Num 22:5; Jos 24:9 sent .. to B son of Beor
Num 31:8 a B son of Beor they killed with the sword
Deu 23:4 hired against you B son of Beor
2Pe 2:15; Jude 1:11 following the path of B son
Rev 2:14 there to those who hold the doctrine of B
Balaam (Heb. Bil’âm, perhaps “glutton” or “not a people”, “lord of the people”, “foreigner”; Gr. Balaám). Aramaic prophet or soothsayer bribed by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Hebrew people encamped at Shittim on the eve of crossing the Jordan River and entering Canaan (Num 22:1-6). Balaam’s home was in the city of Petor,* in the region of Amav* (v 5, BJ and DHH), on the Euphrates river. Balaam was famous for possessing unusual powers (v 6), and his reputation would have been widespread. The report of chs 22-24 leaves no doubt that he knew the true God and that God communicated with him. Certainly the gift of prophecy rested upon him as he presented various oracles regarding the Hebrew people, although the biblical authors nowhere call him a prophet (24:4, 16). The deep dismay of the pagan nations of Palestine and Transjordan over the Israelites is reflected in the confession of Rahab of Jericho: “The fear of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have fainted because of you.” (Jos 2:9). The reports of the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and of the Hebrew victories over the mighty Amorites east of the Jordan (v 10) terrified the inhabitants of the land. They feared that they would be the next to fall before the seemingly invincible Hebrew forces (v 11). Balak’s bribe offered to Balaam (Num 22:7, 17; 24:11) testifies to the dejection and fear of the Israelites, as well as their faith in Balaam’s hidden powers. The first messengers that Balak sent were “elders” (Num 22:5-7) or “princes” (vs 13, 14). When Balaam, at God’s instruction, refused to go with them, Balak sent a second delegation made up of higher-ranking “princes” and offered him a larger bribe (vs 15-17). Although he knew God’s will in this matter, Balaam insisted on asking permission again to go with the messengers (vs 18, 19). The Lord allowed him to accompany them, if they sought him again, but told him that he would only speak what was said to him (v 20). Inclined to accept the honors and reward Balak had offered him, Balaam went with the princes, apparently forgetting that the limitations imposed would defeat the purpose of his journey (vs 20-22). Along the way, Balaam received clear evidence that he was acting against God’s will (vs 22-35). To pronounce the curses on him, Balak took Balaam first to Bamot-baal, in Qui-riat-huzot (v 41). There 7 altars were erected and on each one Balak and Balaam offered a calf and a ram. Balaam stepped aside to receive the Lord’s message to Balak (23:1-6). The 1st message was a declaration that Israel was different from all other nations and that God had blessed her (vs 7-10). Balak then took Balaam to Mount Pisgah, where the sacrifices were repeated (vs 14-17), but the 2nd message reaffirmed the 1st. Anyway, Balak made a 3rd try and offered the same sacrifices on top of Mount Peor (vs 27-30), but with the same result (24:1-9). When ordered to return to his house, Balaam gave Balak a 4th message: a vision of the coming Messiah and the establishment of his kingdom (vs 15-19). Balaam later advised Balak to seduce the Hebrews into idolatry and immorality, with the result that God’s curse fell on Israel (25:1-9; cf 31:16). A little later, Balaam was killed in battle by the Israelites (31:8). His name became an equivalent of apostasy (cf 2Pe 2:14-17), especially of the unholy alliance between God’s people and the world (Rev 2:14). Numerous inscribed stucco fragments were found in 1967 during excavations of a temple at Deir ‘Alla in the Jordan Valley. These fragments had covered a stela and were from c 700 BC The text is composed in an Aramaic dialect that differs from those already known. After the decipherment of the text, although only fragments have been preserved, it was discovered that it contained messages of defeat and curses supposedly spoken by “Balaam, son of Beor” (called “seer of the gods”), received in vision. The text also states that the people reacted negatively to the curses and refused to accept them. It is interesting to know that Balaam, several centuries later, was still remembered as a prophet with divine messages and curses who lived more or less in the same region in which he acted according to the Bible. Bib.: J. Hoftijzer, BA 39 (1976):11-17; J. Hoftijzer and G. van der Kooij, Aramaic Texts from Deir ‘Alla (Leiden, 1976); WF Albright, JBL 63 (1944):207-233.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
gluttonous arab. Soothsayer, son of Beor, native of Petor del Rio, that is, of the valley of the Euphrates. According to chapters 22, 23 and 24 of the book of Numbers, Balaq, king of the Moabites, seeing what the Israelite people had done with the Amorites, when the conquest of Transjordan, and that he was at the forefront, close to his territory , was frightened and sent messengers in search of B., with the pay, so that he would curse Israel, since this town was more numerous than Moab, to see if he could expel it from his dominions. Balaam, prevented by Yahweh, refused. Balaq then sent other higher-ranking messengers and raised the offer of the reward, and God made him go with them. Already on the move, what happened to B. was the angel of Yahweh, who crossed his path, and the donkey that talked. Balaam, then, against his will, by order of Yahweh, blessed Israel and from then on spoke what God put in his mouth, Dt 23, 5-6; Joshua 24, 9-10; Ne 13, 2; Yahweh quarrels with his people and through the prophet reminds them of the episode of B., who could not curse Israel, Mi 6, 5. Balaam induced the Israelites to prevaricate against Yahweh, and they fornicated with the women of Moab, they ate what was sacrificed to the gods and adhered to the Baal of Peor; Yahweh punished them, Nm 25,1-3; 31.16; Rev 2, 14. The soothsayer B. died in Israel’s war against Midian, Nm 31,8; Joshua 13, 22.
The figure of B. remained in Scripture in the NT and in tradition, as a prototype of the false prophet, “who loved a wage of iniquity”, of the false doctor, 2 Pet 2, 15; Jude 1, 11.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
(Heb., bil†™am, perhaps devouring or devouring). The son of Beor, a soothsayer with an admirable story (Num 22:22—Num 24:25; Num 31:8, Num 31:16; Deu 23:4; Jos 13:22; Jos 24:9; Neh 13: 2; Mic 6:5; 2Pe 2:15; Jude 1:11; Rev 2:14). He was employed by Balak, king of the Moabites, to curse the Israelites. God allowed Balaam to go, but warned him (by the strange behavior of his donkey and his meeting with the angel of the Lord) that he speak only what God commanded. Balaam, despite his own wishes, pronounced a blessing on the Israelites instead of a curse. God was protecting the people from harm by him, even when they were unaware of the danger.
Later Balaam managed to turn the people away from the Lord. By his advice, the Israelites were seduced into idolatry (Numbers 31), bringing God’s judgment on Israel. At God’s command, Israel took revenge on the Midianites and Balaam perished in the resulting slaughter.
In the NT, Balaam is held up as an example of the destructive influence of hypocritical teachers who try to lead God’s people astray (Jude 1:11; 2Pe 2:15).
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
(Devourer). Famous seer who was hired by †¢Balac, Moabite king, to curse Israel. The Moabite leaders went “with the gifts of divination in their hands” to invite him to it. God did not allow B. to go. Balak sent out again with “more princes and more honorable than the others,” who emphasized the promises of gifts. This time God allowed him to go. On the way “the angel of the Lord” appeared to him, but B. did not see him. Her donkey, which he did notice, refused to continue the march, for which B. mistreated her. † œThen the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth †, who rebuked his mistress and then God † œopened B.’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord † (Num 22: 1-31)
B. wanted to go back, but the angel told him to go ahead and say only the words he said to him. At the hour that he was supposed to curse Israel, † œJehovah put a word in B.’s mouth †, which was a beautiful blessing. Balak asked him to go to another place to try the curse from there, but again Jehovah † œput a word in his mouth † and returned to bless Israel. Again Balac took B. elsewhere for a third attempt, with the same results. Despite Balak’s protests, B. then prophesied about the future of the people of Israel (Num 22:32-41; Num 23:1-30; Num 24:1-25). “God turned the curse into a blessing” (Neh 13:2).
However, B. was tempted to accept Balak’s offers and “counselled” him (Mic 6:5) to ensnare God’s people through the Moabite women, who invited the Israelites to the feasts of God. their gods, where they made use of food sacrificed to them and participated in the sexual orgies that were common to that type of worship (Num 31:15-16; Rev 2:14). As a consequence “the anger of Jehovah kindled against Israel.” This incident is remembered in the history of Israel under the name of the deity †¢Baal-peor.
Yes, B. went down in history as a man of God who succumbed to bribery or the desire for material goods. Peter calls this † œthe way of B. son of Beor, who loved the reward of wickedness † and says that he acted foolishly (2Pe 2:15). Jude speaks of those who “threw themselves for profit into the error of B.† (Jude 1:11). B. died in the time of Joshua at the hands of the Israelites (Josh 13:22). The rabbis gave great importance to B., whom they considered one of the great prophets of God, but of the Gentiles, saying that because of these events the Spirit of God abandoned the Gentiles and the gift of prophecy ceased among them.
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
tip, PROF BIOG TYPE HOMB HOAT
vet, = “a pilgrim, or lord of the people” (Heb.). Midianite prophet residing in Petor, son of Beor or Bosor. He was hired by Balak king of Moab to curse Israel, but God pushed him to bless instead of curse his chosen people. Although he spoke with a form of piety, his heart was evidently bent on getting Balak’s pay (Jude 11). Jehovah’s angel resisted him, and his donkey rebuked him, but he was allowed to go his way (Num. 22, 23, 24; Deut. 23: 4, 5; Josh. 24: 9, 10) . Although prompted by God to bless Israel, he perversely advised Balak to seduce them through women…