Numbers 22:28 · Bible study
Numbers 22:28 Commentary: The Donkey Speaks
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God opened the donkey's mouth to rebuke Balaam. Explore the miracle, its interpretations, and its message about God's power to speak through unexpected means.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Yahweh miraculously gave a donkey speech to rebuke Balaam and open his eyes to the spiritual danger ahead.
- Key words: פֶּה (mouth, the organ of speech God enabled), אָתוֹן (female donkey, noting the specific animal), נָכָה (struck/hit, the verb for Balaam’s three blows).
- Main debate: Did the donkey literally speak human language, or did Balaam perceive its sounds as rational speech? Most commentators hold the literal view; a minority suggest visionary perception.
- Theological theme: God’s absolute sovereignty over creation allows Him to use any means, even a dumb animal, to humble the proud and redirect the willful.
- Best use: Teach on divine guidance, the danger of spiritual blindness, and the surprising ways God speaks when we refuse to listen directly.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
KJV King James Version 1769
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And Jehovah openeth the mouth of the ass, and she saith to Balaam, `What have I done to thee that thou hast smitten me these three times?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Entonces Jehová abrió la boca al asna, la cual dijo á Balaam: ¿ Qué te he hecho, que me has herido estas tres veces?
Então o SENHOR abriu a boca da jumenta, a qual disse a Balaão: Que te fiz, que me feriste estas três vezes?
L’ Éternel ouvrit la bouche de l’ânesse, et elle dit à Balaam: Que t’ ai-je fait, pour que tu m’ aies frappée déjà trois fois?
Da tat der HERR der Eselin den Mund auf, und sie sprach zu Bileam: Was habe ich dir getan, daß du mich geschlagen hast nun dreimal?
De HEERE nu opende den mond der ezelin, die tot Bileam zeide: Wat heb ik u gedaan, dat gij mij nu driemaal geslagen hebt?
Allora l’Eterno aprì la bocca all’asina, che disse a Balaam: “Che t’ho io fatto che tu mi percuoti già per la terza volta?”
Zatem otworzył Pan usta onej oślicy, i rzekła do Balaama: Cóżem ci uczyniła, żeś mię bił już po trzy kroć?
И отверз Господь уста ослицы, и она сказала Валааму: что я тебе сделала, что ты бьешь меня вот уже третий раз?
耶和華 叫 驢 開 口，對巴蘭 說：「我向你 行了 甚麼，你竟 打我 這 三 次呢？」
Then the Lord gave the ass the power of talking, and opening her mouth she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have given me blows these three times?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Numbers 22:28
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree this verse records a genuine miracle. The Hebrew verb וַיִּפְתַּח (way·yip̄·taḥ; “and he opened”) makes clear that Yahweh himself acted to give the donkey speech. Adam Clarke observes that since God opens the mouth, “an ass can speak as well as a man.” John Calvin and John Gill both defend the literal event against skeptics, appealing to God’s omnipotence over the natural order. Gill notes that pagan literature contains similar fables, suggesting they may be distortions of this true story.
Some interpreters offer alternative readings. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges suggests the donkey’s sounds were perceived by Balaam as rational speech in a visionary state. Barnes’ Notes proposes that the miracle worked through Balaam’s own divinatory arts, making the warning especially pointed for a man who prided himself on interpreting animal cries. Yet the majority of commentators cited, including Matthew Henry and the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary, hold that the donkey literally spoke. Second Peter 2:16 reinforces this reading, calling the donkey “speechless” and noting it spoke “with a man’s voice.” The consensus is that God used an unexpected, humble creature to confront Balaam’s stubborn heart and open his eyes to the angel standing in the way.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal speech: Direct reading of the text, supported by 2 Peter 2:16, which says a ‘speechless donkey spoke with a man’s voice’; affirmed by Calvin, Gill, Matthew Henry, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown.
- Visionary or internal perception: Barnes proposes the donkey’s natural sounds became rational speech to Balaam’s mind; the Cambridge Bible suggests a visionary state akin to a trance; both note Balaam’s lack of surprise as evidence.
What is clear: Regardless of how the communication occurred, the passage teaches that God intervened through the donkey to stop Balaam’s disobedience and bring him to confession.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Did the donkey literally speak? | All commentators acknowledge that the text presents a supernatural event, God enabled communication between the donkey and Balaam. | Some (Calvin, Gill, Matthew Henry, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) insist on a literal, audible speech. Others (Barnes, Cambridge Bible) suggest Balaam perceived the donkey’s natural sounds as rational words through divine influence. |
| Balaam’s lack of surprise | All note that Balaam shows no astonishment at the talking donkey. | Calvin and Matthew Henry attribute it to his obsession with gain, which dulled his senses. Keil & Delitzsch see it as a gradual awakening. The Cambridge Bible suggests Balaam may have been in a visionary state where such things seemed normal. |
| Theological significance of the animal | The miracle highlights God’s power over nature and His willingness to use humble instruments. | Clarke and Wesley emphasize the sheer power of God. Barnes sees it as a pointed message to someone who trusted in divination. The Cambridge Bible focuses on the story’s moral lesson about conscience rather than the miracle’s factuality. |
| Connection to 2 Peter 2:16 | Peter’s reference is widely seen as confirming the donkey’s speech as a historical event used to rebuke Balaam. | Some interpreters (e.g., Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) cite Peter to argue for literal speech; others (Cambridge Bible) treat Peter’s language as metaphorical or accommodating first-century Jewish tradition. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Balaam was a diviner from the region of the Euphrates, hired by Balak king of Moab to curse Israel. Diviners of that era often read omens from animal movements and sounds. Balaam likely practiced some form of augury. Into this setting steps the God of Israel, who uses the very animal that a diviner might consult to deliver a rebuke.
The Hebrew word for donkey, אָתוֹן ('ā·ṯōn), specifies a female donkey, often used for riding and valued for its steadiness. Balaam had ridden this animal “all your life long until today” (v. 30). Her sudden refusal to move, despite a proven track record, should have alerted Balaam to something unusual. Instead, his anger burned and he struck her three times (vv. 23, 25, 27).
The angel of Yahweh stood as an adversary, with a drawn sword. The narrow paths described, between vineyard walls, then in a place with no room to turn, picture a life closing in, a prophet whose way was “perverse” before the Lord (v. 32). Balaam’s lack of surprise at the talking donkey, noted by several commentators, likely reflects his obsession with the promised fee. Matthew Henry observes that his mind was “wholly engrossed with the prospect of gain.” The miracle was designed to stop him cold, to force him to see what he was blind to, both physically and spiritually.
The mention of “three times” ties to the three refusals of the donkey and the three blows. It also echoes the three times Balaam would later try to curse Israel from different vantage points. The number underscores persistence, both the donkey’s faithful avoidance of the angel and Balaam’s stubborn pursuit of his own path.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Numbers 22:28 is stable across all major manuscripts. The supplied translations show only minor differences in English rendering (e.g., “opened” vs. “openeth” in the YLT). The consulted commentaries do not note any significant textual variants affecting meaning. The phrase “Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey” is consistent across the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate.
Reception History
Throughout church history, Numbers 22:28 has been upheld as a clear example of God’s miraculous power. Early church fathers used it to argue against those who limited God’s action to the ordinary laws of nature. Augustine referenced the passage when discussing the limits of human reason in assessing divine works. During the Reformation, Calvin defended the literal miracle against Renaissance critics who dismissed it as a fable, insisting that God who created speech can bestow it on any creature.
The verse also appears in apologetic works, often paired with 2 Peter 2:16. In more recent centuries, some liberal interpreters, such as those behind the Cambridge Bible, have suggested the story belongs to an earlier stage of revelation that should not be read as literal history. Still, the majority of Christian tradition, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, has read it as a real event. The talking donkey remains a vivid reminder that God’s simplest instruments can silence the proud.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God opens mouths we would never expect. A speechless donkey becomes God’s mouthpiece. The same God who made man’s mouth (Exodus 4:11) can make any creature speak. No one is too lowly to be used; no voice is too unlikely to carry His word.
- The stubborn are rebuked by the humble. Balaam, a prophet, receives correction from his own donkey. The animal’s faithful service contrasts with Balaam’s disobedient heart. Pride deafens us; humility allows us to hear rebuke from any source.
- Even creation perceives what the disobedient miss. The donkey saw the angel when Balaam did not (vv. 23, 27). The whole creation groans (Romans 8:22), and sometimes animals sense spiritual realities more keenly than humans whose vision is clouded by sin.
Five-point outline
- The setting: Balaam on the road to Moab, hired to curse God’s people.
- The obstacle: The angel of Yahweh, invisible to Balaam, blocks the path.
- The animal: The donkey sees the angel and acts accordingly, turning, crushing, lying down.
- The rebuke: Balaam beats the donkey; God opens its mouth. The donkey’s question exposes the prophet’s irrational anger.
- The outcome: Balaam’s eyes are opened; he sees the angel and confesses his sin (vv. 31, 34).
Illustration hooks
- A parent who is corrected by their young child’s simple question: “Why are you so mad, Dad?” The child sees what the parent is blind to.
- A driver who ignores a warning light on the dashboard, only to have the car break down. The warning came from a “dumb” machine; so does God sometimes use mundane things to alert us.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Did the donkey really talk, or is this a parable? How do we know it happened exactly as described?
- Why didn’t Balaam act surprised when the donkey spoke? What does that say about his spiritual state?
- What kinds of “donkeys” might God be using to warn me today, things I usually ignore?
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with the reality that God can use anything, even a donkey, to get our attention. The question is whether we are listening. Balaam was so focused on the reward that he missed the angel, missed the miracle, and missed the mercy in being stopped. As you discuss, pay attention not just to the miracle but to the heart that needed rebuking.
Discussion questions
- What stands out to you about the way the donkey responds to the angel in verses 23, 27? How does that prepare us for verse 28?
- Why do you think God chose to speak through a donkey rather than directly to Balaam? What does that reveal about God’s creativity and patience?
- Second Peter 2:16 says the donkey “stopped the madness of the prophet.” What “madness” was Balaam caught up in? Can you identify any “madness” in your own life, a pattern of stubborn disobedience?
- Balaam failed to see the angel until his eyes were opened (v. 31). What might be blinding you to God’s guidance or warning right now?
- The donkey’s question, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”, is surprisingly rational. How does it expose Balaam’s irrational anger? Have you ever lashed out at someone or something that was actually trying to help you?
- If God can use a donkey, who might He be using in your life that you tend to dismiss? A coworker? A spouse? A difficult circumstance?
- How does this story encourage you about God’s sovereignty over all creation, even animals, events, and your own stubborn will?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 4:11 | Yahweh said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh? |
| Luke 1:37 | For nothing spoken by God is impossible.” |
| Romans 8:22 | For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. |
| I Corinthians 1:19 | For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.” |
| II Peter 2:16 | but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A speechless donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke's point is that the miracle lies not in the donkey speaking but in God opening her mouth—if she had done it herself, that would be astonishing. Balaam shows no surprise because he recognizes the Lord is at work. Clarke dismisses pagan myths of speaking animals as irrelevant compared to this divine act.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes suggests that the donkey’s speech may not have been a literal miracle but a subjective perception: God used the animal’s natural sounds to form rational words in Balaam’s mind. For an augur skilled in reading animal signs, no rebuke could strike more directly than one delivered through his own art.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that scoffers who mock the speaking donkey forget that all speech comes from God opening the mouth. If God can give parrots the ability to imitate human voice, He can certainly adapt a beast's mouth for words. No natural law binds the Creator from working miracles.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator sees the speaking ass not as a fable like Aesop's but as a fabulous detail attached to a tradition that may have a historical core. With modern understanding of God's gradual revelation, we are not forced to accept the miracle literally nor to explain it away as a vision. The story's lasting value lies in picturing the strivings of conscience.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that God himself opened the donkey's mouth, making the animal speak directly to Balaam. The point is not the donkey's wisdom but God's sovereignty: the Creator can use any creature to confront a stubborn prophet, even a beast of burden.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill insists the donkey's speech was a real, literal miracle performed by God's omnipotence, not a vision or allegory. He argues that since pagan writers report similar talking animals in their own myths, Christians should find nothing incredible in this biblical account.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB insists the donkey’s speaking was a real, external miracle, not a vision, because the biblical narrative treats it as a plain historical event. Balaam’s lack of surprise is explained by his mind being so consumed by greed that it produced what Peter calls “the madness of the prophet.” The miracle’s purpose was to humble his proud heart before he would listen to God through the angel.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch take a middle position: the angel was genuinely present but in a spirit-like form, visible only to those with awakened spiritual perception. The donkey's words expressed natural animal feelings, yet God miraculously enabled them as human speech. This keeps the event both real and within the boundary between human and animal life.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that "opened the mouth" means God temporarily granted the creature both speech and reasoning. This was a special, momentary gift for that particular occasion, not a permanent change in the animal's nature.