So
Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place;
perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from
there.”1
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the waste-land. Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Now Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face towards the wilderness.2 Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him,3 and he uttered his oracle, saying:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,4
the oracle of one who hears the words of God,5
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
who falls down, but with eyes uncovered:
how fair are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!6
Like palm groves that stretch far away,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,7
like cedar trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall have abundant water,
his king shall be higher than Agag,8
and his kingdom shall be exalted.9
God, who brings him out of Egypt,
is like the horns of a wild ox for him;10
he shall devour the nations that are his foes
and break their bones.
He shall strike with his arrows.
He crouched, he lay down like a lion,
and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?11
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
and cursed is everyone who curses you.”
Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together.12 Balak said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. Now be off with you! Go home! I said, “I will reward you richly”, but the Lord has denied you any reward.”13
And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 'If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the Lord says, that is what I will say?'14 So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come.”15
So he uttered his oracle, saying:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,
the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:16
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near—
a star shall come out of Jacob,17
and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the borderlands of Moab,
and the territory of all the Shethites.
Edom will become a possession,
Seir a possession of its enemies,
while Israel does valiantly.18
One out of Jacob shall rule,
and destroy the survivors of Ir.”19
Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying: “First among the nations was Amalek, but its end is to perish for ever.”20
Then he looked on the Kenite, and uttered his oracle, saying: “Enduring is your dwelling-place, and your nest is set in the rock; yet Kain is destined for burning.21 How long shall Asshur22 take you away captive?”
Again he uttered his oracle, saying: “Alas, who shall live when God does this? But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he also shall perish for ever.”23
Then Balaam got up and went back to his place,24 and Balak also went his way.
1 I don't think that Balak has the same understanding of God that I do. The author may purposely be portraying him as a little dense or portraying his knowledge of God as overtly faulty.
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the waste-land. Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Now Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face towards the wilderness.2 Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him,3 and he uttered his oracle, saying:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,4
the oracle of one who hears the words of God,5
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
who falls down, but with eyes uncovered:
how fair are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!6
Like palm groves that stretch far away,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,7
like cedar trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall have abundant water,
his king shall be higher than Agag,8
and his kingdom shall be exalted.9
God, who brings him out of Egypt,
is like the horns of a wild ox for him;10
he shall devour the nations that are his foes
and break their bones.
He shall strike with his arrows.
He crouched, he lay down like a lion,
and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?11
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
and cursed is everyone who curses you.”
Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together.12 Balak said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. Now be off with you! Go home! I said, “I will reward you richly”, but the Lord has denied you any reward.”13
And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 'If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the Lord says, that is what I will say?'14 So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come.”15
So he uttered his oracle, saying:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,
the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:16
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near—
a star shall come out of Jacob,17
and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the borderlands of Moab,
and the territory of all the Shethites.
Edom will become a possession,
Seir a possession of its enemies,
while Israel does valiantly.18
One out of Jacob shall rule,
and destroy the survivors of Ir.”19
Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying: “First among the nations was Amalek, but its end is to perish for ever.”20
Then he looked on the Kenite, and uttered his oracle, saying: “Enduring is your dwelling-place, and your nest is set in the rock; yet Kain is destined for burning.21 How long shall Asshur22 take you away captive?”
Again he uttered his oracle, saying: “Alas, who shall live when God does this? But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he also shall perish for ever.”23
Then Balaam got up and went back to his place,24 and Balak also went his way.
1 I don't think that Balak has the same understanding of God that I do. The author may purposely be portraying him as a little dense or portraying his knowledge of God as overtly faulty.
2
Balaam is learning from his interactions with God, and entreats him
differently as a result.
3
God continues to be with him.
4
Balaam declares, in the spirit of God, that his own eye sees clearly
5
Balaam declares that the words he is hearing and speaking are the
words of God.
6
Balaam now moves into general praise of Israel.
7
Implying the Lord has also planted Israel in its place?
8
Is this Agag, the king of the Amalekites, who Saul defeats hundreds
of years later?
9
Israel shall be blessed in every way, including politically.
10
Repeating the line from Numbers 23:22
11
Quite a violent sequence of images.
12
Angry again, though the result had seemed obvious.
13
Funny how he blames the Lord, but punishes Balaam. Though Balaam
certainly can't say that he did him any favors.
14
Balaam speaks clearly of his allegiance to speaking the words of
God.
15
Now Balaam gives Balak a free warning.
16
Same start as the previous oracle.
17
Who did the author intend this to refer to? See Isaiah 9:1-2,
11:1-9. It could be David, but is interpreted by some Jews and
Christians as Messianic.
18
Again clearly stating that Israel shall win.
19
Again quite violent
20
Terrifying
21
Also terrifying.
22
Asshur = Assyria?
23
Yet another perishes.
24
Sort of remarkable that Balaam got away untouched.
Take-home: Balaam uses a final set of oracles to praise Israel and give information about their future victories. These last two oracles have little to do with the events in context (and my Study Bible points out their parallels with the “Deir Alla” inscriptions, 8th century B.C. Writings from Jordan where a prophet Balaam asks the God “shaddai” (see the same name in verse 4) to reverse a decision). It is possible, though, that the oracles have a source entirely independent from that.
Take-home: Balaam uses a final set of oracles to praise Israel and give information about their future victories. These last two oracles have little to do with the events in context (and my Study Bible points out their parallels with the “Deir Alla” inscriptions, 8th century B.C. Writings from Jordan where a prophet Balaam asks the God “shaddai” (see the same name in verse 4) to reverse a decision). It is possible, though, that the oracles have a source entirely independent from that.
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