Numberschapter 22
41 verses · Moses, by tradition · 15th to 13th century BC · The Law
Key verse
he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.
It stands in Balak sends money to hire a curse, verses 1 to 14.
The chapter
Chapter summary
Balak and Balaam. Balak king of Moab, seeing what Israel has done to the Amorites, sends for Balaam son of Beor to curse Israel. The LORD says go not; Balak sends more honourable princes with higher fees; Balaam is told, ‘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’. God's anger is kindled because he goes; the angel of the LORD stands in the way with sword drawn; the ass sees the angel three times, pressing Balaam's foot against a wall, turning aside, lying down. Balaam strikes the ass; the LORD opens her mouth. The angel opens Balaam's eyes.
Context
Law · Moses · Numbers overview
The world behind this chapter
Numbers 22The history
The chapter belongs to two men outside Israel. Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab, and Balaam son of Beor was a diviner fetched from Pethor by the river, which Deuteronomy 23:4 places in Mesopotamia.
The year is the fortieth and the place is fixed by verse 1. Every remaining law, census and ruling in Numbers is given from this camp.
The rest of the history, and what it meant to them
Moab takes counsel with the elders of Midian. Moab came of Lot and Midian came of Abraham by Keturah at Genesis 25:1 to 2, so the two peoples hiring a curse are relations of the nation they fear.
The occasion is fear of an army Moab had no permission to attack, since Deuteronomy 2:9 records the command that Israel leave Moab alone.
A first hearer knew that hiring a ritual specialist was ordinary statecraft. Kings across the ancient Near East employed diviners to weaken an enemy before battle, and there were fees, protocols and reputations. Balak's messengers arrive with the fee for divination in hand, which is how the business worked.
He also knew how far Pethor was. Sending hundreds of miles up the Euphrates for a specialist rather than using a local one is a measure of how seriously Moab took the camp on its doorstep. And he would have understood the joke of the road, since a man hired for his sight is carried by an animal that sees the angel he cannot.
The name was known in that country outside Israel's books. A plaster inscription uncovered at Tell Deir Alla in Jordan in 1967, written in an Aramaic dialect centuries later, opens with the words of Balaam son of Beor, a seer of the gods.
What it meant to them
Israel sat in the valley cooking supper and knew none of this. The chapter's first message to them was that battles were being fought over their heads that they never saw.
Its second message was about the limits of the trade. The most famous curser in that world could not get a sentence out that God had not authorised, and he said so himself before he left home.
Sources cited
- The Deir Alla plaster inscription, Jordan Valley, about the eighth century BC
- John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
- Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch , on Numbers 22:22
Where the chapter sits
Numbers 22 falls in Approach to Moab (chapters 21–25). The bronze serpent; Balaam's oracles; apostasy at Baal-peor.
Before it: Wilderness rebellions and instruction, chapters 15–20. After it: Second census and preparations, chapters 26–36.
The whole shape of Numbers→The structure of this chapter
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
A. Balak sends money to hire a curse
1. (vv. 1-3)
Numbers 22:1
“The plains - Hebrew ערבה ‛ărābâh; the word is the plural of that which is used to denote the whole depressed tract along the Jordan and the Dead Sea, and onward, where it is still called the Arabah (compare Num 21:4 note), to the Elanitic gulf. On this side Jordan by Jericho - Rather, across the Jordan of Jericho, i. e., that part of Jordan which skirted the territory of Jericho. This form of expression indicates the site of the camp in its relation to the well-known city of Jericho. See Deu 1:1.”
Numbers 22:2
“Balak the son of Zippor - The comparison of Num 22:4 with Num 21:26 suggests that Balak was not the hereditary king but a Midianite, and that a change of dynasty had taken place. His father’s name, Zippor, “Bird,” reminds us of those of other Midianites, e. g., Oreb, “Crow,” Zeeb, “Wolf.” Possibly the Midianite chieftains had taken advantage of the weakness of the Moabites after the Amorite victories to establish themselves as princes in the land.”
Numbers 22:3
“And Moab was sore afraid of the people,....”
The plains of Moab is the address for the whole rest of the book, from this verse to the last chapter, and every remaining law, census and ruling in Numbers is given from this camp. Israel sits beside Moab under a standing order not to touch it, which Deuteronomy 2:9 records as the command to distress not the Moabites nor contend with them in battle. Moab is sore afraid anyway, and the terror of a king whom Israel has been forbidden to attack is what starts the next three chapters.
2. (vv. 4-5)
Numbers 22:4
“We read of Midianites near Mount Sinai, Exod. ii, and iii, which seem to have been a colony of this people, that went out to seek new quarters, as the manner of those times was, but the body of that people were seated in those parts. Lick up - That is, consume and utterly destroy, in which sense the fire is said to lick up the water and sacrifices, 1 Kings xviii, 38.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Numbers 22:5
“He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam--that is, "lord" or "devourer" of people, a famous soothsayer (Jos 13:22). son of Beor--or, in the Chaldee form, Bosor--that is, "destruction." Pethor--a city of Mesopotamia, situated on the Euphrates.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:5
“Balaam the son of Beor was from the first a worshipper in some sort of the true God; and had learned some elements of pure and true religion in his home in the far East, the cradle of the ancestors of Israel. But though prophesying, doubtless even before the ambassadors of Balak came to him, in the name of the true God, yet prophecy was still to him as before a mere business, not a religion. The summons of Balak proved to be a crisis in his career: and he failed under the trial.”
Moab takes counsel with the elders of Midian, and Moab came of Lot while Midian came of Abraham by Keturah at Genesis 25:1-2, so the two peoples hiring a curse are relations of the nation they fear. Balaam is fetched from Pethor by the river, which Deuteronomy 23:4 places in Mesopotamia, hundreds of miles up the Euphrates from the Jordan. A plaster inscription uncovered at Tell Deir Alla in Jordan in 1967, written centuries after this in an Aramaic dialect, opens with the words of Balaam son of Beor, a seer of the gods, so the name was carried in that country outside Israel's books.
3. (vv. 6-7)
Numbers 22:7
“The rewards of divination - Whoever went to consult a prophet took with him a present, as it was on such gratuitous offerings the prophets lived; but here more than a mere present is intended, perhaps every thing necessary to provide materials for the incantation. The drugs, etc., used on such occasions were often very expensive. It appears that Balaam was very covetous, and that he loved the wages of unrighteousness, and probably lived by it; see 2Pe 2:15.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Balak states the Abrahamic formula of Genesis 12:3 in his own mouth and then hires a man to run it backwards over the seed it was given to. The fee goes ahead of the question, rewards of divination in their hand, and Joshua 13:22 uses the word soothsayer of Balaam when it records his death. Nehemiah 13:2 gives the whole errand in one line, that they hired Balaam against them to curse them, and God turned the curse into a blessing.
4. (vv. 8-9)
Numbers 22:8
“His real character has long been a subject of discussion. Some, judging from his language, have thought him a saint; others, looking to his conduct, have described him as an irreligious charlatan; and a third class consider him a novice in the faith, who had a fear of God, but who had not acquired power over his passions [HENGSTENBERG].”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Numbers 22:9
“And God came unto Balaam,.... In a dream very probably, as he did to Abimelech and Laban, Gen 20:3, and said, what men are these with thee? who lodged with him that night. This he said, not as ignorant who they were, or from whence they came, or what they came about; but in order to lead on to a discourse with Balaam, and to have from him the account of the men, and their business, and to try his fidelity in relating the affair.”
Balaam answers a Moabite delegation using the covenant name, and God does come to him that night. What he was has divided readers for centuries: Calvin treats him as a diviner whom God overruled for his own ends, others allow him a real gift turned to hire, and the book lets him say true things from beginning to end while never calling him a prophet of Israel. The question put to him, what men are these with thee, is the kind God asked Adam among the trees and Cain in the field, put to a man who knows the answer perfectly well.
5. (vv. 10-12)
Numbers 22:10
“And Balaam said unto God,.... In answer to the question he put to him: Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me; these men, and a message by them: saying; as follows.”
Numbers 22:11
“Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt,.... In this, and the following part of the verse, he faithfully and punctually relates the words of Balak to him by his messengers, as well knowing he could not deceive the omniscient God, or hide anything from him, though he could deceive men; and conceal the truth from them, to serve a purpose; See Gill on Num 22:5, Num 22:6.”
Numbers 22:12
“Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people - That is, Thou shalt not go with them to curse the people. With them he might go, as we find he afterwards did by God’s own command, but not to curse the people; this was wholly forbidden. Probably the command, Thou shalt not go, refers here to that time, viz., the first invitation: and in this sense it was most punctually obeyed by Balaam; see Num 22:13.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
He repeats Balak's message and drops the end of it, keeping the request to curse and leaving out the king's confession that whom Balaam blesses is blessed. God answers in three parts inside one verse, do not go, do not curse, and the ground of both, for they are blessed. The ground is the point, since the blessing on that people was Abraham's and no fee alters it.
6. (vv. 13-14)
Numbers 22:13
“And Balaam rose up in the morning,....”
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:13
“The permission granted to Balaam is in accordance with the ordinary procedure of Providence. God often gives up men to follow the impulse of their own lusts; but there is no approval in thus leaving them to act at the prompting of their own wicked hearts (Jos 13:27).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Numbers 22:14
“Balaam refuseth to come with us - “Observe,” says Mr. Ainsworth, “Satan’s practice against God’s word, seeking to lessen the same, and that from hand to hand, till he bring it to naught.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
What God said was that Israel is blessed, and what Balaam reports to the princes is that permission was withheld from him personally. That version leaves a door open for a better offer, since a man denied leave may be granted it later. The princes shorten it again for Balak, Balaam refuseth to come with us, so by the time the news reaches the king the refusal belongs to the man.
B. More honorable princes, and a house full of silver
1. (vv. 15-17)
Numbers 22:15
“Balak, like the ancient pagan world generally, not only believed in the efficacy of the curses and incantations of the soothsayers, but regarded their services as strictly venal. Hence, when his first offer was declined, he infers at once that he had not bid high enough.”
Numbers 22:16
“And they came to Balaam,....”
Numbers 22:17
“Love of money then is an old and ancient vice, which showed itself even at the declaration of the divine law; for a law was given to check it. On account of love of money Balak thought Balaam could be tempted by rewards to curse the people of our fathers. Love of money would have won the day too, had not God bidden him hold back from cursing.”
Ambrose of Milan· written before 397· On the Duties of the Clergy 2.26.130patristic
The second embassy is graded upward in number and in rank, and the offer climbs from a diviner's fee to promotion unto very great honour with a blank promise attached, I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me. Balak is treating a settled answer as an opening price. 2 Peter 2:15 names what was on the table, calling it the wages of unrighteousness, and Jude 11 says Balaam ran greedily after it for reward.
2. (vv. 18-19)
Numbers 22:18
“I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God - Balaam knew God too well to suppose he could reverse any of his purposes; and he respected him too much to attempt to do any thing without his permission. Though he was covetous, yet he dared not, even when strongly tempted both by riches and honors, to go contrary to the command of his God.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Numbers 22:19
“Ye also - i. e., as the other envoys before you. Had Balaam possessed a sincere spirit of obedience, he would have found in the first instructions Num 22:12 a final decision upon the matter. His hypocritical importunity with God when the fresh messengers came from Balak demonstrates his aversion to God’s declared will.”
The sentence he speaks is true and it is one of the strongest in the chapter, that a house full of silver and gold could not carry him past the word of the Lord his God, to do less or more. His next sentence asks God about a matter God had answered flatly the night before, and the word he uses for it is more. Henry reads the second inquiry as the tell, because a man who has an answer he dislikes goes back to ask again.
3. (vv. 20-21)
Numbers 22:20
“It was in anger that God said to Balaam, "Go with them," and we have reason to think that Balaam himself so understood it, for we do not find him pleading this allowance when God reproved him for going. Note, As God sometimes denies the prayers of his people in love, so sometimes he grants the desires of the wicked in wrath.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:20
“If the men come - go with them - This is a confirmation of what was observed on the twelfth verse; though we find his going was marked with the Divine displeasure, because he wished, for the sake of the honors and rewards, to fulfill as far as possible the will of the king of Moab. Mr. Shuckford observes that the pronoun הוא hu is sometimes used to denote a person’s doing a thing out of his own head, without regard to the directions of another.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Numbers 22:21
“And Balaam rose up in the morning,....”
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:21
“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 kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
The permission arrives with a condition and a limit, if the men call thee, and only the word I shall say to thee. Verse 21 records no call from the men, only Balaam rising in the morning, saddling and going, and the very next verse says God's anger was kindled because he went. Readers divide on how those two verses hold together: Calvin takes the leave as given in anger and to the man's ruin, Henry puts the anger on the appetite rather than on the road itself, and Keil and Delitzsch locate the fault in the desire he brought to the second asking.
C. A donkey sees what the prophet cannot
1. (v. 22)
Numbers 22:22
“God's anger was kindled because he went--The displeasure arose partly from his neglecting the condition on which leave was granted him--namely, to wait till the princes of Moab "came to call him" [Nu 22:20], and because, through desire for "the wages of unrighteousness" [2Pe 2:15], he entertained the secret purpose of acting in opposition to the solemn charge of God.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Numbers 22:22
“Because he went - Because he went of his own accord, with the princes of Moab, and did not wait till they came to call him, which was the sign and condition of God's permission, but rather himself rose and called them. The apostle describes Balaam's sin here to be, that he ran greedily into an error for reward, Jude i, 11.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Numbers 22:22
“The angel - i. e., the Angel that led the Israelites through the wilderness (compare Num 20:16 and references), and subsequently appeared as the Captain of the Lord’s host to Joshua Jos 6:13. In desiring to curse Israel, Balaam was fighting against Israel’s Leader. The presence of the Angel in his path was designed to open his eyes, blinded by sin, to the real character of his course of conduct.”
The word rendered adversary here is the Hebrew satan, an ordinary noun for one who stands in another man's path, used of men at 1 Samuel 29:4 and of Hadad the Edomite at 1 Kings 11:14. What stands in this road with a drawn sword is the angel of the Lord, and the man he blocks is on an errand he had been given leave to take. Two servants ride with him, and the only member of the party who sees anything is the animal underneath him.
2. (vv. 23-25)
Numbers 22:23
“How vainly did Balaam boast that he was a man whose eyes were open, and that he saw the visions of the Almighty ( ch. xxiv. 3, 4 ), when the ass he rode on saw more than he did, his eyes being blinded with covetousness and ambition and dazzled with the rewards of divination! Note, Many have God against them, and his holy angels, but are not aware of it.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:23
“And the ass saw the angel - When God granted visions those alone who were particularly interested saw them while others in the same company saw nothing; see Dan 10:7; Act 9:7.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Numbers 22:24
“In a path of the vineyards - i. e., in a path shut in by vineyard-walls on each side. The progress from the road through the open field Num 22:23 to that walled in, and thence to the strait place, where there was no room to turn Num 22:26, shows that Balaam was approaching a city, no doubt that which was the goal of his journey.”
Numbers 22:25
“And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord,....”
2 more voices on this verse
Numbers 22:25
“The sick are to be admonished to consider how great health of the heart is in bodily affliction, which recalls the mind to knowledge of itself, and renews the memory of infirmity which health for the most part casts away, so that the spirit, which is carried out of itself into elation, may be reminded by the smitten flesh from which it suffers to what condition it is subject. Which thing is rightly signified to Balaam (had he but been willing to follow obediently the voice of God) in the very retardation of his journey. For Balaam is on his way to attain his purpose; but the animal which is under him thwarts his desire. The ass, stopped by the prohibition, sees an angel which the human mind sees not; because for the most part the flesh, slow through afflictions, indicates to the mind from the scourge which it endures the God whom the mind itself which has the flesh under it did not see, in such sort as to impede the eagerness of the spirit which desires to advance in this world as though proceeding on a journey, until it makes known to it the invisible one who stands in its way.”
Gregory the Dialogist· written before 604· The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 3patristic
Numbers 22:25
“Now what was the guilt which Balaam incurred, but that he spoke one thing, and designed another? For God requires a clean vessel, not one defiled by uncleanness and pollution. Balaam therefore was tried, not approved, for he was full of deceit and treachery.”
Ambrose of Milan· written before 397· Letters 41-50patristic
The obstruction repeats and the space tightens with each repetition, first open field, then a path between two vineyard walls where a foot gets crushed. Every time the animal moves to save his life she is beaten for the thing that saved it. A man hired for his sight is riding a beast that sees what he cannot.
3. (vv. 26-27)
Numbers 22:26
“And the angel - stood in a narrow place - In this carriage of the angel says Mr. Ainsworth the Lord shows us the proceedings of his judgments against sinners: First he mildly shakes his rod at them but lets them go untouched. Secondly he comes nearer and touches them with an easy correction as it were wringing their foot against the wall.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Numbers 22:27
“And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord,....”
The third station has no room on either hand, and the animal answers the only way left to her by lying down under him. His anger is kindled in exactly the words used of God's anger at verse 22, and the staff takes over from the hand. The narrowing carries the sense of the scene, since the road he chose runs out.
4. (vv. 28-30)
Numbers 22:28
“The Lord opened the mouth of the ass - And where is the wonder of all this? If the ass had opened her own mouth, and reproved the rash prophet, we might well be astonished; but when God opens the mouth, an ass can speak as well as a man. It is worthy of remark here, that Balaam testifies no surprise at this miracle, because he saw it was the Lord’s doing.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Numbers 22:29
“Balaam said - Balaam was not much terrified with the ass's speaking, because perhaps he was accustomed to converse with evil spirits, who appeared to him and discoursed with him in the shape of such creatures. Perhaps he was so blinded by passion, that he did not consider the strangeness of the thing.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Numbers 22:30
“And the ass said unto Balaam,....”
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:30
“God has given to man a dominion over the creatures: they are delivered into his hand to be used, and put under his feet to be ruled. Even wicked people have a title to the possessions God gives to them, which they are not to be wronged of. The dominion God has given us over the creatures is a good reason why we should not abuse them.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
The Lord opens her mouth and she asks a question instead of carrying a message, what have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times. Balaam argues back and wishes for a sword to kill her with, and the sword he wants is already drawn in the hand he cannot see. He offers no remark at all on the fact that his animal is speaking, and she is the second speaking animal in Scripture after the serpent of Genesis 3. 2 Peter 2:16 reads the scene as the dumb ass speaking with man's voice, forbidding the madness of the prophet.
5. (vv. 31-33)
Numbers 22:31
“Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam,....”
Numbers 22:32
“And the angel of the Lord said unto him,....”
2 more voices on this verse
Numbers 22:32
Is perverse - Rather, is headlong. Compare Peter’s words 2Pe 2:16, “the madness of the prophet.”
Numbers 22:32
“Note, When our eyes are opened we shall see what danger we are in in a sinful way, and how much it was for our advantage to be crossed in it, and what fools we were to quarrel with our crosses which helped to save our lives.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Numbers 22:33
“I had slain thee - I had slain thee alone, and not her, therefore her turning aside and falling down was wholly for thy benefit, not for her own, and thy anger against her was unjust and unreasonable.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
The King James gives the same English word for both openings, though the Hebrew uses one verb for unstopping a mouth and another for uncovering eyes, and the seer needed his own uncovered by God like any other man. The angel states the charge as thy way is perverse before me, and then gives an account of the last three stops in which the ass is the reason her rider is alive. Balaam ends flat on his face in front of a figure his donkey had been watching for three stations.
6. (vv. 34-35)
Numbers 22:34
“If it displease thee, I will get me back again - Here is a proof, that though he loved the wages of unrighteousness, yet he still feared God; and he is now willing to drop the enterprise if God be displeased with his proceeding. The piety of many called Christians does not extend thus far; they see that the thing displeases God, and yet they proceed. Reader, is this thy case?”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:34
“I have sinned . . . if it displease thee, I will get me back again--Notwithstanding this confession, he evinced no spirit of penitence, as he speaks of desisting only from the outward act. The words "go with the men" was a mere withdrawal of further restraint, but the terms in which leave was given are more absolute and peremptory than those in Nu 22:20.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
His confession is I have sinned, and the ground he gives for the sin is ignorance, that he did not know what was standing in the road. His offer to turn back carries a condition on the front of it, if it displease thee, and he is sent forward under the same restriction he was given at verse 20. The errand stands unchanged except that the man now knows what is escorting him.
D. Only the word God puts in my mouth
1. (vv. 36-38)
Numbers 22:36
“And when Balak heard that Balaam was come,....”
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:36
“2 And Balak 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.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Numbers 22:37
“And Balak said unto Balaam,....”
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:37
“Balak, as king, was in his own kingdom the fountain of honour, and Balaam should have his choice of all the preferments that were in his gift; he therefore thinks himself affronted by Balaam's delays, which looked as if he thought the honours he prepared not worthy his acceptance.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Numbers 22:38
“The word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak - Here was a noble resolution, and he was certainly faithful to it: though he wished to please the king, and get wealth and honor, yet he would not displease God to realize even these bright prospects. Many who slander this poor semi-antinomian prophet, have not half his piety.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Balak goes out as far as the border at Arnon to meet him, and Numbers 21:13 had already fixed Arnon as the boundary of Moab. His greeting is a reproach with the money in it, am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour. Balaam answers with another true sentence, the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak, and chapters 23 and 24 show him keeping it to the letter while Numbers 31:16 records the counsel he found to give instead.
2. (vv. 39-41)
Numbers 22:39
“And Balaam went with Balak,.... From Ar of Moab, or, however, from the place where they met, to the royal city where Balak had his palace, and seems to be the place following: and they came to Kirjathhuzoth; which Jarchi interprets a city full of streets, a populous place, having a multitude of men, women, and children in the streets of it; and the same writer suggests as if Balak's view in this was to move the pity of Balaam, that such a number of people might not be rooted out and destroyed.”
Numbers 22:40
“And Balak offered oxen, etc. - This was to gain the favor of his gods, and perhaps to propitiate Jehovah, that the end for which he had sent for Balaam might be accomplished.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Numbers 22:41
“That - he might see the utmost part of the people - As he thought Balaam must have them all in his eye when he pronounced his curse, lest it might not extend to those who were not in sight. On this account he took him up into the high places of Baal.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Numbers 22:41
“The high places of Baal - Consecrated to the worship of Baal, that is, of Baal Peor, who was their Baal or God. The utmost part - That is, all that people, even to the utmost and remotest of them, as appears by comparing this with, chap. xxiii, 13.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Balak kills oxen and sheep and sends portions to Balaam and to the princes, so the working arrangement opens with a shared meal. In the morning he takes him up to the high places of Baal, a shrine of the god of the country, to look out over the camp. What he is shown is the utmost part of the people, the edge of the camp rather than the whole of it, and Balak tries the same partial view again at 23:13 once the first oracle has gone against him.
This page carries no textual note on Numbers 22. Where this site has examined a place the manuscripts differ, the examination is in the manuscripts room. Every place this site examines →
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
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