Editing Balaam (section)

==Hebrew Bible==
The main story of Balaam occurs during the sojourn of the Israelites in the [[plains of Moab]], east of the [[Jordan River]], at the close of [[The Exodus|forty years of wandering]], shortly before the death of Moses and the crossing of the Jordan. The Israelites have already defeated two kings in Transjordan: [[Sihon]], king of the [[Amorites]], and [[Og]], king of [[Bashan]]. [[Balak]], king of [[Moab]],<ref>Numbers 22:2</ref> consequently becomes alarmed and sends elders of Midian and his Moabite messengers,<ref>Numbers 22:4–5</ref> to Balaam, son of Beor, to induce him to come and curse Israel. Balaam's location, [[Pethor]], which is now located in the region of northern Syria and southeastern Turkey is simply given as "which is by the river of the land of the children of his people" in the [[Masoretic Text]] and the [[Septuagint]]. The [[Samaritan Pentateuch]], [[Vulgate]], and [[Peshitta]] all identify his land as [[Ammon]].

[[File:Nuremberg chronicles f 30r 2.png|thumb|right|Balaam and the angel ''[[Nuremberg Chronicle]]'' (1493)]]
[[File:John Linnell - The Prophet Balaam and the Angel - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''The Prophet Balaam and the Angel'' by [[John Linnell (painter)|John Linnell]] (1859)]]

Balaam sends back word that he can only do what [[YHWH]] commands, and God has, via a nocturnal dream, told him not to go. Balak consequently sends higher-ranking priests and offers Balaam honours; Balaam continues to press God, and God finally permits him to go but with instructions to say only what He commands. Balaam then sets out in the morning with the princes of Moab. God becomes angry that he went and sends the [[Angel of the Lord]] (Numbers 22:22) to prevent him. At first, the angel is seen only by the donkey Balaam is riding, which tries to avoid the angel. After Balaam starts punishing the donkey for refusing to move, it is miraculously given the power to speak to Balaam (Numbers 22:28) and says, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" At this point, Balaam is allowed to see the angel, who informs him that the donkey's turning away from the messenger is the only reason the angel did not kill Balaam. Balaam immediately repents, but is told to go on.

Balak meets with Balaam at [[Kirjath-huzoth|Kirjat Huzoth]], and they go to the "high places of [[Baal]]", and offer sacrifices on seven altars, leading to Balaam being given a prophecy by [[Yahweh]], which He speaks to Balak. However, the prophecy blesses Israel; Balak remonstrates, but Balaam reminds him that he can only speak the words put in his mouth, so Balak takes him to another "high place" at [[Mount Pisgah (Bible)|Pisgah]], to try again. Building another seven altars here, and making sacrifices on each, Balaam provides another prophecy blessing Israel.

Balaam finally gets taken by a now very frustrated Balak to [[Peor]], and, after the seven sacrifices there, decides not to "seek enchantments" but instead looks upon the Israelites from the peak. The Spirit of God comes upon Balaam and he delivers a third positive prophecy concerning Israel. Balak's anger rises to the point where he threatens Balaam, but Balaam merely offers a prediction of fate. Balaam then looks upon the [[Kenite]]s, and [[Amalekite]]s and offers two more predictions of their fates. Balak and Balaam then go to their respective homes.

Later, Numbers 25:1–9 describes how Israel engaged in the [[Heresy of Peor]]. Numbers 31:16 blames this on Balaam's advice and because of his culpability in the incident, which resulted in deadly divine judgements against the Israelites who participated, he was eventually killed in a retaliatory battle against Midian in Numbers 31:8.

[[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]] 23:3–6 summarises these incidents, and further states that the Ammonites were associated with the Moabites. [[Joshua]], in his farewell speech, also makes reference to it. With God's protection taken from him, Balaam is later listed among the Midianites who were killed in revenge for the "matter of Peor". [[Book of Joshua|Joshua]] [[Joshua 13#Verse 22|13:22]] records that Balaam died "by the sword" during a battle for the [[Tribe of Reuben|Reubenite]] occupation of Moabite land.

[[File:P1150002 Cognacq-Jay Rembrandt anesse de Balaam rwk.jpg|thumb|290px|''[[Balaam and the Ass]]'', by [[Rembrandt van Rijn]], 1626]]

In total, Balaam's prophecies consist of seven (Hebrew) poems:
* The first, Numbers 23:7–10, prophesies the unique exaltation of the Kingdom of Israel, and its countless numbers.
* The second, Numbers 23:18–24, celebrates the moral virtue of Israel, its monarchy, and its military conquests.
* The third, Numbers 24:3–9, celebrates the glory and conquests of Israel's monarchy.
* The fourth, Numbers 24:14–19, prophesies the coming of a king who will conquer Edom and Moab.
* The fifth, Numbers 24:20, concerns the ruins of Amalek.
* The sixth, Numbers 24:21–22, concerns the destruction of the Kenites by Assyria.
* The seventh, Numbers 24:23–24, concerns "ships of Kittim" coming from the west to attack Assyria and Eber.

The poems fall into three groups. The first group consists of two poems which characteristically start immediately. The third group of three poems also start immediately, but are much shorter. The second group, however, consists of two poems which both start:

<blockquote>Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open&nbsp;...</blockquote>

===Biblical criticism===

Of Balaam's three groups of poems, the [[documentary hypothesis]] argued that the first and third groups originated within the [[Elohist]] text, whereas the second group belonged to the [[Jahwist]]. Thus the Elohist describes Balaam giving two blessings, making sacrifices on seven altars, at the high places of Baal, before each, then deciding not to "seek enchantments" after the third set of sacrifices, but to "set his face upon the wilderness," which Balak views as a third blessing, and so Balaam then gives the three final predictions of fate. Conversely, in the Jahwist source, Balaam arrives, the spirit of God comes upon him, and he delivers a blessing and a prophecy in succession.

''Agag'', mentioned in the third poem, is described as a great king, which does not correspond to the king of the Amalekites who was named [[Agag]], and described in [[1 Samuel 15]], since that description considers Amalek to be small and obscure. While the [[Masoretic text]] of the poem uses the word ''Agag'', the [[Septuagint]], other Greek versions, and the Samaritan Pentateuch all have ''Gog''. These names are consequently considered textual corruptions, and ''[[Og]]'' has been suggested as the original.

The final three poems do not refer to Israel or Moab and are thus considered unusual since they seem to have little relevance to the narrative. It is thought that they may have been added to bring the number of poems up to five if inserted into the Elohist source or up to seven if only inserted once JE was constructed. While the sixth poem refers to Assyria, it is uncertain whether it is a historical reference to ancient [[Nineveh]] or a prophecy, which some religious commentators consider refers to the [[Seleucid Empire]], which also took the name "Assyria". The seventh is also ambiguous and may either be a reference to the [[Sea Peoples]] or, in the view of some religious commentators, to the conquest of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] by [[Alexander the Great]].

In the view of some schools of textual criticism,<ref>See Critical View Nearly all modern expositors agree that the section xxii.–xxiv. belongs to the composite document JE {{cite web |url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2395-balaam |title=Balaam |publisher=Jewishencyclopedia.com }}</ref> the narrative, excepting the episode involving the donkey, is simply a framework invented to be able to insert much older poems.