References (59)
And he sent messengers to Balaam, son of Beor, to Petora, which is by the river, to the sons of the people in the land, and called him, saying:
"Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,
behold, they cover the face (surface) of the earth,
and they have settled opposite me.
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.
[The journey was long and it was late.] And he said to them, "Stay here tonight, and I will bring you back the words that the Lord (Yahweh) speaks to me." And the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
And God (Elohim) came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men who are with you?"
And Balaam said to God (Elohim), "Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me (and said),
And God (Elohim) said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed."
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.]
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.
And God (Elohim) came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them, but only the words that I speak to you shall you do."
And Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord (Yahweh) standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned off the road and went out into the field, and Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. [The satire and comedy of what is now happening cannot be missed: a "stupid" donkey sees the angel, but the professional seer understands nothing.]
And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord (Yahweh) and pressed herself against the side [the rough stone wall] and squeezed Balaam's foot against the side, and he struck her again.
And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord (Yahweh) and lay down under Balaam, and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
And the Lord (Yahweh) opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a fool of me; if I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you now."
And the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever done this to you (before)?" And he said, "No."
Then the Lord (Yahweh) opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord (Yahweh) standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed his head and fell on his face.
Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord (Yahweh), "I have sinned [by striking the donkey], for I did not know that you were standing in my way; therefore, if it is evil in your eyes [that I continue], I will turn back."
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 God (Elohim) met Balaam and said to him, "I have prepared (arranged) seven altars, and I have sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar."
And the Lord (Yahweh) put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak and speak thus."
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 the Lord (Yahweh) met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, "Return to Balak and thus shall you speak."
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 when Balaam saw that it was good in the eyes of the Lord (Yahweh) to bless Israel, he did not go as the second time to seek omens, but turned his face toward the desert.
And Balaam lifted up his eyes [from Peor east of the Jordan River] and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes [at the height of the city of Jericho () and whose location forms a cross, see ], and the Spirit of God (Elohim) came upon him.
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:
"Thus says (speaks, proclaims) Balaam, son of Beor,
and proclaims (says, proclaims) about the man (a warrior, a man in his prime, full of his own strength and power) who has pure (flawless, clear-sighted – Hebr. tam) eyes,
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,
And he took up his proverb (he began to speak in images and proverbs, often with many meanings; sometimes even prophetically – Hebr. mashal) and said:
"Thus proclaims (says, proclaims) Balaam, son of Beor,
and proclaims (says, proclaims) about the man (a warrior, a man in his prime, full of his own strength and power) who has pure (flawless, clear-sighted – Hebr. tam) eyes,
And Balaam rose up and went his way, and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.
And they killed the king of Midian with the rest of the slain, Evi and Rekem and Tsor and Hur (Hebr. Chor) and Reva, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, with the sword.
Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to transgress, so that they were unfaithful to the Lord (Yahweh) in the matter of Peor, and so the plague broke out in the congregation of the Lord (Yahweh).
because they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired Balaam, the son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-Naharaim, against you to curse you. []
Nevertheless, the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) did not listen to Balaam, but the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) loves you.
and Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, whom the sons of Israel slew with the sword among the rest of the slain.
Then Balak, son of Zippor, rose up and fought against Israel, and he sent for Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you.
But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you, and I delivered you out of his hand.
for they had not met the children of Israel with food and drink, but had hired Balaam against them to curse them []. But our God turned the curse into a blessing.
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).
They have left the straight path and gone astray, following the same path as Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.
Woe [expression of intense despair over] them! [Now follow three examples from the Old Testament:]
For they went [set out] in the [wicked] way of Cain [where he tried to become righteous through his own deeds; and when he was confronted by God, he murdered his brother instead of repenting, see .],
and they threw themselves [devoted themselves fully] into Balaam's delusion for payment [who allowed himself to be persuaded by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites in exchange for financial compensation, see ; ],
and in Korah's rebellion (rebelliousness, questioning, contradictory logic – Gk. antilogia) they perished. [Korah was a Levite who rebelled against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, see .]
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.
