1Balak's sacrifice. 7Balaam's first parable. 14Balak sacrificeth again. 18Balaam's second parable. 25Balak is displeased with Balaam; but bringeth him to the top of Peor, and sacrificeth there.
1AND Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.
2And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
3And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, 1and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come 2to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an 3high place.
1 Namely, to inquire of God, but he did this in an undue manner, as appears Num. 24:1.
2 Hebr. meeting meet me.
3 Other, alone.
4And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.
5And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.
6And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.
7And he 4took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from 5Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me 6Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
4 By the words took up is implied here that Balaam has raised his voice and has spoken out loud.
5 That is, from Mesopotamia, which is situated in Syria, Deut. 23:4. Hebr. Aram.
6 That is, the descendants of Jacob. Also later, Israel, that is, the Israelites.
8How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?
9For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, thea people shall dwell 7alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
a Deut. 33:28.
7 Namely, they shall be separated from all other nations, as well in ecclesiastical as in political matters. Compare Micah 7:14 with the annotation.
10Who can count the 8dust of Jacob, and the number of 9the fourth part of Israel? 10Let me die the death of the 11righteous, and let my last end be like 12his!
8 That is, the children or the seed. See Gen. 13:16; 28:14.
9 Other, the number of a quarter. It appears that Balaam had looked upon the camp of the Israelites, which was divided in four principal quarters round about the tabernacle, Numbers 2.
10 Hebr. my soul, or my life. That is, let me die the death of righteous or just men; but Balaam perished among God’s enemies, Num. 31:8; Joshua 13:22. See also 2 Cor. 11:15.
11 Or, of those who are right.
12 Namely, of Israel.
11And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, 13thou hast blessed them altogether.
13 Hebr. blessing hast thou blessed them.
12And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?
13And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, 14from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.
14 As if he had said: Thou mayest perhaps have been daunted before with the sight of such a multitude, and therefore didst not dare to curse them in that place. Other, whence thou shalt see him (thou sawest only his end, but thou hast not wholly seen him), and curse, etc.
14¶And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
15And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet 15the LORD yonder.
15 Or, him, namely, the LORD, to inquire of Him.
16And the LORD met Balaam, andb put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
b Num. 22:35.
17And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?
18And he took up his parable, and said, 16Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
16 Namely, to listen to the Word of the LORD with due reverence. See Judges 3:20.
19Godcis not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it 17good?
c 1 Sam. 15:29; James 1:17.
17 Hebr. to stand.
20Behold, I have 18received commandment to 19bless: and 20he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.
18 Namely, the command of the LORD. The meaning is: God has commanded me to bless Israel; I must obey Him.
19 Namely, this people of Israel.
20 Namely, the LORD.
2121Hed22hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen 23perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the 24shout 25of a king is among 26them.
21 That is, God the LORD is so kind and gracious to the Israelites, that He does not in a manner see or heed their sins, or impute unto them.
d Psalm 32:1, 2; 51:9; Jer. 50:20; Rom. 4:7.
22 Other, He sees no idolatry, etc., and no toil, etc., that is, the agitation which the idol worshippers commit.
23 Or, malice. Other, trouble, labour.
24 Namely, of trumpets. He regards the silver trumpets; whereof see Num. 10:9; Joshua 6:16, 20; Judges 7:20; 2 Chron. 13:12.
25 That is, of God, the King of all kings. This passage may well be applied to the preaching of the Word of God.
26 Namely, with Jacob, or with Israel.
22God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were thee strength of an 27unicorn.
e Num. 24:8.
27 The unicorn is especially renowned for his strength in the Holy Scriptures, Num. 24:8; Deut. 33:17; Job 39:9; Psalm 22:21; 92:10. This creature was known in those days, but what it was exactly, no one knows today.
23Surely 28there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: 29according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, 30What hath God wrought!
28 That is, the enchantment avails nothing against the Israelites. Other, in Jacob, etc.
29 He wants to say: It shall not only be recited in times hereafter what wonderful works God has wrought among this people, but even now.
30 Other, What is it that God hath done?
24Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
25¶And Balak said unto Balaam, 31Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
31 Hebr. cursing not curse, and blessing not bless.
26But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?
27¶And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me 32them from thence.
32 Namely, the people of Israel.
28And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of 33Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
33 The name of a mountain, called Phogor by the Greeks, whereon the Moabites used to offer sacrifices to their idol, called Baal-peor, Num. 25:3, 5, 18. There they had a temple, called Beth-peor, Deut. 3:29. There was also a city of that name, which afterwards fell to the share of the children of Reuben, Joshua 13:15, 20.
29And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
30And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.