Numbers 22:28 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

And the LORD enabled the donkey to speak, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you that you have beaten me three times?'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

God miraculously gave Balaam's donkey the ability to speak so she could question why her master was beating her.

📚 Historical Context

In the book of Numbers, the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, and the Moabite king Balak feared their growing numbers and sought to curse them through a prophet named Balaam. God had already instructed Balaam not to curse Israel, but as Balaam traveled to meet Balak, his donkey repeatedly veered off the path because it saw an angel of the Lord blocking the way, leading to Balaam beating the animal three times. In this moment, God miraculously opened the donkey's mouth to speak and rebuke Balaam, revealing the angel and emphasizing God's authority over the situation.

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Numbers 22:30

And the donkey said to Balaam, 'Am I not your donkey that you have ridden all this time, from when I first became yours until today? Have I ever acted this way toward you before?' And Balaam said, 'No.'

Numbers 22:21

So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the Moabite officials.

2 Peter 2:16

But he got called out for doing wrong: his donkey literally started talking like a human to stop the prophet from making a huge mistake.

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