(Book of Numbers 23:1 -24:25 )
Balaam said to Balak, "On this place I want you to build me 7 altars and prepare as sacrifices, 7 young bulls and 7 rams." Balak did as he was instructed, and he and Balaam sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar. Afterwards, Balaam told him, "Stay here with the burnt offerings. I am going to see if Jehovah will come to me. If he does, I will tell you what he reveals to me." And so he went off alone and climbed to the top of a barren hill.
Jehovah appeared and Balaam told him, "I have built 7 altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar."
Jehovah conveyed to Balaam a message for King Balak and ordered him, "Go back to Balak and give him my message." And so Balaam returned to Balak and found him standing beside the offerings along with the Moabite court.
This is the oracle that Balaam proclaimed: "Balak brought me here from Aram. The King of Moab summoned me from the eastern mountains, urging me, 'Come, curse Jacob for me, denounce the house of Israel.' How can I curse those whom Jehovah has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom Jehovah has not denounced? From the tops of craggy mountains I see them. From the hills I view them. Here is a people apart, distinct from the other nations of the world. Who can count the descendants of Jacob, numerous as specks of dust? And who can number those in the dust cloud that is Israel's people? Let me die the death of the righteous man. Let my end be like his."
Balak voiced his objection to Balaam. "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead all you do is bless them!
"Must I not be careful to speak only the words that Jehovah puts in my mouth?" responded Balaam.
King Balak told him, "Come with me to a different location where you can see another part of the nation of Israel -- not all of them, but at least you can curse them for me from there." And so he took him to the plateau of Zophim on Mount Pisgah, where he build 7 altars and sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar.
Balaam told King Balak, "Remain with your burnt offerings while I go over there to meet with Jehovah." Jehovah met with Balaam and imparted to him his message and told him, "Return to Balak and give him my message."
Balaam went back to Balak, who was standing with his court by the burnt offerings. "What did Jehovah say?" Balak asked.
Balaam pronounced this oracle: "Pay attention and listen to me, Balak. Hear me, son of Zippor. God is not a human that he would lie. Or a mortal that he would change his mind. If he has made a promise, will he not fulfill it? If he has spoken, will he not keep his word? Listen, I have received a command to bless. The blessing has been made, and I cannot revoke it. He has foreseen no bad fortune for Jacob, no troubles in store for Israel. Jehovah, their god, is among them and is acclaimed as their leader. He brought them out of Egypt, and his strength is like that of a wild bull. There are no evil omens against Jacob, no curse upon Israel. Indeed it can be now said of Jacob, of the people of Israel, 'Behold what their god has done for them!' These people attack and pounce like the lion that refuses to rest until it has devoured its prey and drunk its blood."
Balak said to Balaam, "Well then, neither curse nor bless them at all."
But Balaam responded, "Didn't I tell you I must do whatever Jehovah says."
Balak then said to Balaam, "Come now, I'll take you to another location. Perhaps it may please Jehovah to curse them from there." Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which overlooks the desert wastelands.
Balaam told him, "Build for me 7 altars and prepare 7 young bulls and 7 rams." Balak did as he was bid and sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar.
When he realized that Jehovah was resolved only to bless Israel, Balaam did not look for any omens, as he had done before. Rather, he gazed out over the expanse of desert where he saw the people of Israel encamped tribe by tribe.
Nevertheless, the divine spirit came upon him and it delivered an oracle. This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man who has been enlightened, of one who hears the word of God and sees a vision from the Almighty -- one who enters a trance without losing consciousness: "How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, how lovely your dwelling places, O Israel. They are spread out before me like a valley of palms, like a garden on the river bank. They are like aloes planted by Jehovah or cedars beside the waters. Water will brim in their buckets; their descendants will enjoy plenty of water. Their king will be greater than Agag and their kingdom will be exalted. Their god brought them out of Egypt, for them his strength is like a wild bull. He will devour all the nations that oppose them, breaking their bones and piercing them with his arrows. He crouch down to sleep like a lion, but as with a great lion, who will dare rouse him? May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!"
Balak became furious with Balaam. He angrily hit his fists together and rebuked him, "I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead you bless them -- three times! Leave at once and go home. I promised you, 'I will reward you handsomely,' but Jehovah has prevented you from receiving any reward.”
Balaam answered Balak, "Didn't I tell the emissaries you sent, 'Should Balaam give me all the gold and silver in his palace, I am nevertheless powerless to contradict the will of Jehovah.' I told you that I could only repeat what Jehovah tells me. I will be returning now to my own people, but before I do, let me warn you what the Israelites will do to your people in the future."
He proclaimed an oracle. This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man who has been enlightened, of one who hears the word of God, receives knowledge from the Most High, and sees a vision from the Almighty -- one who enters a trance without losing consciousness: "I see him, but not here and now. I observe him, but from a distance. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. He will kosh he heads of the Moabites and crush the skulls of the Shethites. Israel will be triumphant, while Edom will be conquered and occupied. Seir will be in the hands of its enemies; it will be ruled by an heir of Jacob, who will destroy what remains of the city.”
Balaam looked to the Amalekites and said, "Amalek was the first among nations, but its fate is complete destruction."
Balaam looked to the Kenites and said, "Your homeland seems secure, a nest set upon the cliffs. But your land will be laid waste, when the Assyrians carry you away as captives.”
Balaam concluded his prophecies by saying, "Who indeed can survive when God has willed otherwise? Ships from the Mediterranean islands will come to conquer the Assyrians and the Hebrews -- but in the end, they, too, will be totally destroyed."
Balaam then left and returned home, while Balak went on his way.
Notes
1. An oracle is a communication from a divine or spiritual source, usually a god or some specific spirit being. It is usually of a prophetic, hortative, or instructive nature, but is often vague, ambiguous, and requiring interpretation. The person delivering the message, or the agency by which spiritual communion is attained is also called an oracle. Except for Moses, Balaam is the only biblical character who has thus far received oracles. Back in the good old days, Jehovah would just show up for dinner or something and tell Abraham what was on his mind. But like the Greek gods (and all the ancient deities, it seems), as time passes they withdraw further and further from human society. Once they walked among men, then they could be approached in their temples by worshipers, and, finally, only priests or prophets could communicate with them, mostly through dreams and visions and omens. They would become the sole conduits to the divine, summoning the god through special rituals or achieving communion through psychic, shamanistic techniques. Balaam, one of these, is what we would call a mystic or a medium.
2. Apparently Balaam is unable to contact Jehovah unless sacrifices are made. He has Balak do it in a big way, seven altars with seven young bulls and seven rams for each altar, each of the three times he endeavors to try to get a curse out of Jehovah. All in all, 42 animals are sacrificed -- but for nothing, as far as Balak was concerned. Apparently when Balak traveled with Balaam, he brought along with them a good-sized flock of animals to be used as sacrifices. One supposes that the altars were simply piles of rocks, easily constructed. Were they consecrated in some way, and, if not, would they have been acceptable to the finicky Jehovah?
3. The oracles are conveyed in poetry, but in order to make the meaning more precise, they are rendered here in prose. A characteristic of Hebrew poetry is reiteration. Something is said in one way, then the same thing is said in another way, using synonymous words. These redundancies have generally been preserved, but occasionally edited out when they militate against clear meaning.
4. Balaam's prophecies have been inserted by the authors as rather bald propaganda, a confirmation of Israel's glorious destiny from an non-Israelite source. If Moses were really the author of Numbers, though, how would he come to hear of Balaam's oracles and know them word for word. Did someone write them down? Were the Moabites of the time literate? (If so, they would have had to use hieroglyphics or cuneiform, the only existent forms of writing at the time.)
5. Almost all biblical prophecies fall into one of three categories: they are obscure, allowing numerous interpretations and inviting a forced conformity to historical fact; they refer to events that had already occurred before the writing of the Old Testament (in the 6th or 5th Centuries BC); they predict events that simply never happened. The defeat of the Moabites would occur. Shethite is an unknown reference, but must have been a people living with the Moabites or, possibly, another name for the Moabites. The Edomites (Seir is their capital) would avoid the destruction oft prophesied for them. The Amalekites, whom Israel was always fighting, would eventually be destroyed, but not for six or seven hundred years. (Agag is the general name for an Amalekite king.) The Kenites, who were part of the Midianites, or synonymous with them, would be conquered by the Assyrians, but, then, so was most of the Middle East. Assyria would come to a slow end, eventually being annexed by the Medians and Persians, but remaining a national entity. (Assyrians, primarily Christians, still exist as a distinct, if recently endangered ethnic group in modern Iraq.) The ships from the Mediterranean islands (the text says Kittim, Cyprus, but probably refers to a broader area) would have nothing to do with the Assyrians' downfall, even assuming the prophecy looks ahead to the Asian conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th Century BC. or those of Rome. Attempts have been made to give these prophecies broader meaning, but it’s a real stretch.
Showing posts with label Balak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Balak. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Friday, June 12, 2015
Balaam and His Talking Donkey
(Book of Numbers 22:21 - 22:41)
When Balaam rose the following morning, he saddled his donkey and departed with the Moabite delegation. Angry with him because he was going, Jehovah sent one of his agents to stand in the road and block Balaam's way. As Balaam rode on, accompanied by two servants, his donkey saw a Jehovan extraterrestrial standing in the middle of the road, brandishing a drawn sword. The donkey strayed off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to guide it back onto the road. The extraterrestrial being then appeared in a vineyard on a narrow path hemmed in by walls on both sides. When the donkey saw him, it moved close to the wall, with the result that Balaam's foot was crushed against it. So Balaam beat the donkey again. The extraterrestrial then appeared appeared farther down the road in a place too narrow for the donkey to pass on either side. When the donkey saw Jehovah’s man again, it crouched down under its rider. Balaam lost his temper and beat the donkey with his staff.
Jehovah enabled the donkey to speak, and so it asked Balaam, "What have I done that you should beat me three times?"
"Because you've made me look like an ass!” he retorted. "If I had a sword, I'd kill you right now."
The donkey declared, "Am I not your donkey, the one you have ridden from the time I became yours until this very day? Have I ever been in the habit of treating you like this before?”
"Well, no,” Balaam admitted.
Jehovah then allowed Balaam to see his man standing in the road with a drawn sword. Balaam bowed his head and prostrated himself. The extraterrestrial spoke to Balaam, "Why have you struck your donkey three times? I have come to block your way because your trip is contrary to Jehovah's will. The donkey saw me and turned away from me three times. If it had not done so, I certainly would have killed you by this time -- killed you, but spared the donkey."
Balaam apologized to the extraterrestrial, "Indeed I have sinned. I didn't realize you were on the road to block my way. If you disapprove of my journey, I'll return home right now."
The Jehovan extraterrestrial replied, "No, you may go along with these men, but you must say only what I tell you to say." And so Balaam resumed his journey with the delegation from Balak.
When King Balak heard that he was approaching, he rushed to greet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River, the frontier of his territory. Balak quizzed Balaam. "Didn't I send you an urgent invitation? Why didn't you come at once? Am I not ready to reward you handsomely?"
"Well, I've come to you now -- but keep in mind I do not have leave to say whatever I wish. I can speak only the words that Jehovah puts in my mouth," Balaam replied.
Balaam accompanied Balak as they went to Kiriath-Huzoth. Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and sent some of the beef and mutton to Balaam and the Moabite elders who were with him. The next morning Balak took Balaam to Bamath-Baal, where he could espy the outskirts of the Israelite encampment.
Notes
1. Jehovah gives Balaam at least a qualified approval to journey to Moab with Balak's delegation, but then sends an agent to stop him on the way. What can account for this fickleness on Jehovah’s part? The agent seems to have every intention of killing Balaam, yet we were given the impression that Balaam and Jehovah were on good terms and regularly communicating.
2. The donkey, by avoiding the extraterrestrial on the road ahead, saves Balaam's life. Balaam beats the donkey thinking it is merely disobedient and not aware that the donkey is acting in his best interests. How is Balaam to know what's going on? Is he supposed to read the donkey's mind, since, at this point, the donkey cannot talk? Yet, Balaam seems to be guilty of some great sin by beating his donkey even though it seemed justified to him. Is Jehovah, who is always lusting for those animal sacrifices, a closet animal rights advocate? Does he really care about the well being of the donkey? --- And, we may ask, what is the point of this story anyway?
3. The extraterrestrial is visible to the donkey, but apparently not visible to Balaam. Several explanations for this suggest themselves: 1. Balaam does not see the extraterrestrial because he is not paying attention to the road ahead. 2. Balaam is very near-sighted. 3. The extraterrestrial is composed of a different kind of matter which is not always visible or visible only under certain conditions. 4. The extraterrestrial can control minds and make humans and animals see him or not see him according to his will. 5. The extraterrestrial possesses some technical device that allows him to become invisible at will. -- or 6. The whole thing is a fairy tale.
4. Balaam's donkey proves himself a worthy forerunner of filmdom's Francis the Talking Mule and TV's famous Mr. Ed. It speaks! Jehovah empowers the donkey to speak human language. How? A donkey, even if it were possessed by a more intelligent spirit accustomed to speech, simply does not possess the physical equipment to vocalize much more than "hee-haw." How does Jehovah manage it? To paraphrase a line from Inherit the Wind (play and film that presented a fictionalized account of the 1920's Scopes "Monkey Trial"), "If God wishes a donkey to speak, it speaks." A believer may be satisfied with that, but a logical mind searches for some mechanism by which this miracle could be accomplished. Does Jehovah throw his voice, or does he make Balaam only think that he is hearing the donkey speak?
5. The donkey complains to Balaam about his unjustified beating, but doesn't really enlighten him as to the reason for its behavior. It does dispute with Balaam and wins the argument. Donkeys are pretty smart, but does Balaam’s donkey manifest human intelligence as well as human vocalization? Balaam, who is used to communicating with the divine and dabbling in mystical practices, expresses no surprise whatsoever that his donkey has started talking to him. He does not ask how it has suddenly been endowed with human speech, but threatens to kill his faithful old donkey for its disobedience and for making him look stupid. (This does seem pretty stupid. If you own a miraculous novelty like a talking donkey, you don’t kill it, you make money exhibiting it.) Balaam doesn’t seem to tell anyone that his donkey talks -- this, it seems, not being something prophets customarily brag about.
6. The delegation from Balak that Balaam is traveling with apparently do not see what's going on with Balaam, nor do Balaam's two servants. They seem to be witness to neither the erratic behavior of the donkey, the appearance of the extraterrestrial, or the phenomenon of the donkey talking. Where the heck are they? None seem to be keeping very close tabs on their traveling companion. Nor does Balaam tell them about his experience.
7. The reader learns a great deal about Balaam's character from the donkey incident. He seems to be hugely incurious. He lacks sympathy and understanding, is a harsh, uncaring, and unappreciative master, has a temper and harbors murderous impulses -- all in all, not a great guy. Jehovah seems to have truck with him, but this is not surprising, since their characters are very similar.
When Balaam rose the following morning, he saddled his donkey and departed with the Moabite delegation. Angry with him because he was going, Jehovah sent one of his agents to stand in the road and block Balaam's way. As Balaam rode on, accompanied by two servants, his donkey saw a Jehovan extraterrestrial standing in the middle of the road, brandishing a drawn sword. The donkey strayed off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to guide it back onto the road. The extraterrestrial being then appeared in a vineyard on a narrow path hemmed in by walls on both sides. When the donkey saw him, it moved close to the wall, with the result that Balaam's foot was crushed against it. So Balaam beat the donkey again. The extraterrestrial then appeared appeared farther down the road in a place too narrow for the donkey to pass on either side. When the donkey saw Jehovah’s man again, it crouched down under its rider. Balaam lost his temper and beat the donkey with his staff.
Jehovah enabled the donkey to speak, and so it asked Balaam, "What have I done that you should beat me three times?"
"Because you've made me look like an ass!” he retorted. "If I had a sword, I'd kill you right now."
The donkey declared, "Am I not your donkey, the one you have ridden from the time I became yours until this very day? Have I ever been in the habit of treating you like this before?”
"Well, no,” Balaam admitted.
Jehovah then allowed Balaam to see his man standing in the road with a drawn sword. Balaam bowed his head and prostrated himself. The extraterrestrial spoke to Balaam, "Why have you struck your donkey three times? I have come to block your way because your trip is contrary to Jehovah's will. The donkey saw me and turned away from me three times. If it had not done so, I certainly would have killed you by this time -- killed you, but spared the donkey."
Balaam apologized to the extraterrestrial, "Indeed I have sinned. I didn't realize you were on the road to block my way. If you disapprove of my journey, I'll return home right now."
The Jehovan extraterrestrial replied, "No, you may go along with these men, but you must say only what I tell you to say." And so Balaam resumed his journey with the delegation from Balak.
When King Balak heard that he was approaching, he rushed to greet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River, the frontier of his territory. Balak quizzed Balaam. "Didn't I send you an urgent invitation? Why didn't you come at once? Am I not ready to reward you handsomely?"
"Well, I've come to you now -- but keep in mind I do not have leave to say whatever I wish. I can speak only the words that Jehovah puts in my mouth," Balaam replied.
Balaam accompanied Balak as they went to Kiriath-Huzoth. Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and sent some of the beef and mutton to Balaam and the Moabite elders who were with him. The next morning Balak took Balaam to Bamath-Baal, where he could espy the outskirts of the Israelite encampment.
Notes
1. Jehovah gives Balaam at least a qualified approval to journey to Moab with Balak's delegation, but then sends an agent to stop him on the way. What can account for this fickleness on Jehovah’s part? The agent seems to have every intention of killing Balaam, yet we were given the impression that Balaam and Jehovah were on good terms and regularly communicating.
2. The donkey, by avoiding the extraterrestrial on the road ahead, saves Balaam's life. Balaam beats the donkey thinking it is merely disobedient and not aware that the donkey is acting in his best interests. How is Balaam to know what's going on? Is he supposed to read the donkey's mind, since, at this point, the donkey cannot talk? Yet, Balaam seems to be guilty of some great sin by beating his donkey even though it seemed justified to him. Is Jehovah, who is always lusting for those animal sacrifices, a closet animal rights advocate? Does he really care about the well being of the donkey? --- And, we may ask, what is the point of this story anyway?
3. The extraterrestrial is visible to the donkey, but apparently not visible to Balaam. Several explanations for this suggest themselves: 1. Balaam does not see the extraterrestrial because he is not paying attention to the road ahead. 2. Balaam is very near-sighted. 3. The extraterrestrial is composed of a different kind of matter which is not always visible or visible only under certain conditions. 4. The extraterrestrial can control minds and make humans and animals see him or not see him according to his will. 5. The extraterrestrial possesses some technical device that allows him to become invisible at will. -- or 6. The whole thing is a fairy tale.
4. Balaam's donkey proves himself a worthy forerunner of filmdom's Francis the Talking Mule and TV's famous Mr. Ed. It speaks! Jehovah empowers the donkey to speak human language. How? A donkey, even if it were possessed by a more intelligent spirit accustomed to speech, simply does not possess the physical equipment to vocalize much more than "hee-haw." How does Jehovah manage it? To paraphrase a line from Inherit the Wind (play and film that presented a fictionalized account of the 1920's Scopes "Monkey Trial"), "If God wishes a donkey to speak, it speaks." A believer may be satisfied with that, but a logical mind searches for some mechanism by which this miracle could be accomplished. Does Jehovah throw his voice, or does he make Balaam only think that he is hearing the donkey speak?
5. The donkey complains to Balaam about his unjustified beating, but doesn't really enlighten him as to the reason for its behavior. It does dispute with Balaam and wins the argument. Donkeys are pretty smart, but does Balaam’s donkey manifest human intelligence as well as human vocalization? Balaam, who is used to communicating with the divine and dabbling in mystical practices, expresses no surprise whatsoever that his donkey has started talking to him. He does not ask how it has suddenly been endowed with human speech, but threatens to kill his faithful old donkey for its disobedience and for making him look stupid. (This does seem pretty stupid. If you own a miraculous novelty like a talking donkey, you don’t kill it, you make money exhibiting it.) Balaam doesn’t seem to tell anyone that his donkey talks -- this, it seems, not being something prophets customarily brag about.
6. The delegation from Balak that Balaam is traveling with apparently do not see what's going on with Balaam, nor do Balaam's two servants. They seem to be witness to neither the erratic behavior of the donkey, the appearance of the extraterrestrial, or the phenomenon of the donkey talking. Where the heck are they? None seem to be keeping very close tabs on their traveling companion. Nor does Balaam tell them about his experience.
7. The reader learns a great deal about Balaam's character from the donkey incident. He seems to be hugely incurious. He lacks sympathy and understanding, is a harsh, uncaring, and unappreciative master, has a temper and harbors murderous impulses -- all in all, not a great guy. Jehovah seems to have truck with him, but this is not surprising, since their characters are very similar.
King Balak of Moab Sends Emissaries to Balaam
(Book of Numbers 22:1 - 22:20)
The Israelites journeyed on and came to camp on the plains of Moab on the eastern bank of the River Jordan across from the city of Jericho. Balak son of Zippor, the Moabite king, was aware of how the Israelites had dealt with the Amorites. Indeed the people of Moab were alarmed when they realized how vast were the numbers of the Israelites. The Moabites warned the elders of Midian about them, "This horde will devour everything it in its path, as cattle devours the grass of the field."
And so Balak, the Moabite king at that time, sent emissaries to summon one Balaam son of Beor, who was living in Pethor, his native land, near the Euphrates River. The message stated, "Be advised that a vast horde has come here from Egypt. They have spread across the face of the land and are a threat to me. Please come here and put a curse upon these people, for they are more powerful than I am. If you do so, I might then be able to defeat them in battle and drive them out of the country. For I know well that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed."
The emissaries, elders of Moab and Midian, departed and carried with them payment for the casting of the malediction. They saw Balaam and gave him Balak's message. He invited them, "Please stay the night here, and I will reply to you in the morning after Jehovah has instructed me." And so the Moabite delegation enjoyed Balaam’s hospitality.
Jehovah came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men visiting you?"
Balaam answered Jehovah, "King Balak son of Zippor of Moab has sent me this message: ‘A vast horde has come out of Egypt and spread across the land. Please come and put a curse upon them for me so that I might be more able to defeat them in battle and drive them out of my land.'"
But Jehovah warned him, "Do not go with these people. You must not curse these people, for they have already been blessed."
And so when Balaam rose the following morning, he told the emissaries, “You should go back to your own country, for Jehovah has refused to let me go with you."
The delegation returned home and reported to Balak, "Balaam refused to come with us."
Balak, though, sent another, larger delegation composed of emissaries even more distinguished than those of the first. They appeared before Balaam and delivered this message to him: "I, Balak son of Zippor, implore you not to let anything stop you from coming to my aid. I will compensate you handsomely and will abide by any conditions you may put upon me. But, please, come and put a curse upon these people!"
But Balaam responded to the emissaries, "If Balak bestowed upon me all the gold and silver in his palace, I would not do more or less than what Jehovah, my god, commands me to do. But spend the night here so that I can learn what more Jehovah may tell me."
That night Jehovah came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come for you, you may as well leave with them, but take care to do only what I tell you to."
Notes
1. The Israelites are described as a vast horde coming out of Egypt. If the numbers claimed by the biblical text were accurate, they would indeed by a vast horde, but it has already been shown that such a population level for the Exodus is preposterous, at best, the numbers grossly inflated. It's odd that the Israelites should be described as coming out of Egypt, for at this point it has been nearly 40 years since they had left there. They had already been knocking about the Sinai and the Negev for decades, at which time they were never seen as much of a military force. Now, the Israelites are regarded with terror, as would the barbarians threatening the later Roman Empire.
2. Pethor, the home of Balaam in Mesopotamia is thought by some to be the Assyrian Pitru, but it is unlikely that Pitru had been established by the time of Moses. Others place Balaam's country as Ammon, to the north of Moab, although it's not all that close to the Euphrates River.
3. Balaam, a non-Israelite, although technically not, if an Ammonite, a non-Hebrew, is a prophet of Jehovah, one who communes with the god, performs divination, and foretells the future. He seems to be primarily esteemed for his success at blessing and cursing; under certain circumstances he will hire himself out to do the latter.
4. We might have assumed that Jehovah spent all his time with his Chosen People, flying above them in his airship, dropping daily supplies of manna, appearing in the Inner Sanctum to pass down laws and commandments and to chat with Moses (chewing him out when necessary), enjoying the aroma of the animal sacrifices dedicated to him, and taking every opportunity to kill both his own people and their enemies. Now we learn he has been moonlighting, visiting this chap Balaam evenings. It is unspecified how Jehovah visits and speaks to Balaam, but their communions seem to be nocturnal. A dream is a strong possibility, for that is how Jehovah communicates with those less close to him than a Moses, but a two-way conversation seems to be involved.
5. In his initial conversation with Balaam, Jehovah asks Balaam who these men are visiting with him. Doesn't the god already know? Is he not only not omniscient, but entirely out of the loop as well?
6. With the Israelites now a powerful force, the aggressors and no longer the underdog, the narrators risk the reader transferring his sympathies to Israel's enemies, whose only fault is their desire to hold on to their own land.
7. The king of Moab seems to be acting in the interests of the Midian people as well as his own. This is probably due to the fact that the weaker Midian was at that time a client state of Moab. Also, it seems to be forgotten that Moses was married to a Midianite woman.
The Israelites journeyed on and came to camp on the plains of Moab on the eastern bank of the River Jordan across from the city of Jericho. Balak son of Zippor, the Moabite king, was aware of how the Israelites had dealt with the Amorites. Indeed the people of Moab were alarmed when they realized how vast were the numbers of the Israelites. The Moabites warned the elders of Midian about them, "This horde will devour everything it in its path, as cattle devours the grass of the field."
And so Balak, the Moabite king at that time, sent emissaries to summon one Balaam son of Beor, who was living in Pethor, his native land, near the Euphrates River. The message stated, "Be advised that a vast horde has come here from Egypt. They have spread across the face of the land and are a threat to me. Please come here and put a curse upon these people, for they are more powerful than I am. If you do so, I might then be able to defeat them in battle and drive them out of the country. For I know well that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed."
The emissaries, elders of Moab and Midian, departed and carried with them payment for the casting of the malediction. They saw Balaam and gave him Balak's message. He invited them, "Please stay the night here, and I will reply to you in the morning after Jehovah has instructed me." And so the Moabite delegation enjoyed Balaam’s hospitality.
Jehovah came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men visiting you?"
Balaam answered Jehovah, "King Balak son of Zippor of Moab has sent me this message: ‘A vast horde has come out of Egypt and spread across the land. Please come and put a curse upon them for me so that I might be more able to defeat them in battle and drive them out of my land.'"
But Jehovah warned him, "Do not go with these people. You must not curse these people, for they have already been blessed."
And so when Balaam rose the following morning, he told the emissaries, “You should go back to your own country, for Jehovah has refused to let me go with you."
The delegation returned home and reported to Balak, "Balaam refused to come with us."
Balak, though, sent another, larger delegation composed of emissaries even more distinguished than those of the first. They appeared before Balaam and delivered this message to him: "I, Balak son of Zippor, implore you not to let anything stop you from coming to my aid. I will compensate you handsomely and will abide by any conditions you may put upon me. But, please, come and put a curse upon these people!"
But Balaam responded to the emissaries, "If Balak bestowed upon me all the gold and silver in his palace, I would not do more or less than what Jehovah, my god, commands me to do. But spend the night here so that I can learn what more Jehovah may tell me."
That night Jehovah came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come for you, you may as well leave with them, but take care to do only what I tell you to."
Notes
1. The Israelites are described as a vast horde coming out of Egypt. If the numbers claimed by the biblical text were accurate, they would indeed by a vast horde, but it has already been shown that such a population level for the Exodus is preposterous, at best, the numbers grossly inflated. It's odd that the Israelites should be described as coming out of Egypt, for at this point it has been nearly 40 years since they had left there. They had already been knocking about the Sinai and the Negev for decades, at which time they were never seen as much of a military force. Now, the Israelites are regarded with terror, as would the barbarians threatening the later Roman Empire.
2. Pethor, the home of Balaam in Mesopotamia is thought by some to be the Assyrian Pitru, but it is unlikely that Pitru had been established by the time of Moses. Others place Balaam's country as Ammon, to the north of Moab, although it's not all that close to the Euphrates River.
3. Balaam, a non-Israelite, although technically not, if an Ammonite, a non-Hebrew, is a prophet of Jehovah, one who communes with the god, performs divination, and foretells the future. He seems to be primarily esteemed for his success at blessing and cursing; under certain circumstances he will hire himself out to do the latter.
4. We might have assumed that Jehovah spent all his time with his Chosen People, flying above them in his airship, dropping daily supplies of manna, appearing in the Inner Sanctum to pass down laws and commandments and to chat with Moses (chewing him out when necessary), enjoying the aroma of the animal sacrifices dedicated to him, and taking every opportunity to kill both his own people and their enemies. Now we learn he has been moonlighting, visiting this chap Balaam evenings. It is unspecified how Jehovah visits and speaks to Balaam, but their communions seem to be nocturnal. A dream is a strong possibility, for that is how Jehovah communicates with those less close to him than a Moses, but a two-way conversation seems to be involved.
5. In his initial conversation with Balaam, Jehovah asks Balaam who these men are visiting with him. Doesn't the god already know? Is he not only not omniscient, but entirely out of the loop as well?
6. With the Israelites now a powerful force, the aggressors and no longer the underdog, the narrators risk the reader transferring his sympathies to Israel's enemies, whose only fault is their desire to hold on to their own land.
7. The king of Moab seems to be acting in the interests of the Midian people as well as his own. This is probably due to the fact that the weaker Midian was at that time a client state of Moab. Also, it seems to be forgotten that Moses was married to a Midianite woman.
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