The Fourth Book of Moses, called Numbers
Numbers 23
Chapter XXIII · Vol. I, pp. 453–454
1, 14, 28 Balak's sacrifice. 7, 18 Balaam's parable.
1 AND a Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here b seven oxen, and seven rams.
a 2 Pe. 2.14,15. Jude 11. Eze. 33.31. 1 Ti. 6.10. Mat. 23.14.
b 1 Ch. 15.26. 2 Ch. 29.21. Job 42.8. This was offered to procure God's permission to curse Israel.
2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy c burnt-offering, and I will go: d peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he showeth1 me I will tell thee. And e he went to an high place.
4 And God f met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have g prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.
5 And the LORD h put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.
h ver. 16; ch. 22.35; 24.2. De. 23.5. Mi. 6.5. Pr. 16.1,9; 21.1. Jn. 12.50.
6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-sacrifice, he and all the princes of Moab.
7 And he i took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me fromk Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, l Come, curse me Jacob; and come, defym Israel.
i Hos. 8.1. Is. 58.1. Job 27.1; 29.1.
k Ge. 24.10. De. 23.4. ch. 22.5.
l ch. 22.6,11,17.
m 1 Sa. 17.10. 2 Sa. 21.21; 23.9.
8 Hown shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?
n Is. 44.25; 47.12. Pr. 21.30. Ro. 8.31. He. 13.5,6.
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him:2 lo, the people shall o dwell alone,3 and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
2 Balaam stood on the brow of the mountain ridge which bounds Arboth-Moab on the east. From thence he had a full view of the camp of Israel, which lay in the plain beneath him.—P.
o De. 33.28. Je. 49.31. Es. 3.8. Ex. 19.5,6. De. 14.2.
3 It has been often and justly remarked that a stranger seldom feels more alone than in a crowded city where no one recognizes, salutes, or cares for him. It is in this sense, not that of seclusion, that Israel, with small exception in some Christian hearts, still 'dwells alone.'—C.
10 Who can count p the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel?4 Let q me5 die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!6
p Ge. 12.2; 13.16; 22.17; 28.14. ch. 26.2-51.
4 Israel was divided into four camps, answering to the cardinal points of the compass; and the promise of their restoration still preserves the same four-fold division, Is. 43.5,6.—C.
q Ps. 37.37. Re. 14.13. Ps. 116.15. Is. 57.1,2. Lu. 2.29. Phi. 1.21.
5 Heb. my soul, or my life.
6 Balaam was now under divine inspiration. He saw that God was blessing and would bless Israel after the flesh; and he saw that with higher and richer blessings he would bless the spiritual Israel. Hence he says, 'Let my soul die the death of the righteous,' i.e. the spiritual Israel, 'and let my last end be like his,' i.e. the spiritual Israelite.—P.
11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to r curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
A.M. 2552. B.C. 1452.
r Ps. 109.17,18. ch. 22.6,11; ver. 25.
12 And he answered and said, s Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?
s ver. 26. Eze. 33.31. ch. 22.20,35,38. Tit. 1.16. Ps. 37.37.
13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see t but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.
t 1 Ki. 20.23,28. Re. 12.17. De. 25.17,18. He thought this circumstance might promote their curse.
14 And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah,7 and u built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
15 And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.
16 And the LORD met Balaam, and x put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
x ch. 22.20,35,38; ver. 5, even though he sought for enchantments, ch. 24.1.
17 And 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?
18 And he took up his parable, and said, y Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
y Ju. 3.28.
19 Godz is 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 good?
z 1 Sa. 15.29. Ps. 89.35. Tit. 1.2. Hab. 2.3. 2 Ki. 1.16. Mal. 3.6. Ro. 11.29. Ja. 1.17. He hath irrevocably determined to bless them.
21 He b hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel:8 the c LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king9 is among them.1
b Je. 50.20. Hab. 1.13. He beheld no sin in Israel at that time which would provoke him to destroy them; nor, as an angry Judge, does he see any sin against the law, as a covenant of works, in believers.
8 'They are not all Israel which are of Israel,' Ro. 9.6. But in none who are 'Israelites indeed' does God behold either iniquity or perverseness, for 'the blood of Christ his Son hath cleansed them from all sin,' 1 Jn. 1.7, therefore he does not see in them the stains which the atonement has washed away and mercy pardoned, He. 8.12.—C.
c Ex. 34.9. Ps. 23.4; 91.15; 47.7. Ju. 6.13. Is. 8.10. 2 Ch. 13.12. He. 13.5,6. Re. 21.3.
9 A glorious attestation to a king and his princes that Jehovah is 'King of kings, and Lord of lords,' Re. 19.16.—C.
1 This verse affords a fine example of Hebrew parallelism. It is divided into two clauses, and each clause consists of two members. The same general idea runs through the whole of each clause, but it is exhibited in a different aspect in each member—'The Lord his God is with him'—with Israel; 'the shout of a king (i.e. of Jehovah, who makes his presence known) is among them.'—P.
23 Surelyf there is no enchantment 2 against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: g according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!
f Mat. 16.18. Ro. 16.20; 8.1,33,38. 1 Pe. 3.13.
2 Or, in.
g Ps. 44.2,3; cv. Is. 26.12. Phi. 2.13; 1.6.
24 Behold, h 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.
h Ge. 49.9. Jos. vi.-xxii. 2 Sa. viii. x. Mi. 5.8,9. Ro. 8.37. Zec. 10.4,5; 12.6.
25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, i Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?
A.M. 2552. B.C. 1452.
i ch. 22.38; ver. 12. 1 Ki. 22.14.
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 them from thence.
28 And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of k Peor, that looketh toward l Jeshimon.3
k ch. 25.18; 31.16. Jos. 22.17.
l ch. 21.20; 33.49.
3 Peor, 'the opening,' was one of the prominent summits of the range of Moab. It looked toward, that is, it commanded a view of Jeshimon, the great plain of Arabia; and it also looked down upon the Israelitish camp on Arboth-Moab. It appears to have been one of the ancient high-places dedicated to the worship of Baal; and it may have been on that account selected by Balak.—P.
29 And m Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
m 2 Pe. 2.14,15. Eze. 33.31. Jude 11. ver. 1, 14.
Notes
[Ver. 23. That ignorance and superstition may coexist with the profession though not with the light and power of true religion, is a well-known and melancholy fact. Ignorance and superstition are always prone to seek and to expect to accomplish their ends by some mysterious charm of their own invention, or derived from dark tradition. Such seems the state of Balaam, professing, and to a certain extent uttering and obeying, the truth, but ignorantly and superstitiously superadding a belief in enchantments, and seeking by repeated experiments to render them efficacious against Israel. C.]
Reflections.—What a costly parade in religion will the worst of men make, in order to obtain their wicked ends? But fearful is their disappointment who think to make God their debtor by their services. All instruments are in his hands, and he can indulge to hypocrites the most amazing manifestations of himself, when it is for the advantage of his people; or make use of the worst of instruments to carry on his most excellent works. But beautiful is the appearance of God's church, when everything therein is regulated according to his prescriptions. Happy and safe are they who have the gracious, the almighty, and faithful God for their protector and portion: though troops overcome them, they shall overcome at the last; and be more than conquerors, through him that loved them: he will make their enemies to acknowledge the sovereign dominion, unchanging care, and almighty power of their God, till they who hate the life will wish to die the death of the righteous. But, alas! how obstinate and unwearied are sinners in their wicked courses, and in running from one refuge of lies to another! And it is always necessary for the saints to watch and pray, since, unknown to them, their enemies may be adding one attempt after another to destroy them.