Numbers 22 — Hebrew and Greek compared
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Same 12 Similar 7 Different 17 Divergent 2 Disparate 3
Disparate in this chapter: 22:18, 22:30, 22:41
Each verse is rendered independently from the Hebrew (Rabbinic reading tradition) and from the Greek (Saints reading tradition). The badge classifies the relationship between the two readings; the note beneath records the source document’s comparison and attributed interpretation. Each column retains its own verse references where numbering differs.
Moab's Terror
22:1 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:1 The sons of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.
Greek · Saints priority
22:1 The sons of Israel set out and camped on the western side of Moab, beside the Jordan opposite Jericho.
Plains of Moab / western side of Moab; beyond / beside the Jordan.
22:2 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
Greek · Saints priority
22:2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
22:3 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:3 Moab was very afraid of the people because they were numerous; Moab dreaded the sons of Israel.
Greek · Saints priority
22:3 Moab was very afraid of the people because they were numerous; Moab was distressed by the sons of Israel.
The second Hebrew verb can convey dread or revulsion; Greek emphasizes distress.
22:4 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:4 Moab said to the elders of Midian: Now this assembly will lick up everything around us as an ox licks up the green plants of the field. Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.
Greek · Saints priority
22:4 Moab said to the council of elders of Midian: Now this congregation will lick up everyone around us as a calf licks up the green plants of the plain. Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.
Everything / everyone; ox / calf. Greek specifies a council of elders.
The First Embassy
22:5 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:5 He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, beside the River in the land of his people, to summon him: Look, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the land and are staying opposite me.
Greek · Saints priority
22:5 He sent envoys to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, beside the river in the land of his people, to summon him: Look, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the land and are encamped next to me.
Both preserve the difficult “land of his people” expression; an Ammonite origin is not substituted. The Hebrew River conventionally denotes the Euphrates.
22:6 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:6 Now please come and curse this people for me, for they are stronger than I am. Perhaps I will succeed, and we can strike them and drive them from the land. I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.
Greek · Saints priority
22:6 Now come and curse this people for me, for they are stronger than we are. If we can strike some of them, I will drive them from the land. I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.
Stronger than “I” / “we”; Greek specifies striking some of them. Both report Balak's belief in Balaam's efficacy, not the narrator's endorsement.
22:7 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:7 The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with divination fees in their hands. They came to Balaam and told him Balak's words.
Greek · Saints priority
22:7 The council of elders of Moab and the council of elders of Midian went with the means of divination in their hands. They came to Balaam and told him Balak's words.
Both source nouns are terse. Hebrew qesamim can denote payment for divination here; Greek manteia can denote divinatory instruments or materials. Neither explicitly says a precise fee or sum.
22:8 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:8 He said to them: Spend the night here, and I will bring you back the answer that YHWH speaks to me. The officials of Moab stayed with Balaam.
Greek · Saints priority
22:8 He said to them: Lodge here for the night, and I will answer you with whatever the Lord speaks to me. The officials of Moab remained with Balaam.
22:9 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:9 God came to Balaam and said: Who are these men with you?
Greek · Saints priority
22:9 God came to Balaam and said to him: Who are these men with you?
22:10 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:10 Balaam said to God: Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me:
Greek · Saints priority
22:10 Balaam said to God: Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent them to me, saying:
Greek makes the messengers explicit as “them.”
22:11 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:11 Look, the people who came out of Egypt cover the face of the land. Now come and curse them for me. Perhaps I can fight them and drive them out.
Greek · Saints priority
22:11 Look, a people has come out of Egypt and covers the face of the land; they are encamped next to me. Now come and curse them for me. Perhaps I can strike them and drive them from the land.
Greek repeats the encampment next to Balak from verse 5 and adds “from the land.” Fight / strike also differs.
22:12 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:12 God said to Balaam: You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.
Greek · Saints priority
22:12 God said to Balaam: You shall not go with them or curse the people, for they are blessed.
22:13 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:13 Balaam rose in the morning and said to Balak's officials: Go to your land, for YHWH has refused to let me go with you.
Greek · Saints priority
22:13 Balaam rose in the morning and said to Balak's officials: Hurry back to your lord, for God does not permit me to go with you.
Your land / your lord; YHWH / God. The refusal agrees.
22:14 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:14 The officials of Moab rose, came to Balak, and said: Balaam has refused to come with us.
Greek · Saints priority
22:14 The officials of Moab rose, came to Balak, and said: Balaam is unwilling to come with us.
The Second Embassy
22:15 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:15 Balak again sent officials, more numerous and more distinguished than these.
Greek · Saints priority
22:15 Balak again sent officials, more numerous and more honored than these.
22:16 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:16 They came to Balaam and said to him: Thus says Balak son of Zippor: Please do not let anything prevent you from coming to me.
Greek · Saints priority
22:16 They came to Balaam and said to him: Thus says Balak son of Zippor: I ask you, do not hesitate to come to me.
Preventing / hesitating gives the appeal a slightly different emphasis.
22:17 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:17 I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you tell me. Please come and curse this people for me.
Greek · Saints priority
22:17 I will honor you richly, and I will do for you whatever you say. Come and curse this people for me.
22:18 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:18 Balaam answered Balak's servants: Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of YHWH my God to do anything small or great.
Greek · Saints priority
22:18 Balaam answered Balak's officials: Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the word of the Lord God to do anything small or great according to my own intention.
Servants / officials; Greek lacks “my” before God and adds the restriction concerning Balaam's own intention. Both subordinate his action to divine speech.
22:19 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:19 Now please stay here tonight also, so that I may learn what more YHWH will say to me.
Greek · Saints priority
22:19 Now you also remain here tonight, and I will learn what more the Lord will say to me.
22:20 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him: If the men have come to summon you, rise and go with them. But you shall do only what I tell you.
Greek · Saints priority
22:20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him: If these men are here to summon you, rise and follow them. But you shall do what I tell you.
Both permit the journey subject to obedience; the following anger remains a narrative tension within both texts.
22:21 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:21 Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the officials of Moab.
Greek · Saints priority
22:21 Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the officials of Moab.
The donkey is female in both accounts.
Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel
22:22 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:22 God's anger burned because he was going. YHWH's angel stationed himself in the road as an adversary to him. Balaam was riding his donkey, with his two servants beside him.
Greek · Saints priority
22:22 God grew angry because he went. God's angel rose to obstruct him. Balaam was riding his donkey, with his two servants beside him.
YHWH's angel / God's angel; Greek lacks the road setting in this verse. Hebrew satan is a role, “adversary,” here, not a second supernatural person's name.
22:23 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:23 The donkey saw YHWH's angel standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand. She turned off the road into the field, and Balaam struck her to turn her back onto the road.
Greek · Saints priority
22:23 The donkey saw God's angel opposing them in the road with his sword drawn in his hand. She turned off the road into the plain, and he struck her with the staff to direct her onto the road.
Greek adds the staff in this first beating; Hebrew first names the implement in verse 27. YHWH / God also differs.
22:24 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:24 YHWH's angel stood in a narrow path between vineyards, with a wall on either side.
Greek · Saints priority
22:24 God's angel stood in the furrows of the vineyards, with a fence on either side.
Narrow path / furrows; wall / fence; YHWH / God.
22:25 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:25 The donkey saw YHWH's angel and pressed against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. He struck her again.
Greek · Saints priority
22:25 The donkey saw God's angel and pressed herself against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot. He whipped her again.
Greek describes the renewed blow as whipping and does not repeat that the foot is against the wall.
22:26 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:26 YHWH's angel went farther and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn right or left.
Greek · Saints priority
22:26 God's angel went farther and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn right or left.
The angel's designation is YHWH / God; the obstruction agrees.
22:27 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:27 The donkey saw YHWH's angel and lay down beneath Balaam. Balaam's anger burned, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
Greek · Saints priority
22:27 The donkey saw God's angel and crouched beneath Balaam. Balaam became angry and beat the donkey with his staff.
YHWH / God; the Greek imperfect presents repeated beating.
22:28 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:28 YHWH opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam: What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?
Greek · Saints priority
22:28 God opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam: What have I done to you that you have struck me this third time?
YHWH / God; three times / this third time. Both attribute the speech to divine action.
Rabbinic reception: Rashi connects the Hebrew expression for three times with Israel’s three annual pilgrimage festivals. This wordplay belongs to his interpretation, rather than the donkey literally naming the festivals.
Source: Rashi, Numbers 22:28
22:29 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:29 Balaam said to the donkey: Because you have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you now.
Greek · Saints priority
22:29 Balaam said to the donkey: Because you have mocked me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would have stabbed you already.
Kill / stab; present threat / counterfactual completed action.
22:30 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:30 The donkey said to Balaam: Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to doing this to you? He said: No.
Greek · Saints priority
22:30 The donkey said to Balaam: Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden from your youth until this day? Have I acted like this toward you out of deliberate disregard? He said: No.
Hebrew appeals to habitual behavior; Greek asks about intentional disregard. “All your life” / “from your youth” also differs.
Apostolic reception: Second Peter recalls the animal’s human speech as a rebuke restraining Balaam’s folly, within a warning about the pursuit of wrongful gain.
Source: 2 Peter 2:15–16
22:31 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:31 YHWH uncovered Balaam's eyes, and he saw YHWH's angel standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand. He bowed down and prostrated himself on his face.
Greek · Saints priority
22:31 God uncovered Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Lord's angel opposing him in the road with his sword drawn in his hand. He bent down and prostrated himself on his face.
YHWH / God in the opening; Greek calls the angel the Lord's here, unlike its surrounding verses.
22:32 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:32 YHWH's angel said to him: Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Look, I have come out as an adversary, because your way is reckless before me.
Greek · Saints priority
22:32 God's angel said to him: Why have you struck your donkey this third time? Look, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is not fitting before me.
The rare Hebrew yarat is rendered “reckless” tentatively; Greek calls the way unfitting. Both rebuke Balaam's course and treatment of the donkey.
22:33 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:33 The donkey saw me and turned away before me these three times. Had she not turned away from me, I would now have killed you and kept her alive.
Greek · Saints priority
22:33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me this third time. If she had not turned away, I would now have killed you and preserved her.
Greek states the counterfactual clearly. Hebrew's unusual 'ulay clause is rendered by its contextual sense; its form remains difficult.
22:34 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:34 Balaam said to YHWH's angel: I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing against me in the road. Now, if this is evil in your eyes, I will turn back.
Greek · Saints priority
22:34 Balaam said to the Lord's angel: I have sinned, for I did not know that you were opposing me in the road. Now, if this does not please you, I will turn back.
Evil in your eyes / not pleasing to you expresses the same offer to return.
22:35 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:35 YHWH's angel said to Balaam: Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you. Balaam went with Balak's officials.
Greek · Saints priority
22:35 God's angel said to Balaam: Go with the men, but take care to speak the word that I tell you. Balaam went with Balak's officials.
YHWH / God; Greek adds the wording of careful observance.
The Meeting of Balak and Balaam
22:36 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:36 Balak heard that Balaam was coming and went out to meet him at the city of Moab on the Arnon border, at the edge of the territory.
Greek · Saints priority
22:36 Balak heard that Balaam had arrived and went out to meet him at a city of Moab on the Arnon border, at the edge of the territory.
22:37 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:37 Balak said to Balaam: Did I not send urgently to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really unable to honor you?
Greek · Saints priority
22:37 Balak said to Balaam: Did I not send to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really unable to honor you?
Hebrew's emphatic repetition of “send” is not reproduced in Greek.
22:38 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:38 Balaam said to Balak: Look, I have come to you. Can I now say anything at all? I shall speak the word that God puts in my mouth.
Greek · Saints priority
22:38 Balaam said to Balak: Look, I have come to you. Am I now able to say anything? I shall speak the word that God puts in my mouth.
22:39 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:39 Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
Greek · Saints priority
22:39 Balaam went with Balak, and they came to towns of farmsteads.
Greek translates the place expression descriptively and uses plural “towns,” while Hebrew names Kiriath-huzoth.
22:40 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and sent portions to Balaam and the officials with him.
Greek · Saints priority
22:40 Balak sacrificed sheep and calves and sent portions to Balaam and the officials with him.
Cattle and sheep / sheep and calves reverses the order and narrows the bovine term.
22:41 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
22:41 In the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the heights of Baal. From there he saw the outer part of the people.
Greek · Saints priority
22:41 In the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Baal's pillar. From there he showed him a part of the people.
Heights of Baal / Baal's pillar changes the cultic landmark; seeing / being shown also changes agency.
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Saints Translation · Companion comparison edition · working draft awaiting specialist review.