a

while preserving the greatest simplicity in his own words. But we are not left to deduce, from uncertain inference, that the God of Balaam is no other than the God of Israel, the Eternal, the Unchangeable. This is unmistakeably expressed. Balaam speaks of Jahveh as 'my God,'' just as he says with reference to Israel, that Jahveh is 'his God;' and that term 'Jahveh my God' is not merely the Hebrew designation of Balaam's monotheism," but involves and demonstrates the absolute identity of Balaam's monotheism and that of Israel.f

5. THE GOD OF BALAK.

A CLEAR light is thrown upon the subject by considering it in conjunction with Balak's religious notions.

The king sends messengers to the seer with the general charge to come and curse the Hebrews. He does not specify the deity in whose name he desires the curse to

a By what perversion of judgment, was it possible to discover in this circumstance also a silent accusation of hypocrisy against Balaam, who so boastfully spoke of his Jehovah (der sich mit seinem Jehova so breit machte), constantly crying Kúpiɛ Kúpiɛ, although in reality he was only in connection with Elohim.'! (Hengstenb. 1. c. pp.409, 411; Lange, Bibelwerk, ii. 308, 311, 'an ostentatiously displayed belief in Jehova... ...as if he knew the God of salvation.' In the passage xxii. 22-35 also, the name ' prevails, whether Jahveh Himself (vers. 28, 31) or, more frequently, the angel of

be pronounced. It is enough for him to know that Balaam's blessing and curse are potent and irresistible. Does he, in the author's view, mean the God of the Hebrews and Him alone? This cannot be assumed; for if he had deemed this point essential, he would not have failed to insist upon it in his explicit message. He evidently knew nothing of Jahveh, or he did not heed Him. He had heard of the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, but he speaks of their deliverance as of an ordinary event, without alluding to Jahveh's assistance or intervention-in striking contrast to Balaam, who repeatedly attributes it to the power and mercy of Israel's God." How should he indeed expect an efficient execration from a soothsayer inspired by a strange god against his own chosen people? When Balaam, following the Divine directions, announced to the elders of Moab, 'The Lord () refuses to give me leave to go with you;' in what form did the elders bring back this answer to Balak? They simply said, 'Balaam refuses to come with us.'" They omitted to mention Jahveh, obviously because to them and to the king He was an unfamiliar god. If Balak had specially desired that the Hebrews should be cursed in the name of Jahveh, it would have been of the utmost importance to him to learn that it was Jahveh Himself who forbade Balaam to journey forth. But the envoys and the monarch alike were concerned about nothing except the bare fact of Balaam's non-compliance.

The second embassy was despatched with the same indefinite message, no particular god being named.® However, when Balaam at last arrived in Moab, he said to the king, 'I will go; perhaps the Lord (7) will

a xxii. 5.

b xxiii. 22; xxiv. 8; see notes on xxii. 5-14.

c xxii. 13.

d Ver. 14.

e xxii, 15-17.

d

a

come to meet me; and whatsoever He will show me, I will tell thee.' Then was Balak, for the first time, made clearly aware that Balaam was in the service of Jahveh, and then he might easily have informed himself about His nature and His relation to Israel. Again and again, he thenceforth heard the same name from Balaam's mouth, both in the interviews and the prophetic speeches;" and when he, therefore, saw Balaam the second time return, prepared for uttering an oracle, he asked, in anxious suspense, 'What has the Lord (77) spoken? He had learnt, that it was from Jahveh, the God of the terrible Hebrews, that he must expect his safety or destruction. But he had also learnt, that this Jahveh is the God or Elohim; and, consequently, when he requested Balaam to make a new attempt in another place, he added, 'Perhaps it will please Ha-Elohim, that thou mayest curse me them from there.'e Yet when, this time also, Balaam pronounced a blessing and not a curse, the frenzied king, dismissing the prophet from his presence, exclaimed, ‘I thought to honour thee, but, behold, the Lord (77) has kept thee back from honour"- thus mingling with his rage a derisive sarcasm, taunting Balaam's God as delighting to deprive of honours and rewards His most scrupulous worshippers; and with those defiant words, Balak, the type of blind and worldly paganism, so skilfully placed in juxtaposition to Balaam, for ever discards that Jahveh, to whom he had turned for a moment through fear and selfishness.

16

6. BALAAM THE PROPHET.

WE shall approach still nearer to a right estimate of Balaam's character by enquiring how he received Jahveh's revelations-whether in the manner of Hebrew prophecy or in connection with heathen rites?

When Balaam hears, from the first ambassadors, the king's demand, he desires them to remain till the next morning, and promises a reply in accordance with God's injunction. He is, therefore, sure of a Divine communication. How is it conveyed? Certainly in the night—as is not only clear from the context, but is expressed in distinct terms;" and evidently in sleep, for God orders Balaam, 'Rise and go with the men,' after which the author adds, 'And Balaam rose in the morning. . . and went with the princes of Moab.' He received, therefore, his communications in dream visions, and these were deemed by the Hebrews one of the legitimate and valued modes of Divine revelation. Again, God speaks to Balaam, and Balaam speaks to God; He'shows him' words, 'puts words into his mouth,'s or gives him 'commands;'1 in fact the spirit of God comes upon Balaam;' phrases which we find constantly applied in the Old Testament to the true seers of Israel. Balaam's speech or address is indeed, on account of its poetical character, generally

a xxii. 8.

b Ver. 20.

c Vers. 20, 21.

k

d Num. xii. 6; Gen. xx. 3; xxxi. 11, 24; xlvi. 2; Job iv. 13–16, etc.; see Commentary on Genesis, pp. 608, 640.

• xxii. 8-12, 19, 20; xxiii. 26. f xxiii. 3.

g xxii. 38; xxiii. 5, 12, 16.

designated as 'parable,' but also as 'Words of God,'' or simply utterance' of Balaam, which is the specific term for prophetic communication.

However, some circumstances are mentioned which seem at least doubtful. We may here briefly pass over the fact that the king sent Balaam 'wages' or 'rewards of divination.' Supposing even that Balaam accepted them, he deserves no censure. For according to the notions of those times, no one ever consulted a seer without offering him a present, either in money or provisions, although the most trifling gift contented the simplicity of Hebrew prophets, and the assertion that the 'men of God' did not receive or take such presents is unfounded, though in some cases they may have had special reasons for refusing them."—But preparations, apparently considered indispensable, are made for the predictions-altars are erected and sacrifices offered, at which the king is bound to stay. As these arrangements proceed from Balaam, we are justified in presuming that the sacrifices are presented to none else but Jahveh; at the time when this section was composed, altars and sacrifices, not yet restricted to one central sanctuary, were lawful at any place;1 and although prophecies were generally pronounced without

d xxiv. 3, 4, 15, 16; comp.7'N, xxiv. 14; see notes in locc.

cxxii. 7, D'pp, see notes on xxii. 5-14.

f Comp. 1 Sam. ix. 7, 8; 1 Ki. xiii. 7; xiv. 3; 2 Ki. viii. 8, 9; see Mic. iii. 5.

Joseph. Ant. VI. iv. 1; X. xi. 3. h 2 Ki. v. 15, 16, 26; comp. Gen. xiv. 22, 23.

C

i xxiii. 1, 4, 6, 14, 15, 17, 29, 30. k See infra, Date.'

I See Comm. on Levit. i. 17-19. The 'Moabite Stone' (line 18) mentions vessels of Jahveh' (717) '50) taken from the Hebrews, at Nebo, by Mesha, king of Moab, and presented to his god Chemosh. There were, therefore, evidently in his time still (about B.C. 890) legitimate sanctuaries of God in the east-Jordanic districts (comp., on the other hand, the very different spirit in the long account of Josh. xxii. 10–34).