God commands Balaam not to go A. M. 2553. An. Exod. Isr. A. M. 2553. for I wot that he whom thou [not go. with them; thou shalt 7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. k 8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. are blessed. 40. 13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. 14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. 15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, 9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, and more honourable than they. What men are these with thee? 10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive m 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: P come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. them out. 18 And Balaam answered and said unto the 12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt servants of Balak, .If Balak would give me 1 Sam. ix. 7, 8. Ver. 19. Gen. xx. 3, ver. 20. Heb. A Chap. xxiii. 20; Rom. xi. 29.I shall prevail in fighting against him. Excessere omnes, adytis arisque relictis, Æn., lib. ii., ver. 351.. Tacitus observes that when Suetonius Paulinus prepared his army to cross over into Mona, (Anglesea,) where the Britons and Druids made their last stand, the priestesses, with dishevelled hair, white vestments, and torches in their hands, ran about like furies, devoting their enemies to destruction; and he farther adds that the sight, the attitude, and horrible imprecations of these priestesses had such effect on the Roman soldiers, that for a while they stood still and suffered themselves to be pierced with the darts of the Britons, without making any resistance. Tacit. Ann., 1. xiv., c. 29. Many accounts are related in the Hindoo Pooran of kings employing sages to curse their enemies when too powerful for them.-WARD's Customs. .חרס under the word The Jews also had a most horrible form of execration, as may be seen in Buxtorf's Talmudical Lexicon These observations and authorities, drawn out in so much detail, are necessary to cast light on the strange and curious history related in this and the two following chapters. Verse 7. The rewards of divination] Whoever went to consult a prophet took with him a present, as it was on such gratuitous offerings the prophets lived; but here more than a mere present is intended, perhaps every thing necessary to provide materials for VOL. I. ( 45 ) &o. --P Ver. 6. o Heb. be not thou letted from, - Chap. xxiv. 13. the incantation. The drugs, &c., used on such occasions were often very expensive. It appears that Balaam was very covetous, and that he loved the wages of unrighteousness, and probably lived by it; see 2 Pet. ii. 15. Verse 8. I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak] So it appears he knew the true God, and had been in the habit of consulting him, and receiving oracles from his mouth. Verse 12. Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people] That is, Thou shalt not go with them to curse the people. With them he might go, as we find he afterwards did by God's own command, but not to curse the people; this was wholly forbidden. Probably the command, Thou shalt not go, refers here to that time, viz., the first invitation: and in this sense it was most punctually obeyed by Balaam; see ver. 13. Verse 14. Balaam refuseth to come with us.] “Observe," says Mr. Ainsworth, "Satan's practice against God's word, seeking to lessen the same, and that from hand to hand, till he bring it to naught. Balaam told the princes less than God told him, and they relate to Balak less than Balaam told them; so that when the answer came to the king of Moab, it was not the word of God, but the word of man; it was simply, Balaam refuseth to come, without ever intimating that God had forbidden him." But in this Balaam is not to blame; he told the messengers in the most positive manner, Jehovah refuseth to give me leave to go with you, ver. 13; and more explicit he could not be. Verse 18. I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God] Balaam knew God too well to suppose he could reverse any of his purposes; and he respected 689 19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more. 20 ́t And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. 21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 And God's anger was kindled because he went and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. W and is reproved by his ass. path of the vineyards, a wall A. M. 2553. B. C. 1451. An. Exod. Isr. 40. 25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden b ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. a 23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a 1 Kings xxii. 14; 2 Chron. xviii. 13 Ver.,9. Jude 11.- -2 Peter ii. 16.—y Prov. xii. 10.—2 2 Peter ii. Verse 35; chapter xxiii. 12, 26; xxiv. 13. Exodus iv. 24. 16. Heb. who hast ridden upon me.— Or, ever since thou w See 2 Kings vi. 17; Dan. x. 7; Acts xxii. 9; 2 Peter ii. 16; wast, &e. Ver. 8. him too much to attempt to do any thing without his permission. Though he was covetous, yet he dared not, even when strongly tempted both by riches and honours, to go contrary to the command of his God. Many make all the professions of Balaam, without justifying them by their conduct. "They pretend," says one, they would not do any thing against the word of God for a house full of gold, and yet will do it for a handful!" Verse 19. What the Lord will say unto me more.] He did not know, but God might make a farther dis'covery of his will to him, and therefore he might very innocently seek farther information. Verse 20. If the men come―go with them] This is a confirmation of what was observed on the twelfth verse; though we find his going was marked with the Divine displeasure, because he wished, for the sake of the honours and rewards, to fulfil as far as possible the will of the king of Moab. Mr. Shuckford observes that the pronoun hu is sometimes used- to denote a person's doing a thing out of his own head, without regard to the directions of another: Thus in the case of Balaam, when God had allowed him to go with the messengers of Balak, if they came in the morning to call him; because he was more hasty than he ought to have been, and went to them instead of staying till they should come to him, it was said of him, not ki halach, that he went, but kiholech hu, i. e., he went of his own head—without being called; and in this; Mr. Shuckford supposes, his iniquity chiefly lay.-Connex., vol. iii., p. 115. How many are restrained from sinning, merely through the fear of God! They would gladly do the evil, but it is forbidden on awful penalties; they wish the thing were not prohi| bited, for they have a strong desire to do it. Verse 23. And the ass saw the angel] When God granted visions, those alone who were particularly interested saw them, while others in the same company saw nothing; see Dan. x. 7; Acts ix. 7. Verse 26. And the angel-stood in a narrow place] In this carriage of the angel, says Mr. Ainsworth, the Lord shows us the proceedings of his judgments against sinners: First, he mildly shakes his rod at them, but lets them go untouched. Secondly, he comes nearer, and touches them with an easy correction, as it were wringing their foot against the wall. Thirdly, when all this is ineffectual, he brings them into such straits, that they can neither turn to the right hand nor to the left, but must fall before his judgments, if they do not fully turn to him. Balaam is permitted to proceed. A. M. 2553. B. C. 1451. An. Exod. Isr. 40. eyes с A. M. 2553. 40. 31 Then the LORD opened 36 And when Balak heard that the 1 of Balaam, and he saw Balaam was come, he went out An. Exod. Isr. the angel of the LORD standing to meet him unto a city of Moab, in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. 37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did. I. not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am honour? thee to 32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand I not able indeed to promote thee thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. time the gift of speech, the heathen mythology furnishes many fictitious examples, with which I do not deem it proper to occupy the reader's time. Verse 33. Surely now also I had slain thee] How often are the meanest animals, and the most trivial occurrences, instruments of the preservation of our lives, and of the salvation of our souls!. The messenger of justice would have killed Balaam, had not the mercy of God prevented the ass from proceeding. Verse 34. If it displease thee, I will get me back again.] Here is a proof, that though he loved the wages of unrighteousness, yet he still feared God; and he is now willing to drop the enterprise if God be displeased with his proceeding. The piety of many called Christians does not extend thus far; they see that the thing displeases God, and yet they proceed. Reader, is this thy case? 38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. 39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto P Kirjath-huzoth. 40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people. ૧ i Heb. be evil in m Chap xxi. 13.26; xxiv. 13; 1 city of streets. thine eyes.- k Verse 20. Gen. xiv. 17% n Ver. 17; chap. xxiv. 11.- - Chap. xxiii. Kings xxii. 14; 2 Chron. xviii. 13:-P Or, a Chap. xxiii. 2, 14, 30; Deut. xii. 2. Verse 38. The word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.] Here was a noble resolution, and he was certainly faithful to it: though he wished to please the king, and get wealth and honour, yet he would not displease God to realize even these bright prospects. Many who slander this poor semi-antinomian prophet, have not half his piety. Verse 40. And Balak offered oxen, &c.] This was to gain the favour of his gods, and perhaps to propitiate Jehovah, that the end for which he had sent for Balaam might be accomplished. Being arrived at the high places of Baal, (chap. xxii. 41,) Balaam orders Balak to build seven altars, and prepare oxen and rams for sacrifice, 1, 2. Balaam inquires of the Lord, receives an answer, with which he returns to Balak, 3-10. Balak, finding that this was a prediction of the prosperity of the Israelites, is greatly troubled, 11. Balaam excuses himself, 19. He brings him to another place, where he might see only a part of Israel, and repeats his sacrifices, 13, 14. Balaam again consults the Lord, 15-17. Returns with his answer, and again predicts the glory of Israel, 18-24. Balak is angry, 25; and Balaam again excuses himself. Balak proposes another trial, takes him to another place, and repeats the ame sacrifices, 26-30. Balak and Balaam make offerings. A. M. 2553. B. C. 1451. An. Exod. Isr. 40. NUMBERS. AND Balaam said unto Balak, a Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen C 3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee. And he went to a high place. 4 f And 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. 5 And the LORD s put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. a Ver. 29. b Ver. 14, 30.- Ver. 15.- Chap. xxiv. 1. • Or, he went solitary.- Ver. 16. Ver. 16; ch. xxii. 35; Deut. xviii. 18; Jer. i. 9. Ver. 18; chap. xxiv. 3, 15, 23; Job xxvii. 1; xxix. 1; Psa. lxxviii. 2; Ezek. xvii. 2; Mic. ii. 4; Hab. ii. 6. NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII. Verse 1. Build me here seven altars, &c.] The oxen and the rams were such as the Mosaic law had ordered to be offered to God in sacrifice; the building of seven altars was not commanded. Some think that these seven altars were built to the seven planets: this is most gratuitously said; of it there is no proof whatever; it is mere trifling, even with conjecture. As seven was a number of perfection, Balaam chose it on this occasion, because he intended to offer a grand sacrifice, and to offer a bullock and á ram upon each of the altars; the whole to be made a burnt-offering at the same time. And as he intended to offer seven bullocks and seven rams at the same time, it could not be conveniently done on one altar, therefore he ordered seven to be built. We need go no farther to find out his reasons. Verse 3. Stand by thy burnt-offering] We have already seen that blessing and cursing in this way were considered as religious rites, and therefore must be always preceded by sacrifice. See this exemplified in the case of Isaac, before he blessed Jacob and Esau, Gen. xxvii., and the notes there. The venison that was brought to Isaac, of which he did, eat, was properly the preparatory sacrifice. Verse 7. And he took up his parable] umeshalo, see on chap. xxi. 27. . All these oracular speeches of Balaam are in hemistich metre in the original. They are highly dignified, and may be considered as immediate poetic productions of the Spirit of God; for it is expressly said, ver. 5, that God put the word in Balaam's mouth, and that the Spirit of God came upon him, chap. xxiv. 2. Balaam delivers his parable. A. M. 2553. B. C. 1451. An. Exod. Isr. 40. 7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak, the king of Moab, hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. 8 How shall 1 curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let P me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his ! 11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. Verse 8. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?] It was granted on all hands that no incantations nor imprecations could avail, unless God concurred and ratified them. From God's communication to Balaam he saw that God was determined to bless and defend Israel, and therefore all endeavours to injure them must be in vain. Verse 9. From the top of the rocks I see him] That is, from the high places of Baal where he went, chap. xxii. 41, that he might the more advantageously see the whole camp of Israel. The people shall dwell alone] They shall ever be preserved as a distinct nation. This prophecy has been literally fulfilled through a period of 3300 years to the present day. This is truly astonishing. Verse 10. Let me die the death of the righteous] Probably Balaam had some presentiment that he should be taken off by a premature death, and therefore he lodges this petition against it. The death of the righteous in those times implied being gathered to one's fathers in a good old age, having seen his children, and children's children; and to this, probably, the latter part of this petition applies: And let my last end be like his, (177Ɔ 'n'08 ‘♫ uthehi acharithi chamohu, And let my POSTERITY be like his.) It has been generally supposed that Balaam is here praying for a happy death, such as true Christians die who die in the Lord; and in this way his words are generally applied; but I am satisfied this is not their meaning. The prayer, however, understood in the common way, is a good one, and may be offered to God profitably. A righteous man is one who is saved from his sins, who is justified and sanctified through the blood of the covenant, take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth? 13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from 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. t u 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. 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 ▾ put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 17 And when he came to him, behold, he t Or, the hill." Verse 1, 2.- - Ver. 5; chapter xxii. 35. Judg. iii. 20.- -1 Sam. xv. 29; Mal. iii. 6; Romans xi. 29; James i. 17; Tib i, 2. and who lives, not only an innocent, but also a holy and useful life. He who would die well should live well; for a bad death must be the issue of a bad life. Verse 13. Thou shalt see but the utmost part of them] Balak thought that the sight of such an immense camp had intimidated Bålaam, and this he might gather from what he said in the tenth verse: Who can count the dust of Jacob, &c.; he thought therefore that he might get Balaam to curse them in detached parties, till the whole camp should be devoted to de'struction by successive execrations. Verse 17. What hath the Lord spoken ?] Balak himself now understood that Balaam was wholly under the influence of Jehovah, and would say nothing but what God commanded him; but not knowing Jehovah as Balaam did, he hoped that he might be induced to change his mind, and curse a people whom he had hitherto determined to bless. Verse 19. God is not a man, that he should lie] This seems to be spoken to correct the foregoing supposition of Balak that God could change his mind. Even the heathen would not allow that their supreme god could be caught in a falsity. Hence ÆSCHYLUS, in Prometh. vinct. 1068: Ψευδηγορείν γαρ ουκ επισταται στομα Το Δίον, αλλα παν επος τελεί. "The mouth of Jove knows not to frame a lie; But every word finds full accomplishment.' Verse 21. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel] ́This is a difficult passage; for if we take the words as spoken of the people Israel, as their iniquity and their perverseness were almost unparalleled, such words cannot be spoken of them with strict truth. If we consider them as spoken of the patriarch Jacob and Israel, or of Jacob after he became Israel, they are most strictly prosperity of the Israelites. A. M. 2553. B. C. 1451. stood by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him. An. Exod. Isr. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken ? W 40. 18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: 19. God 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? 20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. 21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. a b 22 God brought them out of Egypt; he aven און There is another way in which the words may be interpreted, which will give a good sense. not only signifies iniquity, but most frequently trouble, labour, distress, and affliction; and these indeed are its ideal meanings, and iniquity is only an acommodated or metaphorical one, because of the pain, distress, &c., produced by sin. y amal, translated here perverseness, occurs often in Scripture, but is never translated perverseness except in this place. It signifies simply labour, especially that which is of an afflictive or oppressive kind. The words may therefore be considered as implying that God will not suffer the people either to be exterminated by the sword, or to be brought under a yoke of slavery. Either of these methods of interpretation gives a good sense, but our common version gives none, reem Dr. Kennicott contends for the reading of the Samaritan, which, instead of 'n lo hibbit, he hath not seen, has a lo abbit, I do not see, I do not discover any thing among them on which I could ground my curse. But the sense above given is to be preferred, Verse 22. The strength of a unicorn.] and D' reim. It is generally allowed that there is no such beast in nature as the unicorn; i. e., a creature of the horse kind, with one long rich curled horn in the forehead. The creature painted from fancy is represented as one of the supporters of the royal arms of Great Britain. It is difficult to say what kind of |