“Hath he said, and shall he not do it?”
The full verse · Numbers 23:19 · KJV
is not a , that he should ; neither the of , that he should : hath he , and shall he not it? or hath he , and shall he not make it ?
Asked by
Asked to
Balak king of Moab, who summoned Balaam to curse Israel, with the rhetorical force extending to all who would doubt God’s covenant faithfulness.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionBalaam asks rhetorically to assert the absolute impossibility of God breaking His word, forcing Balak to acknowledge that no divination or curse can reverse God’s blessing on Israel because God’s nature guarantees His promises.
The Response
What Scripture recordsBalaam proceeded to deliver his oracle of blessing over Israel despite Balak’s persistent demand for a curse, declaring Israel’s favored status before God and prophesying their triumph over enemies (Numbers 23:20-24).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyBalaam’s paired questions demand acknowledgment of an impossible scenario; that God would speak and then fail to perform. The rhetorical force lies in the Hebrew particle construction ha (has he) expecting a negative answer: absolutely not. By contrasting God with man and ‘son of man’ (ben adam), Balaam establishes an ontological gulf between human unreliability and divine faithfulness. He asks rather than declares to compel Balak’s intellectual assent, making the pagan king verbally acknowledge what his actions deny. The theological weight is staggering: God’s words create binding obligation not on humans but on Himself, because His nature makes deception or reversal metaphysically impossible.
When circumstances scream that God has forgotten His word to you, remember He is not human. Your emotions fluctuate, your resolve wavers, your promises crumble; but God’s character binds Him to every syllable He has spoken. If He promised to work all things for your good (Romans 8:28), He cannot suddenly decide otherwise mid-crisis. If He declared you secure in Christ’s hand (John 10:28-29), no relapse or failure changes His commitment. Stand on the immutability of God when your own instability tempts you to doubt, and let His unchanging nature become the bedrock beneath your shaking faith.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?”
“Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel?”
“How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?”
“Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?”