“He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.”
My Notes
What Does Numbers 24:9 Mean?
Balaam, hired to curse Israel, finds himself unable to do anything but bless them. This verse describes Israel as a lion at rest — couched, lying down, undisturbable. "Who shall stir him up?" is rhetorical — no one dares to provoke a resting lion. Then the blessing echoes the original Abrahamic covenant: blessed is he who blesses you, cursed is he who curses you.
The lion imagery conveys strength in rest. Israel's power isn't demonstrated by aggression but by the fact that no one can disturb their peace. They lie down secure because God is their defense. The image is one of settled, unshakeable confidence — not in their own strength, but in the one who watches over them.
The "blessed/cursed" formula directly echoes Genesis 12:3 — God's promise to Abraham. Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet, is confirming the covenant from outside Israel's community. God's promises about His people are validated even by their enemies.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What would it look like to live with the 'resting lion' confidence this verse describes?
- 2.Where are you pacing anxiously when God is inviting you to lie down in security?
- 3.How does knowing that those who bless you are blessed — and those who curse you are opposed — change your response to opposition?
- 4.What's the difference between the peace of giving up and the peace of genuine security in God?
Devotional
A lion at rest. That's the image of God's people when they're secure in His protection. Not pacing, not anxious, not scanning for threats. Lying down. At peace. And so powerful in that peace that no one dares approach.
There's a difference between the peace of exhaustion and the peace of security. A lion at rest isn't tired — it's confident. It has nothing to prove and no one to fear. It lies down because it can.
That's what your life looks like when you're settled in God's protection. Not because there are no threats — Balaam was literally hired to curse Israel when he spoke these words. The threats were real. But the lion still lay down. Because the threats don't determine the lion's posture. God does.
"Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee" — this isn't just an ancient formula. It's a standing policy. How people treat you — God's people — matters to God. Those who bless you participate in blessing. Those who come against you are opposing something bigger than they realize.
You can lie down. Not because the world is safe, but because the one watching over you is sovereign.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
He couched,.... Which may respect the posture of the armies of Israel in the plains of Moab:
he lay down as a lion,…
The blessing itself which Balaam here pronounces upon Israel is much the same with the two we had in the foregoing…
Blessed be every one&c. The clauses occur inverted in Gen 27:29.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture