Chapter 23

1, 13, 28 Balak’s sacrifice. 7, 18 Balaam’s parable.

1. Build me here. That is, on the high place, the sanctuary of Baal, where sacrifices were wont to be held and from which the camp of the Israelites was visible. Seven oxen and seven rams. By multiplying the number of sacrifices Balaam thought to placate God. His mind was now thoroughly controlled by heathen concepts of God, that quantity is more important than quality and material offerings more effective than a sincerely obedient heart.

2. Balak and Balaam offered. As a heathen king Balak would perform priestly offices, assisting Balaam. The mockery of it all was not apparent to the prophet—a wicked prophet of God cooperating with a heathen king officiating at a sacrifice to Baal, thinking at the same time that his own God could be placated by that sacrifice.

3. Stand by thy burnt offering. To tend to it.

Peradventure. Balaam could only hope the Lord would condescend to meet him, for he knew that what was in his heart was contrary to God’s mind.

High. Literally, “bare,” “smooth,” “level.” The verb root means “to make level,” “to smooth,” “to plane off,” “to make bare.” Balaam desired to be alone; he was already on a “high place,” where the altars were built.

4. God met Balaam. The infinite patience of God!

Seven altars. Balaam implies that the sacrifices were made to God, and that He should therefore feel reconciled to Balaam’s plans and be willing to cooperate with him. Compare 1 Sam. 13:12 for sacrifice as a form of supplication and Hosea 12:11 for God’s attitude toward a multiplicity of altars and sacrifices.

5. Put a word in Balaam’s mouth. It is a mark of a true prophet to carry the word, or message, of Jehovah (Deut. 18:18; Jer. 1:9). It has been remarked that as God put words into the ass’s mouth contrary to nature, He also put words into Balaam’s mouth contrary to that prophet’s stubborn will.

7. Parable. The Hebrew word refers to a statement given in figurative rather than in plain language.

The king of Moab. A pretense that Balaam had come against his will.

The mountains of the east. Probably a reference to the barren, stony, and mountainous part of Mesopotamia.

8. How shall I curse? This suggests that Balak was asking Balaam to do the impossible. The blessing of God rested upon His people and the curse of man could not prevail against them.

9. From the top of the rocks. Balaam was standing on the mountaintop gazing down upon the camp of Israel (chs. 22:41; 23:3).

Dwell alone. To dwell apart was a symbol of security (Deut. 33:28; Micah 7:14). Furthermore, the people of God were to be separate from the habits and customs of the surrounding nations.

Not be reckoned. Chosen of God, they were to be a people apart (see Ex. 33:16; 1 Kings 8:53). The Jews came to regard themselves as altogether superior to all other nations.

10. Who can count. The Hebrew construction is such as to express great surprise that one would even think to do such a thing. Compare the promise to Abraham (Gen. 13:16) and to Israel (Gen. 28:14).

The fourth part. Jewish commentators see a reference here to the camp of Israel divided into four parts.

The death of the righteous. The sinful avarice of Balaam precluded any such peaceful end for him (Num. 31:8; Prov. 28:9). The children of Israel were “righteous” because Jehovah had made them so, and had chosen them to be His people (Deut. 7:6–8).

My last end. The Hebrew word here translated “last end” often means “posterity” (Ps. 109:13; Dan. 11:4; Amos 4:2). It may be preferable to understand it so here.

11. I took thee to curse. There was no deceit or subterfuge on Balak’s part. He did not understand that Balaam had been permitted to come only on condition that he speak the words God would put in his mouth. Of course he had told Balak as much (ch. 22:38), but, like Balaam, who should have known better, the king no doubt thought God could be persuaded to change His mind. Balaam’s arrival made it appear to Balak that the prophet himself thought this possible.

Blessed them altogether. The Hebrew is very emphatic: “blessing thou hast blessed.” Balaam had not merely refrained from cursing Israel; he positively blessed them.

12. The Lord hath put. Balak, it would seem, should have recognized that Balaam was not free to follow his own evil way, but was subject to the Spirit of God (see ch. 22:35, 38).

13. Another place. Here was an opportunity for Balaam to withdraw, but his greed for worldly gain held him as if in a vise.

The utmost part. Thinking Balaam might be overawed by the vast Israelite camp, Balak hoped that a view of a small part of it might make the prophet more bold. Thus, by means of several moves to various locations, from each of which a portion of the camp of Israel was visible, the entire camp would finally be cursed.

14. The field of Zophim. From a word meaning “to spy upon,” “to keep watch upon.” The name Zophim means, “the field of the watchers” (see 1 Sam. 14:16; Isa. 56:10; Jer. 6:17; Eze. 3:17). The site of Zophim is not known. It was undoubtedly another “high place” (see Num. 22:41).

Pisgah. A high mountain in Moabite territory, from which much of the surrounding country is visible (Deut. 3:27; 34:1, 2; see on Num. 21:20; 27:12).

Seven altars. The original procedure wasrepeated. In his heart, however, Balaam must have known that he could not reverse the first message from God. But he intended to do everything within his power to earn Balak’s favor and promised rewards.

15. Stand here. Literally, “stand yourself thus.” Balaam is not showing Balak where to stand, but how to comport himself. Perhaps Balaam was implying that Balak was, in part at least, to blame for his own previous failure.

While I meet the Lord yonder. Literally, “and I will petition thus.” Again the prophet speaks of the how of making his petition, and not the place from which he did so. Undoubtedly, however, Balaam did withdraw to another place to meet Jehovah.

16. The Lord met Balaam. Again it is Jehovah who meets the prophet.

Say thus. It was impossible for Balaam to speak against Israel so long as they were faithful to God’s revelations.

17. What hath the Lord spoken? Balak realized that the message came from God, for Balaam was apparently helpless.

18. Rise up, Balak. This may mean, “Pay attention and listen, Balak.” Or again, it may simply mean to stand up in a reverent attitude and listen to the message from Jehovah. The first suggestion is the more probable.

Hearken unto me. The prophet fully realized the import of the message he was constrained to utter, and that without altering a single word. The Hebrew expression suggests not only to listen but to ponder well the import of the message.

19. God is not a man. It seems strange that Balaam did not sense that he was treating Jehovah as if He were altogether a man, to be influenced to change His mind. Such was a purely heathen concept.

Neither the son of man. The word here translated “man” is the generic word meaning any member of the human race; God is not a mere mortal.

Repent. In the sense of grieving over one’s doings. The change of location, the additional altars and the sacrifices offered on them, did not convince Jehovah that He had made a mistake in not being influenced by the first location and offerings. It is only a sincere turning away from evil by the sinner that can influence God to withhold due punishment (see Jer. 18:8; 26:3; Mal. 3:6; Rom. 11:29; James 1:17).

20. Commandment to bless. Jehovah had blessed Israel as His peculiar people. The wicked desires of evil men to hurt them would never lead God to reverse Himself.

21. Perverseness. This statement emphatically declares that so long as Israel remained true to God no evil would befall the nation. The word translated “iniquity” denotes wrongdoing, idolatry, false speaking, or any departure from God’s will, as that which in the end will prove to be unprofitable. There is a moral relationship between sin and its just due expressed by this word. “Perverseness” stresses the fact that sin has made life something heavy to be borne; it has made of the normal pursuits of life a burden grievous to bear. This word is commonly translated “toil” (Gen. 41:51), “sorrow” (Job 3:10; Ps. 55:10), “trouble” (Job 5:6, 7), “wearisome” (Job 7:3), “pain” (Ps. 25:18), “painful” (Ps. 73:16), and “labour” (Ps. 90:10).

The shout. Literally, “the blast of a horn,” sounded as an alarm, or for joy, or in religious fervor (see Lev. 23:24; Ps. 47:5; Jer. 4:19). Possibly here “a shout of joy” is meant.

22. Brought them out of Egypt. Certainly with the object of having them serve Him in truth and righteousness (see Lev. 11:45; 25:38; Num. 15:41).

An unicorn. Probably the “wild ox” (RSV) or the buffalo. It was no doubt a creature of great strength, courage, and of two horns (Deut. 33:17; Ps. 22:21; note the plural, “horns”). The LXX translates this Hebrew word by a Greek term meaning “one horn,” thinking it referred to the rhinoceros. Apparently the translators did not notice that other texts (as noted) speak of this animal as having two horns.

23. No enchantment. It was the strength of Israel that the nation was free from the practice of consulting auguries, omens, oracles, and black art in general. Such practices have ever led men astray from God and are strictly forbidden (Deut. 18:10; Jer. 27:9; Eze. 13:6; Hosea 4:12; Zech. 10:2).

What hath God wrought! The gloriousworking out of God’s plan for the salvation of His people is beyond human language to express (Ps. 44:1; Isa. 40:21; 52:7–15).

24. As a great lion. The adjective “great” is not in the Hebrew. The noun may also mean “lioness,” as well as “lion.” As in other Semitic languages and in Eastern religious books, in the OT the qualities of animals are commonly attributed to human beings (Gen. 49:9, 27; Num. 24:8, 9; Deut. 33:20; Jer. 49:19; Micah 5:8).

A young lion. In his strength rising up from his covert to take his prey.

Eat of the prey. A picture of past and future Israelite conquests. In the war against the Midianites, soon after Balaam’s visit with Balak, not an Israelite lost his life (ch. 31:49).

25. Neither curse. Balak feared that the blessings of Balaam would be as potent as he had hoped his curses would be.

26. All that the Lord speaketh. Balaam realized that he could not remain silent if the Lord commanded him to bless (chs. 22:20; 23:3, 12).

27. From thence. Renewed hope in the heart of Balak led him to think that a view of Israel’s camp from another location might influence Balaam. This was still another opportunity for the prophet to sever connections with Balak and to return home (see chs. 22:6; 23:13; 24:1).

28. Peor. The site of Peor has not been definitely located. The name is used in compounds for various places: Beth-peor (Deut. 3:29; 4:46; 34:6; Joshua 13:20) and Baal-peor (Num. 25:3). Peor was a mountain of Moab, in the vicinity of Pisgah, on which was an altar, or perhaps a temple, to Baal or to some other heathen god.

29. Build me. Here the identical procedure noted in vs. 1 and 14 is repeated. Balak and Balaam were apparently at their wit’s end, for despite two previous failures they could think of no other means of obtaining their objective.

30. As Balaam had said. Upon this occasion Balaam did not withdraw to be alone. He made no pretense at working some magical art in secret, but remained with Balak at the altar. The instructions given by Balaam were carried out unquestioningly by Balak. The responsibility was altogether Balaam’s.

Ellen G. White comments

1-30PP 444-449

7-10PP 444

7-23Ed 160

8     GC 529

9     PP 141, 447; 7T 109

10   COL 221; GC 529; PP 447, 451

11-21PP 448

20, 21  GC 529

21   5T 598

21, 23  PP 457

23   GC 529; 2T 274; 4T 276, 368

23, 25, 27-30PP 449