Commentaria in Numeros
Chapter Twenty-two. Synopsis of the Chapter
Balac summons Balaam to curse the Hebrews; first, God forbids him; secondly, He permits him to go; he goes, but with a mind to curse the Hebrews: whence, verse 22, he is rebuked by an angel, through the mouth of the speaking ass.
1. And the children of Israel setting forward, encamped in the plains of Moab, where beyond the Jordan is the city of Jericho. 2. And Balac the son of Sephor, seeing all that Israel had done to the Amorrhite, 3. And that the Moabites were in great fear of him, and could not bear his assault, 4. Said to the elders of Madian: So will this people destroy all that dwell in our borders, as the ox is wont to eat the grass to the very roots. He was at that time king in Moab. 5. He sent therefore messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, a soothsayer, who dwelt by the river of the land of the children of Ammon, to call him, and say: Behold a people is come out of Egypt, that hath covered the face of the earth, sitting over against me. 6. Come therefore and curse this people, because it is mightier than I: if by any means I may beat them and drive them out of my land: for I know that he whom thou shalt bless is blessed, and he whom thou shalt curse is cursed. 7. And the ancients of Moab, and the elders of Madian, went with the price of divination in their hands. And when they were come to Balaam, and had told him all the words of Balac, 8. He answered: Tarry here this night, and I will answer whatsoever the Lord shall say to me. And while they tarried with Balaam, God came and said to him: 9. What mean these men that are with thee? 10. He answered: Balac the son of Sephor, king of the Moabites, hath sent to me, 11. Saying: Behold a people that is come out of Egypt hath covered the face of the earth: come and curse them, if by any means I may fight with them and drive them away. 12. And God said to Balaam: Thou shalt not go with them, nor curse the people: because it is blessed. 13. And he rose in the morning, and said to the princes: Go into your country, because the Lord hath forbidden me to come with you. 14. The princes returning, said to Balac: Balaam would not come with us. 15. Again he sent many more and more noble than he had sent before: 16. Who when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the son of Sephor: Be not backward to come to me: 17. I am ready to honour thee, and will give thee whatsoever thou wilt: come and curse this people. 18. Balaam answered: If Balac would give me his house full of gold and silver, I cannot alter the word of the Lord my God, to speak either more or less. 19. I beseech you to stay here this night also, that I may know what the Lord will answer me once more. 20. God therefore came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: If these men be come to call thee, arise, and go with them: yet so, that thou do what I shall command thee. 21. Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them. 22. And God was angry. And the angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat on the ass, and had two servants with him. 23. The ass seeing the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the path, 24. The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, with which the vineyards were enclosed. 25. And the ass seeing him, joined herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again: 26. And nevertheless the angel went to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, and stood to meet him. 27. And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider: who being angry, beat her sides more vehemently with a staff. 28. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? why strikest thou me, lo, this third time? 29. Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee. 30. The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? Tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee. But he said: Never. 31. Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him falling flat on the ground. 32. And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me: 33. And unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived. 34. Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return. 35. The angel said: Go with these men, and look that thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee. He went therefore with the princes. 36. And when Balac heard it, he went out to meet him in a city of the Moabites, which is situate in the uttermost border of Arnon. 37. And he said to Balaam: I sent messengers to call thee, why didst thou not come immediately to me? didst thou think that I am not able to reward thy coming? 38. He answered: Lo, I am come to thee: shall I have power to speak any other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth? 39. So they went together, and came into a city, which was in the uttermost borders of his kingdom. 40. And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41. And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.
1. AND SETTING FORWARD, THEY ENCAMPED IN THE PLAINS OF MOAB—which had once been Moab’s, but were now Sehon’s, and he being slain were the children of Israel’s. Secondly, “of Moab,” that is, which were joined to Moab; whence the Septuagint translate, to the west of Moab, namely over against Jericho, as follows. For the Hebrews were now very near the Jordan and Jericho, and Chanaan itself.
2 and 3. AND BALAC (king of Moab, as is plain from verse 4) SEEING THAT THE MOABITES (his subjects) WERE IN GREAT FEAR OF HIM (Israel), AND COULD NOT BEAR HIS ASSAULT.—In Hebrew, that they were straitened before the face of Israel.
4. SAID TO THE ELDERS OF MADIAN.—For the Madianites are neighbours of the Moabites: these, therefore, Balac king of Moab roused, to resist with him the approaching Israelites; so both the Madianites and the Moabites fought against the Jews; but the Madianites alone were punished and slain, chapter 25:17, and chapter 31:2, because God would not have the Moabites and Ammonites touched, on account of the just Lot, whose posterity they were, Deuteronomy 2:9.
SO WILL THIS PEOPLE DESTROY (in Hebrew, will consume by licking up) ALL, etc., AS THE OX IS WONT TO EAT THE GRASS TO THE VERY ROOTS—as if to say: The Hebrews do not subjugate peoples to themselves, as other nations are wont to do, but kill and consume all, as the ox does the grass: come then, O Madianites, take counsel not only for your country but for the lives of you all; for this is a matter of the skin of all. Take counsel, therefore, and join your forces with mine, that we may turn the forces of the Hebrews away from our necks. Origen, homily 14 on Exodus, reads: “Because as a calf crops the green grass in the fields, so will this people crop the people that is upon the earth; for this (he says), as we have received from our elders, indicates (mystically) that the people of God fights not so much by hand and arms as by voice and tongue, that is, by pouring out prayer to God.”
5. HE SENT THEREFORE MESSENGERS TO BALAAM THE SON OF BEOR, A SOOTHSAYER.—For soothsayer the Chaldee and Septuagint retain the Hebrew name as if proper to a place, and translate, to Pethora of Syria. For so all the Hebrews take it, Deuteronomy chapter 23:4, in the Hebrew; for this name can be taken in both ways, says Eugubinus.
You will ask what kind of prophet Balaam was, of God, or of the devil? Eugubinus answers that he was a prophet of God, like the Sibyls, and Mercurius Trismegistus among the Egyptians; who, although they sang most things true, were nevertheless idolaters, as was Zoroaster among the Persians, and Orpheus among the Greeks, Abaris among the Hyperboreans, and Zamolxis among the Getae: although of these it is not so certain as of Mercury and the Sibyls. For these were not Jews but Gentiles, as Balaam was, and by the merit of virginity obtained from God the gift of prophecy, as St. Augustine teaches. Secondly, because Balaam, about to prophesy, here sought God, God met him, and gave oracles through him, as is plain…