HarperCollins Study Bible
Page 75
“Rise, Balak, and hear;
listen to me, O son of Zippor:
19God is not a human being, that he should lie,
or a mortal, that he should change his mind.
Has he promised, and will he not do it?
Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
20See, I received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.
21He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob;
nor has he seen trouble in Israel.
The LORD their God is with them,
acclaimed as a king among them.
22God, who brings them out of Egypt,
is like the horns of a wild ox for them.
23Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob,
no divination against Israel;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
‘See what God has done!’
24Look, a people rising up like a lioness,
and rousing itself like a lion!
It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey
and drunk the blood of the slain.”
25Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” 26But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD says, that is what I must do’?”
27So 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.” 28So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.d 29Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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a Heb him
b Heb he
c Heb he
d Or overlooks Jeshimon
23.1–2 See 22.40.
23.3 See 22.8.
23.5 See 22.8; the word is the following oracle, vv. 7–10.
23.7–10 The first of Balaam’s oracles. Commentators generally consider oracles one and two separately from oracles three and four. The first and second oracles would make little sense without the prose that surrounds them, while the third and fourth have little necessary connection with the prose narrative. Many would date oracles three and four earlier than one and two, and see some deliberate literary dependence of two on three; see vv. 22, 24. See notes on 24.3–4; 24.8–9; 24.15–16; 24.17–18.
23.7 Aram (Syria). See 22.5. Jacob and Israel are equivalent terms used in parallel in this typical poetic construction; see Gen 32.27–28; 35.9–10.
23.8 See 22.8.
23.9 Him, Jacob/Israel. A people living alone, a phrase that connotes security; see Jer 49.31; Deut 33.28.
23.10 Who can…Jacob. See Gen 13.16; 28.14.
23.11–12 See 22.8.
23.13 You shall see only part of them. This phrase (see also 22.41) implies a vast number of people camped beyond them (see 22.3–6).
23.14 The field of Zophim, “Sentinels’ Field.” Site unknown. Pisgah (see 22.41) was not a particular mountaintop, but a highland range, so “the field of Zophim” could be a part of the Pisgah highlands. On the sacrifices, see 22.40; 23.1–2.
23.16 See v. 5.
23.18–24 The second oracle; see note on 23.7–10.
23.18 See 23.7.
23.19 Balaam and Balak’s petitions (and, by implication, all such petitions) are not effective with God, who, not being a human being, is not swayed from a course already chosen. See also vv. 20, 23; but cf., e.g., Gen 18.22–33 and Moses’ many acts of intercession (see 11.10–15).
23.21 Here the Lord is referred to specifically as the God of Israel; see 22.8, 18.
23.22 Horns of a wild ox. The Hebrew word translated “horns” here and in 24.8 is not entirely clear.
23.23 Israel’s success as a nation reflects well on the Lord. Cf. Moses’ suggestion that the opposite is also true (14.13–19).
23.24 For a fierce people portrayed as a lion, see 24.9; Gen 49.9; Deut 33.20, 22; Isa 5.29; Ezek 19.1–9; Joel 1.6; Nah 2.11–12.
23.25–26 See 22.8.
23.28 Peor. See 22.41. Which overlooks the wasteland. Cf. 21.20.
23.29–30 See 23.1–2.
NUMBERS 24
Balaam’s Third Oracle
1Now Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 2Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him, 3and he uttered his oracle, saying:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,a
4the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,b
who falls down, but with eyes uncovered:
5how fair are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!
6Like palm groves that stretch far away,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the LORD has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
7Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall have abundant water,
his king shall be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom shall be exalted.
8God who brings him out of Egypt,
is like the horns of a wild ox for him;
he shall devour the nations that are his foes
and break their bones.
He shall strike with his arrows.c
9He crouched, he lay down like a lion,
and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
and cursed is everyone who curses you.”
10Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. 11Now be off with you! Go home! I said, ‘I will reward you richly,’ but the LORD has denied you any reward.” 12And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the LORD says, that is what I will say’? 14So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come.”
Balaam’s Fourth Oracle
15So he uttered his oracle, saying:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,d
16the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,e
who sees the vision of the Almighty,f
who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:
17I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near—
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the borderlandsg of Moab,
and the territoryh of all the Shethites.
18Edom will become a possession,
Seir a possession of its enemies,i
while Israel does valiantly.
19One out of Jacob shall rule,
and destroy the survivors of Ir.”
20Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying:
“First among the nations was Amalek,
but its end is to perish forever.”
21Then he looked on the Kenite, and uttered his oracle, saying:
“Enduring is your dwelling place,
and your nest is set in the rock;
22yet Kain is destined for burning.
How long shall Asshur take you away captive?”
23Again he uttered his oracle, saying:
“Alas, who shall live when God does this?
24But ships shall come from Kittim
an
d shall afflict Asshur and Eber;
and he also shall perish forever.”
25Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.
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a Or closed or open
b Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
c Meaning of Heb uncertain
d Or closed or open
e Or of Elyon
f Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
g Or forehead
h Some Mss read skull
i Heb Seir, its enemies, a possession
24.1–14 Balaam’s third oracle. The third and fourth oracles are generally considered older than the first two (see note on 23.7–10), with very little connection to the narrative context, although see v. 9.
24.1–2 The preparation for the third oracle is different from that for the first two. As at other times…omens. See 22.40. The spirit of God…him. See 11.17.
24.3–9 The third oracle itself is a general blessing of Israel and, along with the fourth oracle, has literary connections to other poetry thought by many to be quite early—not from the time of Balaam and Moses, but perhaps from the early monarchy (see 24.7, 17–18).
24.3–4 That Balaam seems to be introduced here and in vv. 15–16 is one reason commentators have suggested this Balak narrative is not the original context for oracles three and four. Oracle…eye is clear. See text note b. The translation is uncertain. See also 2 Sam 23.1; Prov 30.1 (similar in Hebrew). The Almighty. See text note c. One group of gods in the Deir ‘Alla inscription (see note on 22.2–24.25), to whose council meeting Balaam was privy, is called the “Shaddai gods.” Who falls down, perhaps a reference to ecstatic behavior; see also 11.24–29; 1 Sam 10.5–13; 19.20–24.
24.7 Agag. Those who would like to date oracles three and four during the early monarchy compare this verse to the story of Saul’s victory over the Amalekites and their king Agag in 1 Sam 15. Amalek is also mentioned in Num 24.20.
24.8–9 Some verses in oracles three and four are often compared to other early poetry, particularly the tribal lists in Gen 49 and Deut 33. Horns of a wild ox. See 23.22; Deut 33.17. For lion imagery, see 23.24; note esp. Gen 49.9; Deut 33.20, 22. The theme of blessing and cursing (see the blessing of Jacob in Gen 27.29) is the suggested literary link that ties oracles three and four to an otherwise unrelated narrative context; see note on 24.1–14.
24.10 Balak struck his hands together in contempt. See Job 27.23; Lam 2.15.
24.11 I said, “I will reward you richly.” See 22.17–18, 37.
24.12–13 See 22.8, 18; 23.3, 5, 8, 11–12, 21, 25–26.
24.14 My people. See 22.5.
24.15–24 The fourth oracle is a prediction that Israel will rule over the Transjordanian kingdoms (see 2 Sam 8–12). Many commentators believe that vv. 21–24 are later additions, some that v. 20 is not original to this oracle.
24.15–16 Slightly expanded over vv. 3–4. The Most High. See Gen 14.18–24; Deut 32.8.
24.17–18 These verses have been read as referring to King David’s victories over Moab and Edom (2 Sam 8.2, 11–14), again pointing to the early monarchy as a setting for these two oracles. I see…not near. See 23.9. Scepter. See Gen 49.10. Shethites, perhaps a reference to the nomadic Sutu, a people known from second-millennium BCE documents. On Seir for Edom, see Gen 32.3; Judg 5.4.
24.19 Ir. See 22.36.
24.20 On Amalek, see 13.29; see also 24.7, 15–24.
24.21–22 Kenite. See 10.29–32. Kain, the eponymous ancestor of the Kenites, is the same in Hebrew as Cain in Gen 4.1–17 and Tubal-cain in Gen 4.22. Your nest is set in the rock contains a pun in Hebrew: the Hebrew word for “nest” is very similar to “Kain.” Asshur is Assyria, and the Neo-Assyrian Empire was especially famous for deporting conquered populations (see 2 Kings 17.5–41).
24.24 The term Kittim refers to Cyprus in Jer 2.10; Ezek 27.6 and is used elsewhere to represent the Greeks (Gen 10.4; 1 Macc 1.1; 8.5) and even the Romans (Dan 11.30 and in the Dead Sea Scrolls). Asshur. See v. 22. Eber, perhaps the eponymous ancestor of the Hebrews (Gen 10.21–25; 11.10–16), more likely a land “beyond” the river (as in Josh 24.3; Isa 7.20), i.e., Mesopotamia or specifically Babylonia, used here along with Assyria. He also shall perish forever. See v. 20.
NUMBERS 25
Worship of Baal of Peor
1While Israel was staying at Shittim, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab. 2These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3Thus Israel yoked itself to the Baal of Peor, and the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel. 4The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and impale them in the sun before the LORD, in order that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” 5And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you shall kill any of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”
6Just then one of the Israelites came and brought a Midianite woman into his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he got up and left the congregation. Taking a spear in his hand, 8he went after the Israelite man into the tent, and pierced the two of them, the Israelite and the woman, through the belly. So the plague was stopped among the people of Israel. 9Nevertheless those that died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 11“Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites by manifesting such zeal among them on my behalf that in my jealousy I did not consume the Israelites. 12Therefore say, ‘I hereby grant him my covenant of peace. 13It shall be for him and for his descendants after him a covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the Israelites.’”
14The name of the slain Israelite man, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, head of an ancestral house belonging to the Simeonites. 15The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was the head of a clan, an ancestral house in Midian.
16The LORD said to Moses, 17“Harass the Midianites, and defeat them; 18for they have harassed you by the trickery with which they deceived you in the affair of Peor, and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister; she was killed on the day of the plague that resulted from Peor.”
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25.1–18 This chapter is a combination of two different stories about Israelite men and foreign women: one in vv. 1–5 involving Moabite women, sacrifices, and the Baal of Peor and another in vv. 6–15 involving an apparent marriage between a Midianite woman and a Simeonite man. The two are combined by vv. 16–18, and the combined narrative is known to 31.8, 15–16; Josh 22.17; Ps 106.28–31.
25.1–5 See also Deut 4.3–4; Hos 9.10.
25.1–2 Shittim, “the acacias.” Site unknown. See the full name Abel-shittim in 33.49, there located in the plains of Moab where the Israelites have camped since 22.1. See also Josh 2.1; 3.1; Mic 6.5 (for Gilgal, see Josh 4.19–24). Shittim is the place where the conquest of the land west of the Jordan begins. Began. By a change in the vowels this word could read “defiled themselves.” To have sexual relations with, lit. “to prostitute themselves with,” which phrase can be used of sexual relations or of religious apostasy. The women of Moab. Cf. vv. 17–18; 31.15–16. Sacrifices of their gods, or “god” (the same Hebrew word can be used for both singular and plural) since only one god is mentioned in v. 3; see Ps 106.28–31, where these sacrifices are said to be part of a cult of the dead. The people ate, i.e., they participated in the sacrifices; see, e.g., Ex 32.6; Lev 7.11–18; 1 Sam 1.4, 9. Cf. vv. 1–2; Ex 34.15–16.
25.3 Baal, lit. “lord,” originally an epithet that came to be used as the equivalent of a personal name for the Syrian storm god Hadad (cf. the Aramean king’s na
me Hadadezer, “Hadad is help,” 2 Sam 8.3–12). Peor is a place-name; see 23.28.
25.4 Impale, sometimes translated “crucify” or “expose.” The narrative nowhere states that the execution of the chiefs of the people takes place, unless v. 8 is the equivalent.
25.5 Moses’ command to the judges of Israel (some ancient translations have “tribes of Israel” the Hebrew words for “tribes” and “judges” differ by only one consonant) is not the same as the Lord’s command in v. 4. Here Moses asks only that the guilty parties be executed. Again, there is no indication in the narrative that this was done.
25.6–15 See also Josh 22.17–18; Ps 106.28–31.
25.6 Into his family, lit. “to his brothers.” For “brother” as kin in general, see, e.g., 16.10; Gen 13.8; 29.12. What was the offense involved in this story? Perhaps simply bringing home, i.e., marrying, a Midianite woman. That it was done in the sight of Moses takes on a special significance then. Even though Moses was aware of the offense, he did nothing about it. Vv. 6–18 are an anti-Midianite story used also to elevate Aaron’s family over Moses’ see notes on 12.2; 16.3; 16.40. Moses could hardly punish an Israelite man for marrying a Midianite woman when he had done so himself (see 10.29–32); there is more than one attitude toward intermarriage in the Hebrew Bible; cf. Ex 34.15–16; Deut 7.2–4; Josh 23.12–13. Although the reason is not given until v. 8, the people were apparently weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting because of a plague. Once the two stories in this chapter are combined, the plague becomes a punishment for the worship of the Baal of Peor (see v. 18 [a third punishment, the ones in vv. 4–5 apparently not having been carried out]), and the people are weeping before the tent in supplication to the Lord (see 7.89; 16.16–18).