There’s a popular saying in Christian circles: “Who God bless, no man curse.”
It’s often quoted with confidence and encouragement—but have we ever stopped to consider where it truly comes from and whether it tells the full story?
The origin of this phrase can be traced back to Numbers chapters 22 to 24, where Balak, king of Moab, hired Balaam, a prophet, to curse Israel. But no matter how hard Balaam tried, he simply couldn’t do it—because God turned the intended curse into a blessing.
Balaam himself declared in Numbers 23:8 (KJV):
“How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?”
Three times, Balaam attempted to pronounce a curse. Each time, God made it clear: Israel was blessed, and nothing Balaam said could change that. The second time, God reaffirmed His unchanging stance with another well-known verse:
“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 (KJV)
Then God explained why the curse couldn’t land:
“He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.”
— Numbers 23:21 (KJV)
(Note: The NIV renders this verse differently, which significantly alters its meaning—but that’s a topic for another time.)
In other words, there was no sin in Israel at that moment—nothing Balaam could use to legally justify a curse. This aligns with another key verse:
“As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.”
— Proverbs 26:2 (KJV)
The Missing Piece of the Phrase
This is why I suggest the more accurate phrase should be:
“Who God bless, no man curse—if there is no sin.”
God’s blessings are powerful, but unrepentant sin can open the door to consequences that were never part of His will. So perhaps it’s time to pause and ask yourself:
Are there areas of sin in my life that may be giving the enemy legal grounds to work against me?
Let us strive to walk in obedience, so we remain under God’s full covering and blessing—where no curse can touch us.