Israel · God's unchanging faithfulness
Numbers 23:19-24
Balaam · ~1406 BC · Status: Fulfilled · Confidence: 65%
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
King James Version · the opening — all 6 verses are below
Balaam's oracle declaring God's unchanging faithfulness — He cannot lie or revoke His blessing on His people.
Read the whole passage — all 6 verses (KJV)
23:19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
23:20Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.
23:21He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.
23:22God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
23:23Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!
23:24Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
Fulfillment References
Titus 1:2 Romans 11:29 Malachi 3:6 Hebrews 6:17-18
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal'God is not a man, that he should lie' — yet in Jesus the one God became flesh without ceasing to be true; His blessing in Christ is irrevocable (Rom. 11:29).
JewishBalaam, hired to curse, is compelled to bless — God's word and election of Israel are irrevocable; a treasured affirmation of God's faithfulness.
CatholicGod's unchanging truthfulness and the irrevocability of His covenant promises.
ProtestantA bedrock text for God's immutability and faithfulness — 'God is not a man, that he should lie' (cf. Titus 1:2).
OrthodoxThe unchanging faithfulness of God who cannot lie.
DispensationalThe irrevocable covenant blessing on Israel, undergirding the nation's future.
AcademicPart of the Balaam oracles (Num. 22-24); the Deir Alla inscription attests a 'Balaam son of Beor' tradition outside the Bible — a notable archaeological parallel.
Open the full interactive entry →
Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.