Balaam’s First Oracle
As a diviner, Balaam performed rituals to interpret...
- As a diviner, Balaam performed rituals to interpret omens and ascertain Israel’s future (cp. 23:23; 24:1). Balak had summoned him to pronounce imprecations, but God repeatedly prohibited him from doing so.
- It is possible that these sacrifices were connected with the practice of extispicy—the examination of animal livers or other organs for an omen concerning the future. According to ancient Near Eastern texts, this form of fortune-telling was a widely practiced and highly developed art. Such practices were banned from Israel (see Deut 18:9–14; cp. Ezek 21:21).
1Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
2So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3“Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.”
So Balaam went off to a barren height, 4and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.”
6So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Moab.
In his first oracle from God (23:5, 16),...
- In his first oracle from God (23:5, 16), Balaam rehearsed the circumstances that brought him to Moab, emphasized God’s special relation with Israel, and declared his intention of protecting them from harm.
- These poetic oracles illustrate the parallelism of Hebrew poetry. Parallel lines reinforce the content by repeating important concepts in a highly structured pattern.
- Aram: Aram-naharaim (Gen 24:10) is another name for North Mesopotamia, where Balaam’s home of Pethor was located (Num 22:5).
- The eastern hills are a line of mountains in North Syria.
Instead of cursing Israel, the seer noted their...
Instead of cursing Israel, the seer noted their special status (cp. Exod 19:5–6; Deut 7:6–9) and observed that God’s blessing had turned a humble people into a great nation (cp. Gen 12:2–3; 13:16; 28:14). Balaam wished for similar good fortune to come his way (Num 23:10).
7And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Balak brought me from Aram,the king of Moab from the mountains of the east.‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me;come and denounce Israel!’8How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?9For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs,and I watch them from the hills.Behold, a people dwelling apart,not reckoning themselves among the nations.10Who can count the dust of Jacobor number even a fourth of Israel?Let me die the death of the righteous;let my end be like theirs!”11Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”
12But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
Balaam’s Second Oracle
Balak hoped that he would get different results...
Balak hoped that he would get different results if he changed the venue. The precise location of the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak is unknown, though Pisgah is part of the ridgeline that overlooks the plains of Moab (Deut 34:1) in the vicinity of Bamoth-baal (Num 22:41) and Mount Peor (23:28).
13Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”
14So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”
16And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.”
17So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.
This oracle emphasizes God’s faithfulness to his people—he...
This oracle emphasizes God’s faithfulness to his people—he would stay with them and keep all of his promises.
18Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Arise, O Balak, and listen;give ear to me, O son of Zippor.19God is not a man, that He should lie,or a son of man, that He should change His mind.Does He speak and not act?Does He promise and not fulfill?
Since the Lord would follow through on his...
Since the Lord would follow through on his promises to bless his people (bringing them no misfortune or trouble), Balaam was in no position to reverse God’s intentions. Though God punished the Hebrews for acts of disobedience, his advocacy of Israel’s cause was evident from the time he delivered them from Egypt.
No curse could succeed against Israel because they...
No curse could succeed against Israel because they had been blessed (22:12; cp. Gen 12:2–3; 22:17–18). Israel was safe from the harm that Moab and Midian sought to inflict through divination (cp. Num 24:1); Israel would become famous because God protected them from harm (see Josh 2:9–11; cp. Num 14:13–19).
25Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”
Disappointed with Balaam’s blessing, Balak hoped that yet...
Disappointed with Balaam’s blessing, Balak hoped that yet another change of location would produce different results. Though the location of Mount Peor is unknown, this place was probably near a worship site of Baal of Peor (cp. 25:3, 5) and the Beth-peor of Deut 3:29; 34:6, where Moses was buried.
27“Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.”
28And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.†
29Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
30So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.