Ken Ammi, a Trinitarian, in his interaction with Jewish objections to the Incarnation, wrote the following about Num 23:19:
One last issue to
consider within this context is the oft raised objection that Jesus cannot be
God because, after all, “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19). There are various points
to ponder in which regard including that one cannot build an entire doctrine
upon five words. Also, the five words are not stated as such in the Bible, as stand
alones, but are part of a complete thought which is, “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?”
Thus, the text is not
about God’s ontology but about His character. God is not like humans in that He
does not lie, etc. (Ken Ammi, Is Jesus the Messiah? A Judaism vs. Judaism Debate [No
End Books, 2017], 151, emphasis in bold added)
Such comments about Num 23:19 and the
words of the false prophet(!) Balaam is similar to those of Latter-day Saint
apologists when responding to critics who raise this passage: it is not about
the ontological nature of God, but instead, about His moral character in
comparison to fallen man. For more, see:
Lynn Wilder vs. Latter-day Saint (and Biblical) Theology on Divine Embodiment
D. Charles Pyle on Hosea 11:9 (cf. Numbers 23:19)
