Editing Balak

{{Short description|Biblical character}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox character
| name        = Balak
| title       = King of Moab
| image       = The Phillip Medhurst Picture Torah 580. Balak’s sacrifices. Numbers cap 23 v 24. De Vos.jpg
| caption     = Balak (wearing a crown) with [[Balaam]]
| family      = [[Zippor]] (father)
| relatives   = [[Eglon (king)|Eglon]] (grandson)
| children    =
| religion    = [[Chemosh]]
| nationality = Moab
| lbl21       = Birth place
| data21      = [[Moab|Kingdom of Moab]]
| lbl22       = Death place
| data22      = Kingdom of Moab 
}}

'''Balak son of Zippor''' ({{Langx|he|בָּלָק}} ''Bālāq'')<ref>{{cite book |last=McKenzie |first=John L. |date=1965 |edition=1995 First Touchstone |title=Dictionary of the Bible |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aE7EyQ_HQAMC&q=balak+etymology&pg=PA77 |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=77 |isbn=0-684-81913-9 |author-link=John L. McKenzie }}</ref> was a king of [[Moab]] described in the [[Book of Numbers]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]], where his dealings with the prophet and sorcerer [[Balaam]] are recounted. Balak tried to engage Balaam the son of Beor for the purpose of cursing the migrating [[Israelites|Israelite]] community.<ref>{{bibleverse|Num|22:1-22:5|NABRE}}</ref> On his journey to meet the princes of Moab, Balaam is stopped by an angel of the Lord after beating his female [[donkey]]. The Lord then "opened the mouth of the donkey" to tell him there was an angel with a drawn sword facing him. He tells the angel he will return home: "I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood against me on the road". The angel instructs Balaam to attend the meeting with the princes of Moab but to "say only what I tell you".<ref>{{bibleverse|Num|22:21-22:35|NABRE}}</ref> According to [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 22:2, and [[Book of Joshua|Joshua]] 24:9, Balak was the son of [[List of minor biblical figures, L-Z#Zippor|Zippor]].

In the preceding chapter of Numbers,<ref>Numbers 21</ref> the Israelites, seeking the [[Promised Land]] following their [[The Exodus|Exodus]] from [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], had defeated the [[Canaanites]] at a place named [[Hormah]], as well as the [[Amorites]] and the people of [[Bashan]], and next approached Moab. The biblical narrative stresses the fears of the people of Moab, who were 'exceedingly afraid' and 'sick with dread' (NKJV) or 'terrified' (GNT).<ref>{{bibleverse|Num|22:3|NABRE}}</ref> Their fears appear to relate to the size of the Israelite population and the consequent [[resource depletion]] which could be expected if they were permitted to occupy Moabite land.

Balak initially conferred with his [[Midianite]] allies<ref>{{bibleverse||Num|22:4|NABRE}}</ref> in order to block Israelite settlement, before sending his elders (along with Midianite elders) to seek Balaam's curse on them. The Midianites appear to have been co-located with the Moabites - according to the [[Targum Jonathan|Targum of Jonathan]], they were one alliance of people at this time<ref>Gill's Exposition of the Bible http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-4.htm accessed 24 June 2015</ref> and therefore had a common interest in preventing Israelite settlement of the area.

After his mission with Balaam to curse Israelites failed, Balak decided to ally with [[Midianite]]s to gather their women in order to lead [[Israelites]] men astray in adultery.

Sources detailing the story of Balak:

* {{bibleverse|Numbers||22–24|NABRE}}
* {{bibleverse|Judges||11:25|NABRE}} - This is the only time in the Bible that Balak is not mentioned in direct conjunction with Balaam. 
* {{bibleverse|Micah||6:5|NABRE}}

According to the [[Pulpit Commentary]], Balak seems to be mentioned by name on a papyrus in the [[British Museum]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/numbers/22.htm |title=Numbers 22 Pulpit Commentary |website=biblehub.com |access-date=21 June 2015}}</ref> [[Alan Gardiner|Gardiner]] and [[Ricardo Caminos|Caminos]], however, transcribe and translate this name as ''Baꜥalry''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gardiner |first=A.H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NVFGnQEACAAJ |title=Late-Egyptian Miscellanies |publisher=Édition de la Fondation égyptologique Reine Élisabeth |year=1937 |series=Bibliotheca Aegyptiaca |page=31 |access-date=2024-02-10 |issue=v. 1}}</ref><ref name="Caminos 1954 p. ">{{cite book | last=Caminos | first=R.A. | title=Late-Egyptian Miscellanies | publisher=Oxford University Press | series=Brown Egyptological studies | year=1954 | isbn=978-0-318-79978-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LosmzgEACAAJ&q=ba+alry| access-date=2024-02-10 | page=108}}</ref> In 2019, [[Israel Finkelstein]], [[Nadav Na'aman]] and [[Thomas Römer]] proposed the common reading of "[[Davidic line|House of David]]" in the [[Mesha Stele]] is actually "Balak".

==The Zohar==

The [[Zohar]], the basic text of the [[Kabbalah]], offers a special interpretation to the Balak being "The Son of [[List of minor biblical figures, L-Z#Zippor|Zippor]]". In Hebrew, "Zippor" (ציפור) means "bird". According to the Zohar, this was not the name of Balak's father but rather referred to a [[magic (paranormal)|magical]] metal bird which Balak made use of. As the Zohar recounts, such a bird has a head made of [[gold]], a mouth made of [[silver]] and [[Wing|wings]] made of copper mixed with silver, and its body is made of gold; once the bird is made, it should be put during the day in a window facing the Sun and during the night in a window facing the Moon, while burning incense in front of it for seven days and seven nights. Thereupon, the bird would start talking and foretelling of what is about to happen. Only the most skilled of [[Magician (fantasy)|wizards]] could construct such a bird. Balak, the greatest wizard of his age, managed it. The bird was always sitting on Balak's shoulder and whispering in his ear, and therefore he was nicknamed "Son of the Bird". The Zohar further recounts that the bird spoke true words of prophecy in Balak's ear and warned him not to set himself against the Sons of Israel, and also foretold of the harsh punishment in store for himself and for the Moabits. Nevertheless, Balak persisted in his wrong way and was punished exactly as the bird foretold.<ref>Quoted by Rabbi Moshe Yazdi of Ahavat Yisrael Yeshiva, Jerusalem, in (Hebrew) commentaries on the [[Balak (parsha)|Balak]] Weekly Torah Portion.</ref>

==New Testament==
[[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] 2:12 - 2:14 refers to Balak.<ref>{{bibleverse|Rev|2:12-1:2:14|NABRE}}</ref>

==Apocrypha==
Balak is mentioned in chapter 10 of [[Meqabyan#Second Book of Ethiopian Maccabees (2 Meqabyan)|2 Meqabyan]], a book considered [[Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon|canonical]] in the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://torahofyeshuah.blogspot.com/2015/07/book-of-meqabyan-i-iii.html|title = Torah of Yeshuah: Book of Meqabyan I - III}}</ref>

==Weekly Torah Portion==
[[Balak (parsha)|Balak]] is the name of the weekly [[Weekly Torah portion|parshah]] or portion in the annual [[Judaism|Jewish]] cycle of [[Torah reading]], constituting {{Bibleverse||Numbers|22:2–25:9|HE}} which tells the story of Balak.

== Etymology ==

There are various proposed etymologies for the name ''Balak'', all having to do with children or "waste" - The name ''Balak'' is in modern times claimed to come from the sparsely used Hebrew verb (balaq), waste or lay waste (Isaiah 24:1,3; Jeremiah 51:2). There are no derivations of this verb besides this name.{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}} Other proposals are: Devastator (BDB Theological Dictionary), Empty (NOBS Study Bible Name List), or Wasting (Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names).

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Book of Numbers people]]
[[Category:Book of Joshua people]]
[[Category:Book of Judges monarchs]]
[[Category:Book of Micah people]]
[[Category:Moab]]
[[Category:Book of Revelation]]
[[Category:Monarchs in the Torah]]
[[Category:Curses]]