg observes upon the last clause of this verse as follows:--"How truly Balaam said that Israel 'did not reckon itself with the heathen' appears from the fact that while all the powerful empires of the ancient world--the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and others--have utterly perished, Israel (which even under the Old Covenant was rescued from so many dangers that threatened its entire destruction, particularly in being brought back from exile) flourishes anew in the Church of the New Covenant, and continues also to exist in that part of it which, though at present rejected, is destined to restoration at a future period." (History of Balaam, &c., p. 409.)

Verse 9. - The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned. Rather, "It is a people that dwelleth apart, and is not numbered." It was not the outward isolation on which his eye was fixed, for that indeed was only temporary and accidental, but the religious and moral separateness of Israel as the chosen people of God, which was the very secret of their national greatness.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I see them
אֶרְאֶ֔נּוּ (’er·’en·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

from atop
מֵרֹ֤אשׁ (mê·rōš)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7218: The head

the rocky cliffs,
צֻרִים֙ (ṣu·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6697: A cliff, a rock, boulder, a refuge, an edge

and I watch them
אֲשׁוּרֶ֑נּוּ (’ă·šū·ren·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7789: To spy out, survey, lurk for, care for

from the hills.
וּמִגְּבָע֖וֹת (ū·mig·gə·ḇā·‘ō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 1389: A hillock

Behold,
הֶן־ (hen-)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

a people
עָם֙ (‘ām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

dwelling
יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן (yiš·kōn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7931: To settle down, abide, dwell

apart,
לְבָדָ֣ד (lə·ḇā·ḏāḏ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 910: Isolation, separation

[who] will not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

reckon themselves
יִתְחַשָּֽׁב׃ (yiṯ·ḥaš·šāḇ)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2803: To think, account

among the nations.
וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם (ū·ḇag·gō·w·yim)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts


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OT Law: Numbers 23:9 For from the top of the rocks (Nu Num.)
Numbers 23:8
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