Numbers Chapter 24 verse 20 Holy Bible
And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; But his latter end shall come to destruction.
read chapter 24 in ASV
Then, turning his eyes to Amalek, he went on with his story and said, Amalek was the first of the nations, but his part will be destruction for ever.
read chapter 24 in BBE
And he saw Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, Amalek is the first of the nations, but his latter end shall be for destruction.
read chapter 24 in DARBY
And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.
read chapter 24 in KJV
And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations, but his latter end shall be that he shall perish for ever.
read chapter 24 in WBT
He looked at Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; But his latter end shall come to destruction.
read chapter 24 in WEB
And he seeth Amalek, and taketh up his simile, and saith: `A beginning of the Goyim `is' Amalek; And his latter end -- for ever he perisheth.'
read chapter 24 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 20. - He looked on Amalek. This looking must have been an inward vision, because the haunts of the Amalekites were far away (see on Genesis 36:12; Exodus 17:8; Numbers 14:25, 45). The first of the nations. Amalek was in no sense a leading nation, nor was it a very ancient nation. It was indeed the very first of the nations to attack Israel, but it is a most arbitrary treatment of the words to understand them in that sense. The prophet Amos (Amos 6:1) uses the same expression of the Jewish aristocracy of his day. As it was in no better position than Amalek to claim it in any true sense, we can but suppose that in either case there is a reference to the vainglorious vauntings of the people threatened; it would be quite in keeping with the Bedawin character if Amalek gave himself out be "the first of nations."
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(20) And when he looked on Amalek . . . --From the. mountain of Peor, on which Balaam then stood, he had a view of the country of the Amalekites, which lay to the south of the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:29; Genesis 36:12).Amalek was the first of the nations.--The ancestor of the Amalekites was Eliphaz, the son of Esau (Genesis 36:12). It has been supposed that the Amalekites separated themselves at a very early period from the rest of the Edomites. The word reshith, which is here rendered "first," may denote priority in rank, but more frequently denotes priority in time. The corresponding word in the second clause of the verse, aharith (latter end), may be thought to denote that the reference is to time, not to rank. On the other hand, the reference in Numbers 24:7 to the kings of the Amalekites may be urged in favour of the reference to rank. Some understand the allusion to be to the fact that the Amalekites were the first nation which attacked Israel when they had come out of Egypt (Exodus 17:8). It is possible, however, that there may be a reference both to time and to rank. (Comp. Amos 6:1.) . . .
