Pethor

A town north of Mesopotamia; home of Balaam.

About Pethor

The hometown of Balaam (Numbers 22:5). Pethor is in Upper Mesopotamia where the Sajur and the Euphrates rivers join. Deuteronomy 23:4 says that Balaam, the son of Beor, came from Pethor of Mesopotamia.

The inscriptions of King Shalmaneser III, who ruled from 859–824 BC, identify Pethor with Pi-it/ti-ru as a site on the Sajur River. The Hittite inscriptions (Syrians or Arameans) knew the city as Pethor. The area was first ruled by the Assyrians, and then later by the Arameans. Later, Shalmaneser recaptured it and resettled it with Assyrians.

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Key References

Deuteronomy 23:5

Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

Numbers 22:5

he sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.

All Scripture References (2)

Numbers (1)
Numbers 22:5

he sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.

Deuteronomy (1)
Deuteronomy 23:5

Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.