Numbers 23:19: “God Is Not a Man.” Does This Rule Out the Incarnation?

Numbers 23:19Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionOpen the Source is Balaam’s oracle that God will not unsay the blessing he has given Israel. Muslims and some other readers cite its first clause, “God is not a man,” against the incarnation. The verse contrasts God with a man who lies and changes his mind. It does not say God cannot take flesh, and John 1:14John 1:14 · King James VersionAnd the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.John 1:14 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the Word was made flesh. Jesus is God.

Key Points

• Numbers 23:19Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) gives two reasons the blessing will stand: God does not lie, and he does not repent of a word he has spoken.
• The chapter is Balak hiring Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam blesses them instead, and Numbers 23:20Numbers 23:20 · King James VersionBehold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.Numbers 23:20 · King James VersionOpen the Source says he cannot reverse it.
• 1 Samuel 15:291 Samuel 15:29 · King James VersionAnd also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.1 Samuel 15:29 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) uses the same contrast when Samuel tells Saul the kingdom has been torn from him.
• Hosea 11:9Hosea 11:9 · King James VersionI will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.Hosea 11:9 · King James VersionOpen the Source (3) says, “I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee.” There the contrast is mercy.
• The same verse says God is not a “son of man.” Jesus’ usual title for himself is the Son of man, which Mark 14:62Mark 14:62 · King James VersionAnd Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.Mark 14:62 · King James VersionOpen the Source ties to Daniel 7:13–14Daniel 7:13 · King James VersionI saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.Daniel 7:13 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
• Qur’an 112:3Qur’an 112:1-4 · Saheeh International¹ Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One, ² Allāh, the Eternal Refuge. ³ He neither begets nor is born, ⁴ Nor is there to Him any equivalent."Qur’an 112:1-4 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (8) says he neither begets nor is born. Qur’an 6:101Qur’an 6:101 · Saheeh International[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion [i.e., wife] and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing.Qur’an 6:101 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (9) asks how he could have a son when he has no companion.

What Numbers 23:19 Is About

Balak, king of Moab, has called Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam says he can speak only the word God gives him, and in Numbers 23 that word is a blessing. Balak moves him to a second hilltop and builds new altars, hoping for a different answer. Numbers 23:19Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) is Balaam’s reply:

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Numbers 23:19 · King James Version

The two halves are parallel. “Man” and “son of man” are the kind of speaker who lies, or who repents of a word when the price or the pressure changes. Balak is offering exactly that pressure. The next verse draws the conclusion: “he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.” The subject is the reliability of God’s word. The verse is not about whether God has a body, and it does not name Jesus. Judaism reads it inside the Torah as God’s faithfulness to Israel. Do Mormons Believe God Was Once a Man? takes up a different use of the verse, against the teaching that God once was as man now is.

What 1 Samuel 15:29 and Hosea 11:9 Say

1 Samuel 15:291 Samuel 15:29 · King James VersionAnd also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.1 Samuel 15:29 · King James VersionOpen the Source (2) is Samuel answering Saul, who has spared what God told him to destroy and now wants Samuel to return with him to worship. Samuel says the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent, “for he is not a man, that he should repent.” The rejection of Saul will stand. Here too, “not a man” means God does not walk back his word.

Hosea 11:8–9Hosea 11:8–9 · King James Version^11:8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. ^11:9 I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.Hosea 11:8–9 · King James VersionOpen the Source has a different tone. God asks how he can give Ephraim up, and says his heart is turned within him. Then Hosea 11:9Hosea 11:9 · King James VersionI will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.Hosea 11:9 · King James VersionOpen the Source (3):

I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.

Hosea 11:9 · King James Version

In Hosea, “not man” is the reason the anger does not destroy them. A man in that heat would. The same sentence calls God “the Holy One in the midst of thee,” so the contrast is about how God acts toward his people, not about distance from them. In all three verses, the line separates God from human falsehood, fickleness, and anger.

What About “Son of Man”?

Numbers 23:19 says God is not a “son of man, that he should repent.” Readers sometimes set that beside Jesus’ own title, the Son of man. The Gospels use the title in a specific sense. Daniel 7:13–14Daniel 7:13 · King James VersionI saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.Daniel 7:13 · King James VersionOpen the Source describes “one like the Son of man” who comes with the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of days and is given an everlasting dominion, “that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him.” In Mark 2:10Mark 2:10 · King James VersionBut that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)Mark 2:10 · King James VersionOpen the Source Jesus says the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. At his trial, in Mark 14:62Mark 14:62 · King James VersionAnd Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.Mark 14:62 · King James VersionOpen the Source, he answers the high priest, “I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” The high priest calls this blasphemy. In Numbers, “son of man” means an ordinary mortal who goes back on his word. In Daniel and the Gospels, it is the title of the one who receives an everlasting kingdom.

What the Incarnation Claims

John 1:1John 1:1 · King James VersionIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source (4) says the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14John 1:14 · King James VersionAnd the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.John 1:14 · King James VersionOpen the Source (5) adds that the Word dwelt among us, “full of grace and truth.” The one who becomes flesh is already God. He does not start as a man and become God, and he does not stop being God in order to become a man who can lie.

Philippians 2:6–8Philippians 2:6–8 · King James Version^2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ^2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ^2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.Philippians 2:6–8 · King James VersionOpen the Source (6) says he was made in the likeness of men and became obedient unto death, and Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9 · King James VersionFor in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.Colossians 2:9 · King James VersionOpen the Source (7) places the fulness of the Godhead in him bodily. Philippians 2:6: Did Jesus Refuse Equality With God? answers the Jehovah’s Witness reading of that paragraph, and What Is the Incarnation? sets out the doctrine. A lie would be God unsaying his word. Christians read the incarnation as God keeping his promises in person. Does God the Father Have a Body of Flesh and Bones? covers the separate Latter-day Saint claim that the Father has a body.

What the Qur’an Says About God and a Son

Muslims set Numbers 23:19 next to the Qur’an’s denial of a son. Qur’an 112:1–4Qur’an 112:1-4 · Saheeh International¹ Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One, ² Allāh, the Eternal Refuge. ³ He neither begets nor is born, ⁴ Nor is there to Him any equivalent."Qur’an 112:1-4 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (8), Saheeh International, reads: “Say, ‘He is Allāh, [who is] One, Allāh, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.’” Qur’an 6:101Qur’an 6:101 · Saheeh International[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion [i.e., wife] and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing.Qur’an 6:101 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (9) asks how he could have a son when he does not have a companion, and says he created all things. Qur’an 4:171Qur’an 4:171 · Saheeh InternationalO People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allāh except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allāh and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allāh and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allāh is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.Qur’an 4:171 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source (10) calls Jesus a messenger and a word directed to Mary, and says Allah is exalted above having a son.

Christians agree that God has no wife and does not beget in a physical sense. Can God Have a Son? explains why the Son’s eternal relation to the Father is not that. John 20:17: “My God and Your God.” Does Jesus Having a God Mean He Is Not God? takes up the risen Jesus calling the Father his God. The Trinity confesses one God.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Numbers 23:19 Mean?

God’s blessing on Israel will stand, because he is not like a man who lies or changes his mind under pressure from a king like Balak.

Does “God Is Not a Man” Rule Out the Incarnation?

No. The verse rules out a God who lies. The incarnation is the claim that the Word, who was God, took human nature without ceasing to be God. Taking flesh is not the same act as taking back a promise.

Is Jesus the “Son of Man” That Numbers 23:19 Denies?

No. Numbers uses “son of man” for a mortal who goes back on his word. Jesus used the title from Daniel 7, for the one given an everlasting kingdom.

Keep Reading

• Can God Have a Son?
• What Is the Incarnation?
• John 20:17: “My God and Your God.” Does Jesus Having a God Mean He Is Not God?
• Philippians 2:6: Did Jesus Refuse Equality With God?
• Does God the Father Have a Body of Flesh and Bones?
• Do Mormons Believe God Was Once a Man?
• The Trinity
• Judaism
• What Is Biblical Unitarianism?