Polyglot Bible: Numbers: Numbers 24

This is a parallel-text biblical edition presenting Numbers 24 in four versions simultaneously: the King James Version (English), the Septuagint (ancient Greek), the Masoretic Tanakh (Hebrew), and the Latin Vulgate. The chapter narrates Balaam, a Gentile prophet hired by the Moabite king Balak to curse Israel, who instead delivers a series of blessings and oracles under divine compulsion. The centerpiece is Balaam's fourth oracle (verses 15–19), which contains one of the Old Testament's most debated messianic passages: "There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel" — a prophecy widely interpreted in Jewish and Christian tradition as pointing to a future royal deliverer. The parallel layout allows direct comparison of translation choices across traditions; notably, the Septuagint diverges in verse 7 by referencing "Gog" where the KJV and Hebrew have "Agag," a difference with significant eschatological implications. The text presents no editorial commentary, functioning as a raw scholarly tool for textual criticism — the kind of resource used to trace how translators and scribal traditions understood these oracles differently. Its distinctive value lies in surfacing where the four traditions agree and where they diverge on a passage that has historically grounded claims about prophecy and covenant.

Polyglot Bible: Numbers: Numbers 24

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