Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

2 Peter 2:16

2 Peter 2:16. but he was rebuked for his transgression. The phrase means literally, ‘but he had a rebuke for his transgression.' The word used here for ‘his' may mean ‘his own,' and hence some suppose that it is emphatic here, the point being that he who was a prophet to others had himself to be rebuked for a trespass of his own. It is precarious, however, to assert such force for the word in the N. T. The transgression referred to is Balaam's yielding to curse Israel for the sake of gain, under the proviso that God's permission should not be withheld.

the dumb ass, speaking with man's voice, stayed the madness of the prophet. The ass is designated here, and again in Matthew 21:5, by a general term which means simply a ‘beast that bears the yoke,' or a ‘beast of burden.' The ‘madness' charged against Balaam is expressed by a term which is found only here, although the cognate verb appears in the ‘as a fool' of 2 Corinthians 11:23. The ‘forbade' of the A. V. does not fairly represent the sense of the original. The meaning is prevented, checked, or, as the R. V. very happily gives it, ‘stayed.' The offence was interdicted, but not left uncommitted. It has been held by not a few that Peter gives an incorrect report of the O. T. narrative, in so far as the latter represents the angel, and not the ass, as uttering the rebuke. Peter, however, does not affirm that the rebuke was spoken by the ass. What he states is simply -that the prophet was rebuked, and that the dumb ass, speaking with man's voice, stayed his madness. And that the O. T. narrative represents the beast as bringing the prophet first to a stand is clear. The difficult questions about the credibility and interpretation of the story of Balaam belong, however, to the criticism and exegesis of the Old Testament. It is referred to by the writer of this Epistle as a story well known and accepted in his time, and furnishing a parallel, which all might understand and feel, to the terrible picture which he has been sketching.

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

2 Peter 2:16

Old Testament

New Testament