What does Balaam say after seeing that the Lord wants Israel blessed, and how does Balac respond?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Balaam does not seek divination as before. With God’s spirit upon him, he blesses Israel and speaks of its strength. Balac angrily dismisses him, but Balaam repeats the limit on his words and gives further parables about a future star, ruler and other peoples before they part.

Chapter breakdown

Balaam sees that the Lord is pleased for him to bless Israel. He does not go as before to seek divination, but faces the desert. He lifts his eyes and sees Israel living in their tents by tribes. God’s spirit rushes upon him. In his parable, Balaam names himself as Beor’s son, the man whose eye is stopped up, the hearer of God’s words, one who sees the Almighty’s vision and falls so that his eyes are opened.

Balaam praises the beauty of Jacob’s tabernacles and Israel’s tents. He compares them to wooded valleys, watered gardens beside rivers, tabernacles the Lord has pitched, and cedars beside water. Water will flow from his bucket and his seed will be in many waters. The speech says Agag his king will be removed and his kingdom taken away. God brought Israel out of Egypt, with strength like a rhinoceros. They will devour enemy nations, break their bones and pierce them with arrows. Israel has lain and slept like a lion and lioness whom none dares rouse. Whoever blesses Israel will also be blessed; whoever curses Israel will be reckoned accursed.

Balac grows angry with Balaam and claps his hands. He says he called for a curse on his enemies, but Balaam has blessed them three times. He tells Balaam to return to his place. He had intended great honour, he says, but the Lord has deprived Balaam of it. Balaam reminds him what he told the messengers Balac sent: even for a house full of silver and gold, he cannot go beyond the Lord his God’s word and say good or evil from his own head; he will say what the Lord says. Going to his people, he will give Balac counsel about what Israel will do to Balac’s people in the latter days.

Balaam again names himself as Beor’s son and the man whose eye is stopped up. He speaks as the hearer of God’s words, knowing the doctrine of the Highest and seeing the Almighty’s visions, falling with his eyes opened. He says he will see him, but not now, and behold him, but not near. A star will rise from Jacob and a sceptre from Israel; he will strike Moab’s chiefs and lay waste all Seth’s children. He will possess Idumea, and Seir’s inheritance will pass to their enemies, while Israel acts valiantly. One who rules will come from Jacob and destroy the remains of the city. These are the speech’s future claims, not events the chapter reports as fulfilled.

Seeing Amalec, Balaam calls it the beginning of nations whose latter ends will be destroyed. Seeing the Cinite, he addresses it: its habitation is strong, but though it builds its nest in a rock and is chosen of Cin’s stock, how long can it continue? Assur will take it captive. Balaam then asks who will live when God does these things. He says they will come in galleys from Italy, overcome the Assyrians and lay waste the Hebrews; at the last they themselves also will perish. Balaam rises and returns to his place, and Balac returns by the way he came.

The story inside

The opening changes Balaam’s approach: he sees that blessing Israel pleases the Lord and does not seek divination as he did before. The parable follows his view of Israel’s tribal tents and the coming of God’s spirit upon him. Balac’s objection names the mismatch between the curse he requested and the three blessings he received.

Balaam answers with the same restriction on his speech, even in the face of the honour Balac says he intended. The further parables then look beyond the present: not now, not near, and in the latter days. The chapter records those predictions and the two men’s departure. It does not narrate their fulfilment or identify the star as Christ in an admitted commentary note. The original speech can be read fully without adding that identification as a quoted chapter fact.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The opening reports a specific change in practice. Balaam does not seek divination as before because he sees that blessing Israel pleases the Lord. It does not supply a verdict on his later conversion.
2
The promise of honour cannot alter Balaam’s stated limit. He says he cannot speak good or evil from his own head, even for a house full of silver and gold. His answer is kept as his recorded statement.
3
Prediction is kept separate from fulfilment. The star, sceptre, named peoples and galleys belong to future-facing parables. The chapter ends with departure, not with those events taking place.

Test your recall

How do Balac’s objection and Balaam’s reply explain why the speeches continue beyond the blessing Balac opposed?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 16999–17015
Numbers Chapter 24 Balaam still continues to prophesy good things in favour of Israel. 24:1. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord that he should bless Israel, he went not as he had gone before, to seek divination: but setting his face towards the desert, 24:2. And lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel abiding in their tents by their tribes: and the spirit of God rushing upon him, 24:3. He took up his parable and said: Balaam the son of Beor hath said: The man hath said, whose eye is stopped up: 24:4. The hearer of the words of God hath said, he that hath beheld the vision of the Almighty, he that falleth, and so his eyes are opened:
Lines 17016–17033
24:5. How beautiful are thy tabernacles O Jacob, and thy tents, O Israel! 24:6. As woody valleys, as watered gardens near the rivers, as tabernacles which the Lord hath pitched, as cedars by the waterside. 24:7. Water shall flow out of his bucket, and his seed shall be in many waters. For Agag his king shall be removed, and his kingdom shall be taken away. 24:8. God hath brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like to the rhinoceros. They shall devour the nations that are his enemies, and break their bones, and pierce them with arrows. 24:9. Lying down he hath slept as a lion, and as a lioness, whom none shall dare to rouse. He that blesseth thee, shall also himself be blessed: he that curseth thee shall be reckoned accursed.
Lines 17034–17051
24:10. And Balac being angry against Balaam, clapped his hands together and said: I called thee to curse my enemies, and thou on the contrary hast blessed them three times. 24:11. Return to thy place. I had determined indeed greatly to honour thee, but the Lord hath deprived thee of the honour designed for thee. 24:12. Balaam made answer to Balac: Did I not say to thy messengers, whom thou sentest to me: 24:13. If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to utter any thing of my own head either good or evil: but whatsoever the Lord shall say, that I will speak? 24:14. But yet going to my people, I will give thee counsel, what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
Lines 17052–17069
24:15. Therefore taking up his parable, again he said: Balaam the son of Beor hath said: The man whose eye is stopped up, hath said: 24:16. The hearer of the words of God hath said, who knoweth the doctrine of the Highest, and seeth the visions of the Almighty, who falling hath his eyes opened: 24:17. I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near. A STAR SHALL RISE out of Jacob and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel: and shall strike the chiefs of Moab, and shall waste all the children of Seth 24:18. And he shall possess Idumea: the inheritance of Seir shall come to their enemies, but Israel shall do manfully. 24:19. Out of Jacob shall he come that shall rule, and shall destroy the remains of the city.
Lines 17070–17089
24:20. And when he saw Amalec, he took up his parable, and said: Amalec the beginning of nations, whose latter ends shall be destroyed. 24:21. He saw also the Cinite: and took up his parable, and said: Thy habitation indeed is strong: but though thou build thy nest in a rock, 24:22. And thou be chosen of the stock of Cin, how long shalt thou be able to continue? For Assur shall take thee captive. 24:23. And taking up his parable, again he said: Alas, who shall live when God shall do these things? 24:24. They shall come in galleys from Italy, they shall overcome the Assyrians, and shall waste the Hebrews, and at the last they themselves also shall perish. 24:25. And Balaam rose, and returned to his place: Balac also returned the way that he came.