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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 22
Balak offers money and cattle and great honors to Balaam to curse
Israel—The Lord forbids Balaam so to do—An angel opposes Balaam
on the way.
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1 AND the children of
Israel set forward, and apitched in the plains of Moab
bon this side Jordan by Jericho.
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2 ¶ And aBalak the son of
Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
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5 He sent messengers therefore unto
aBalaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the
river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold,
there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the
earth, and they abide over against me:
6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me
this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall
prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out
of the land: for I awot that he whom thou blessest
is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of
Midian departed with the arewards of
bdivination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and
spake unto him the words of Balak.
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8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night,
and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the
aprinces of Moab abode with Balaam.
9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
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12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not
go with thema; thou shalt not curse
the people: for they are blessed.
13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.
14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
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12a Thou shalt not go with them
It is not often that man is given a direct commandment from God to him. God
gave Balaam a direct command, 'Thou shalt not go with them'. And at first
Balaam obeyed but later 'princes' would also come and pursuade Balaam to go
with them to the King. And Balaam did then not obey the word of God, but did
leave to go with them, and for this reason alone God was justified in
standing forth to kill Balaam. Also it is often depicted that Balaam was
traveling alone when the angel of God stood in his way to kill him. But
Balaam was not, he was in the company of those elders of Moab and Midian who
had come to collect him back to King Balak.
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15 ¶ And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.
16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:
17 For I will promote thee unto very great
honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
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18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also
here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me
morea.
20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said
unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but
yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and
saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
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19a what the LORD will say unto me
more The LORD had already spoken and commanded Balaam, 'Thou shalt
not go'. But like unto the case of Martin Harris, that first answer was not
satisfactory unto Balaam as he wanted to go. God does not take man's agency
from him. God told Balaam if could go but that he could not say but what God
would have him say. Balaam's intent was 'perverse' in that not only did Balaam
want to go, but he did want to curse Israel in order to obtain the wealth
promised him if he would so curse Israel. Balaam would enter in on that
slippery slope of temptation and sin even thou God had commanded him not to.
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22 ¶ And God's anger was kindled because he
went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against
him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
23 And the ass asaw the
angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and
the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam
smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
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26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
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29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou
hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I
akill thee.
30 And the aass said unto
Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since
I was thine unto this day? was I ever bwont to do so
unto thee? And he said, Nay.
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
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32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him,
Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out
to withstand thee, because thy way is aperverse
before me:
33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
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34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
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36 ¶ And when Balak heard that Balaam was
come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the
border of Arnon, which is in the utmost acoast.
37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?
38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
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39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjath-huzoth.
40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.
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