Numbers 22:1. The verse appears to be the continuation of P's itinerary in Numbers 21:10-11; cf. Numbers 33:48. _the_ STEPPES _of Moab_ A term, peculiar to P, which denotes the open plain, immediately to the north of the Dead Sea, about 9 miles from north to south and from 5 to 7 miles broad. The s... [ Continue Reading ]
Balak king of Moab being frightened by the near proximity of the Israelites sent for Balaam a famous soothsayer to curse them, offering him liberal payment. Balaam came but refused to utter any oracle but that which Jehovah revealed to him. _Zippor_ The word denotes -a little bird," the fem. of whi... [ Continue Reading ]
The two halves of the verse appear to be doublets, from E and J respectively.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Moab said_ The people are represented in the person of their king. _the elders of Midian_ They are mentioned, in this story, only here and in Numbers 22:7. The Midianites may be supposed to have made common cause with the Moabites in fear of the formidable enemy. But if so, it is surprising th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Balaam the son of Beor_ It is interesting that the name Bela the son of Beor occurs of a king of _Edom_(Genesis 36:32). Balaam (Heb. _Bil-âm_) and Bela- are practically identical words; and some have thought that the two men are the same, and that different conceptions of them were handed down in t... [ Continue Reading ]
_the princes of Moab_ The verse appears to be from E. In Numbers 22:7 J describes them as the - _elders_of Moab.... [ Continue Reading ]
_hath sent unto me_, saying] The word -saying" is absent from the Heb. The abruptness with which the words of Balak's message are given is perhaps due to the fusion of J and E.... [ Continue Reading ]
_for they are blessed_ It was necessary to inform Balaam of this; as a foreigner in far Mesopotamia he knew nothing of Israel and their relation to Jehovah.... [ Continue Reading ]
Balaam may have felt regret at being unable to win the offered rewards, but there is no hint of it in the narrative. He could not know that Balak would send again.... [ Continue Reading ]
Balak treats the prophet's reason for not coming as a mere excuse. Balaam, being a famous diviner, required, as he thought, to be treated with greater respect.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will promote thee unto very great honour I will_surely honour thee exceedingly. The expression does not imply that Balaam would be appointed to a high office, but only that the king would shew him great respect and reward him liberally.... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah _my God_ It is very remarkable that the early Israelite tradition, as preserved in J, should have placed this expression in the mouth of an Ammonite (Numbers 22:7) soothsayer. _to do less or more to do_ SMALL _or_ GREAT. An idiomatic expression for -to do anything at all." The same is expre... [ Continue Reading ]
Balaam had learnt (Numbers 22:12) that Israel was a people on whom God's blessing rested. It was therefore impossible for him to go and curse them. But when Balak's more splendid retinue of princes travelled all the way to Mesopotamia to beg him again to come, he asked God again whether he might go,... [ Continue Reading ]
_If the men be come to call thee_ i.e. since the men have come this long distance to summon thee. The A.V. -if the men come to call thee" has sometimes given rise to the erroneous idea that God gave Balaam permission to go only if the messengers came to him in the morning and again asked him to acco... [ Continue Reading ]
After God has expressly given permission for Balaam to go, His anger would be surprising, and would seem to imply a capricious change of mind, were it not for the consideration that the narrative is derived from two different sources. In Numbers 22:22 Balaam travels on an ass, accompanied not by the... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah was angry with Balaam for going, and His -Angel" hindered him on the way.... [ Continue Reading ]
_with his sword drawn in his hand_ Numbers 22:31; Joshua 5:13. _and went into the field_ The road would run through the open country (-the field"), without walls or fences. These would only be employed between vineyards, to keep out animals.... [ Continue Reading ]
The -Angel" retreated and stopped the ass in an enclosed spot between two walls or, perhaps, fences, where it could not turn aside into open country. But by pressing close to the wall the ass is pictured as contriving to pass the Angel. He therefore retreated once more, and stood in a narrow place w... [ Continue Reading ]
The miracle here recorded finds no parallel in the O.T. except that of the serpent who spoke to Eve (Genesis 3:1; Genesis 3:4 f.). But similar instances are to be found in the folklore of many nations (see Gray, p. 334). The speaking ass is to be considered not as a fable in the sense in which the w... [ Continue Reading ]
_thou hast mocked me thou hast_ MADE SPORT OF _me_; i.e. purposely caused me annoyance for your own pleasure.... [ Continue Reading ]
The ass is not represented as uttering any deep teaching or giving him a message from God. She merely defends herself against the charge of making sport of him; had he ever known her do such a thing during all the years he had owned her?... [ Continue Reading ]
_thy_[lit. _the way is_ HEADLONG] The word, however, is doubtful. Perhaps we should read יָרַטְתָּ for יָרַט, -thou hast precipitated [undertaken precipitately] the journey.... [ Continue Reading ]
At this point the narrative of E, interrupted after Numbers 22:21, is resumed. Balak went to the border of his territory to meet Balaam. A sacrificial feast was held, and on the next day Balaam was conducted to a point of vantage from which he could see Israel. These verses, however, are not without... [ Continue Reading ]
_unto the City of Moab unto_ IR _of Moab_. The Heb. form of the name Ar of Moab (Numbers 21:28). _which is on the border of Arnon_ i.e. the border or boundary formed by the Arnon. Moab at this time possessed no land north of the Arnon; Ir (Ar) of Moab thus lay on their northern border. The followin... [ Continue Reading ]
_to promote thee to honour to_ HONOUR THEE; see on Numbers 22:17.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Kiriath-huzoth_ -The town of streets." The site is unknown.... [ Continue Reading ]
_and sent to Balaam_&c. When the animals had been slaughtered for sacrifice, Balak caused portions of the flesh to be brought to Balaam and the Moabite princes who had accompanied him. Cf. 1 Samuel 9:23 f.... [ Continue Reading ]
_and brought him up_ TO BAMOTH-BAAL] See on Numbers 21:19. The name indicates that it was a sanctuary. _the_ END _of the people_ Not the whole body of Israelites to their furthest extremity but only the nearest end or fringe in the valley immediately below him, the bulk of them being hidden by the... [ Continue Reading ]