Numbers23

Balaam, hired by Balak to curse Israel, repeatedly attempts to do so by building altars and offering sacrifices. However, each time the LORD puts words in Balaam's mouth, compelling him to utter blessings and prophecies of Israel's strength and unique status, much to Balak's frustration. Balaam consistently affirms he can only speak what God commands.

Balaam Prepares the First Altar

1
Balaam said to Balak, “Build here seven altars for me, and prepare here seven bulls and seven rams for me.” ​
2
Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bull and a ram.
3
Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” He went to a bare height. ​
4
God met Balaam, and he said to him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.”
5
The LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” ​
6
He returned to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, he, and all the princes of Moab.

Balaam’s First Oracle: Israel Blessed

7
He took up his parable, and said, “From Aram has Balak brought me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East. Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, defy Israel. ​
8
How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? How shall I defy whom the LORD has not defied? ​
9
For from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I see him. Behold, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. ​
10
Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous! Let my last end be like his!” ​
11
Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them altogether.” ​
12
He answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD puts in my mouth?”

The Second Attempt to Curse Israel

13
Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, where you may see them. You shall see just part of them, and shall not see them all. Curse them from there for me.” ​
14
He took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar. ​
15
He said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet over there.”
16
The LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and say this.” ​
17
He came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”

Balaam’s Second Oracle: God’s Faithfulness

18
He took up his parable, and said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, you son of Zippor. ​
19
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good? ​
20
Behold, I have received a command to bless. He has blessed, and I can’t reverse it.
21
He has not seen iniquity in Jacob. Neither has he seen perverseness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him. The shout of a king is among them. ​
22
God brings them out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. ​
23
Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob; Neither is there any divination with Israel. Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘What has God done!’ ​
24
Behold, the people rises up as a lioness. As a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.” ​
25
Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.” ​
26
But Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘All that the LORD speaks, that I must do?’”

Preparation for the Third Oracle

27
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.” ​
28
Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks down on the desert. ​
29
Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” ​
30
Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

Study Notes for Numbers 23

Verse 1

The requirement for seven altars and sacrifices suggests an attempt at thorough religious preparation, utilizing numbers associated with completeness, common in ancient Near Eastern rituals.

Verse 3

Balaam’s method involves separating himself to receive revelation, indicating he is a genuine, though morally compromised, recipient of divine communication from Yahweh.

Verse 5

This highlights that Balaam is merely a conduit for the word of the LORD, which overrules his own intentions or Balak’s desires to curse Israel.

Verse 7

The term 'parable' (Heb. *mashal*) refers here not to a simple story, but to an authoritative, poetic, and prophetic pronouncement or oracle.

Verse 8

This rhetorical question establishes the central theological theme: the divine decree cannot be reversed by human effort or sorcery. God’s protection of Israel is immutable.

Verse 9

"Dwell alone" signifies Israel's unique status as a chosen people, divinely separated and distinct from the surrounding nations, reinforcing the covenant identity.

Verse 10

The comparison to 'dust' echoes the Abrahamic promise (Gen 13:16) regarding countless descendants, emphasizing the irrevocable nature of the blessing.

Verse 11

Balak’s distress reveals the failure of his enterprise and underscores the powerlessness of human kings against the divine will.

Verse 13

Balak believes the problem might be geographical, thinking that seeing the vast multitude of Israel (a sign of God's blessing) is hindering the curse.

Verse 14

Pisgah, part of the Abarim range, offered a clear view of the plains of Moab where Israel was camped, making it a strategically important and high vantage point.

Verse 16

God’s intervention is direct and repeated, ensuring that Balaam cannot deviate from the divine message, reinforcing the theme of divine control over prophecy.

Verse 18

Balaam commands Balak to listen, emphasizing that this is a formal, divinely inspired decree, not a personal opinion or magical spell.

Verse 19

This is a crucial theological statement emphasizing God's immutability and reliability. Unlike humans, God does not change his mind (*repent*) regarding his promises or decrees.

Verse 21

This verse means God is not currently focused on Israel's sin, but on their covenant relationship, ensuring that the blessing remains active despite temporary failings. The 'shout of a king' refers to the presence of Yahweh among them.

Verse 22

The 'strength of an unicorn' (Heb. *re'em*, likely a wild ox or aurochs) symbolizes the immense, untamable power God used in the foundational act of the Exodus.

Verse 23

This direct affirmation establishes that no human magic, enchantment, or sorcery can counteract God’s planned work for Israel. The resulting proclamation is awe and wonder at divine providence.

Verse 24

Israel is compared to a powerful, victorious lion, symbolizing their strength, conquest, and dominance over enemies, fulfilling the promises of protection and land.

Verse 25

Balak, defeated, attempts to salvage the situation by asking Balaam to simply remain silent, recognizing that Balaam cannot be compelled to curse.

Verse 27

Balak remains stubbornly determined, believing a change of location will alter God's disposition or provide a sightline that allows the curse to take effect.

Verse 28

Peor is significant because it overlooks Jeshimon (the desolate wilderness) and is the place where Israel later falls into grievous sin through Baal worship (Num 25).

Verse 29

Balaam, despite knowing his words are controlled by God, continues the ritualistic preparation, perhaps maintaining the facade for Balak or hoping God might yet grant him the requested curse.

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