Contradictions and Paradoxes in Numbers 23:17

Check out Contradictions Catalog of Numbers 23:17 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts Numbers 23:17. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to the author of the book, this verse shows how Balak, the leader, is eager to hear what God has to say. It teaches that we should be curious and want to listen to what God tells us.

Numbers 23:17: And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?

Contradiction with 1 Samuel 15:29

Numbers 23:17 conveys Balaam's continued refusal to curse Israel, as commanded by God. However, 1 Samuel 15:29 states that God does not repent, suggesting a consistency with what Balaam eventually follows in not cursing, though the context and situation described in Numbers were open to change and divine interaction initially, showing a different understanding of God's actions.

1 Samuel 15:29: And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he [is] not a man, that he should repent. [Strength: or, Eternity, or, Victory]

Contradiction with Exodus 32:14

Numbers 23:17 indicates Balaam's obedience to God's consistent command not to curse Israel, whereas Exodus 32:14 describes a situation where the Lord repented of the evil He thought to do unto His people, suggesting a contradiction on God's changeability.

Exodus 32:14: And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Contradiction with Jonah 3:10

Numbers 23:17 acknowledges Balaam adhering to God's unchanged message, while Jonah 3:10 shows that God changed His intention concerning Nineveh after they repented, highlighting a perceived inconsistency in divine immutability in response to human actions.

Jonah 3:10: And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did [it] not.

Contradiction with Jeremiah 18:8

Numbers 23:17 reflects God's unchanging directive through Balaam, yet Jeremiah 18:8 presents the scenario where God promises change in His plans if a nation repents of its evil.

Jeremiah 18:8: If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

Contradiction with Genesis 6:6

Numbers 23:17 suggests a fixed divine command through Balaam, while Genesis 6:6 shows God regretting His creation of humanity, implying a capacity for change conflicting with the unwavering stance in Balaam's message.

Genesis 6:6: And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
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