References (41)
And [Moab's king] Balak, son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites [how the Israelites had defeated both King Sihon and Og].
And Moab said to the elders of Midian, "Now this crowd will eat up (literally lick up) everything around us, as oxen eat up the green of the fields." And Balak, son of Zippor, was king of Moab at that time.
And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with [reward/payment for] divination in their hands. [Balak's statement in suggests that the payment was first discussed after Balaam came to him. Here they may have brought a partial payment with them, see also .] And they came to Balaam and spoke Balak's words to him.
And Balaam said to God (Elohim), "Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me (and said),
And Balaam rose up in the morning and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your land, for the Lord (Yahweh) refuses to let me go with you."
And the princes of Moab arose and went to Balak and said, "Balaam refuses to go with us."
[Balaam is a pagan priest who is initially described in positive terms, because he hears the voice of the Lord and obeys and cannot curse the Israelites. As the story progresses, he reveals his dual nature. In the New Testament, he is described as one who leads the Israelites into sin, see ; ; ; . There are several parallels with Judas. Both loved money () and betrayed their brothers. It is interesting to note that during excavations at Tell Deir Alla in Jordan (8 km east of the Jordan River, 1 km north of Jabbok) in 1967, an inscription was found in a temple mentioning "the seer Balaam, son of Beor." The text, which contains prophecies of doom and chaos, also mentions birds and even a hyena and a donkey. The inscription dates back to 900-800 BC, which is much later than Balaam. However, this inscription is an extra-biblical source that confirms the Bible's account, which was already recorded in the Books of Moses, that a prophet named Balaam was known in this particular area of Jordan.]
[Balak could not take no for an answer, and did not give up.] And Balak sent princes again, more and more honorable [even higher in rank] than the [first] ones.
And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak, son of Zippor: Let nothing, I beg you, prevent you from coming to me,
And Balaam answered and said to Balak's servants, "If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord (Yahweh), my God (Elohim), and do anything, (neither) small nor great.
But the angel of the Lord (Yahweh) said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but only the words that I speak to you shall you speak." So Balaam went (followed) with Balak's princes.
And when Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at Ir-Moab [the city in Moab, probably Ar, see , ], which is on the border of Arnon, at the outermost part of the border.
And Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send for you and call you urgently? Why did you not come to me? Do I not have the power to promote you and give you honor?"
And Balaam answered Balak, "Behold, I have come to you, but do I now have any power to speak anything to you? The word that God (Elohim) has put in my mouth, that I shall speak." [Balaam ignores the many detailed questions in ; he has arrived now, and that is what matters.]
And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kirjath-Huzoth [the city of villages, probably Kiriathaim on the east side of the Jordan, see ; ; ; ; , ; ].
And Balak slaughtered oxen and sheep and sent [pieces of sacrificial meat] to Balaam and to the princes who were with him.
And it came to pass in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-Baal [Baal's high places, probably a place where sacrifices were made to Baal], and from there he saw (only a part of) the outermost part (only a part) of the people.
And Balaam said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams."
[Balaam seems to be following some pagan tradition with seven altars, perhaps the sacrifices were to be dedicated to seven different gods; nowhere is it mentioned that seven altars were to be built to sacrifice to the Lord (Yahweh). The number seven often represents wholeness, and repeating an action seven times is not unusual, see ; .]
And Balak did as Balaam had said, and Balak and Balaam sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar.
And Balaam said to Balak, "Stand by the burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord (Yahweh) will come and meet me. And whatever he shows me, I will tell you." And he went to a bare hill. [It was the common belief among the peoples that a hill was closest to the gods. It was on such hills that altars and temples were built.]
And the Lord (Yahweh) put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak and speak thus."
And he [Balaam] took up his parable (he began to speak in images and proverbs, often with many meanings; sometimes even prophetically – Hebr. mashal) and said:
"From Aram [present-day central and southern Syria; meaning: exalted]
Balak brought me,
king of Moab
from the mountains of the east:
Come, curse (Hebr. arar) Jacob
and come curse (Hebr. zaam) Israel.
And Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them completely."
And Balak said to him, "Come, I beg you, to another place from which you can see them. You shall see most of them but not all of them, and curse them from there."
And he said to Balak, "Stand here by the burnt offering while I go over there to meet him."
And the Lord (Yahweh) met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, "Return to Balak and thus shall you speak."
And he came to him, and he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And he said, "What has the Lord (Yahweh) spoken?"
And he took up his parable (he began to speak in images and proverbs, often with many meanings; sometimes even prophetically – Hebr. mashal) and said:
"Arise, Balak, and hear;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor.
And Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all."
But Balaam answered and said to Balak, "Did I not tell you that whatever the Lord (Yahweh) says, I must do?"
And Balak said to Balaam, "Come now, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God (Elohim) that you curse them for me from there."
And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.
And Balaam said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams."
And Balak did as Balaam had said and sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar.
And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam: "I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them three times!
And Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not tell your messengers that you should not send for me when I said,
Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord (Yahweh), my God (Elohim), and do anything, (neither) good nor evil, of my own mind (of my own ideas). What the Lord (Yahweh) speaks, that I will speak? []
And Balaam rose up and went his way, and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.
Then Balak, son of Zippor, rose up and fought against Israel, and he sent for Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you.
And are you now better than Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight against them?
My people, remember
what Balak, king of Moab, devised, and
Balaam, son of Beor, answered him,
from Shittim to Gilgal
so that you may understand (have intimate knowledge of) the righteous deeds of the Lord (Yahweh).
But I have something against you: you have some among you who hold to the teaching (doctrine) of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the sons of Israel to eat sacrificial meat and practice sexual immorality.
