Numbers 22:20

_AND GOD CAME UNTO BALAAM AT NIGHT, AND SAID UNTO HIM, IF THE MEN COME TO CALL THEE, RISE UP, AND GO WITH THEM; BUT YET THE WORD WHICH I SHALL SAY UNTO THEE, THAT SHALT THOU DO._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

20._And God came to Balaam at, night. _Although God is far from being deceitful, still hypocrites with their quibbles deserve that He should delude their craft. If we more closely consider the desire of Balaam, it was that God should belie Himself. For, if he was persuaded that He was truthful, what else was there to be hoped except that he should ratify His reply ten times over? Nevertheless, he wickedly lies to God, when he asks for a permission to go, which would convict God Himself of capriciousness and inconstancy. God, therefore, ironically permits what He had before forbidden. If any should deem it to be absurd that God, who is truth itself, should speak deceptively, the answer is easily found, viz., that God was guilty of no falsehood, but that He loosed the reins to a man obstinate in his own perverseness, just as a person might emancipate a wayward and grossly immoral son, beca...

15-21 A second embassy was sent to Balaam. It were well for us, if we were as earnest and constant in prosecuting a good work, notwithstanding disappointments. Balak laid a bait, not only for Balaam's covetousness, but for his pride and ambition. How earnestly should we beg of God daily to mortify such desires in us! Thus sinners stick at no pains, spare no cost, and care not how low they stoop, to gratify their luxury, or their malice. Shall we then be unwilling to do what is right? God forbid! Balaam's convictions charged him to keep to the command of God; nor could any man have spoken better. But many call God theirs, who are not his, not truly because not only his. There is no judging men by their words; God knows the heart. Balaam's corruptions at the same time inclined him to go contrary to the command. He seemed to refuse the temptation; but he expressed no abhorrence of it. He h...

Verse Numbers 22:20. _IF THE MEN COME - GO WITH THEM_] This is a confirmation of what was observed on the twelfth verse; though we find his going was marked with the Divine displeasure, because he wished, for the sake of the _honours_ and _rewards_, to fulfil as far as possible the will of the king of Moab. Mr. Shuckford observes that the pronoun הוא _hu_ is sometimes used to denote a person's _doing a thing out of his own head_, without regard to the _directions_ of another. Thus in the case of Balaam, when God had allowed him to go with the messengers of Balak, _if they came in_ _the morning to call him_; because he was more hasty than he ought to have been, and went to _them_ instead of staying till _they_ should come to _him_, it was said of him, not כי הלך _ki halach, that he_ _went_, but כי הולך הוא ki holech hu...

EXPOSITION THE COMING OF BALAAM (Numbers 22:2). NUMBERS 22:2 BALAK THE SON OF ZIPPOR. The name Balak is connected with a word "to make waste," and "Zippor" is a small bird. Balak was, as is presently explained, the king of Moab at this time, but not the king from whom Sihon had wrested so much of his territory (Numbers 21:26). He seems to be mentioned by name on a papyrus in the British Museum (see Brugseh, ‘Geogr. Inschr.,' 2, page 32). The later Jews made him out to have been a Midianite, but this is nothing but the merest conjecture....

AND THE LORD CAME UNTO BALAAM AT NIGHT,.... As before, Numbers 22:9 it may be in a dream; the Targum of Jonathan is as there, "a word came from the Lord:'' AND SAID UNTO HIM, IF THE MEN COME AND CALL THEE, RISE UP, AND GO WITH THEM; this was said, as some think, not seriously, but sarcastically, or rather in an angry manner, bidding him go, if he would; so giving him up to his own heart's lusts, or, at most; only permitting him to go with them, but not to curse Israel; and this permission to go seems to be on this condition, if the princes first called him, and were urgent on him to go with them: this was a trial of Balaam, whether he would be eager and forward to go, or patiently wait until he should be called; or the words may be rendered, "seeing", or because g, they are come to call thee: but yet the word which I shall say unto

III. EVENTS IN THE PLAIN OF MOAB FACING THE LAND 1. Balak and Balaam and Balaam's Parables CHAPTER 22 _ 1. Balak's message to Balaam (Numbers 22:1)_ 2. The journey of Balaam (Numbers 22:21) 3. Balaam with Balak (Numbers 22:36) The last section of the wilderness book begins with the story of Balak and Balaam. An enemy, the Gentile Balaam, has to speak the words of prophecy, predicting wonderful blessing and glory for the hosts of Israel. The advancing Israelites inspired terror and Balak (waster), the king of Moab, not willing to meet Israel in open battle, sent for Balaam (devourer of the people) to put his powerful magic spell upon Israel and curse them. Balaam, or

BALAK'S SECOND SUMMONS TO BALAAM, AND YAHWEH'S CONSENT THAT HE SHOULD GO. This section probably comes from E, and represents not a change of purpose on the part of God, but a difference of attitude ascribed to Him by the second of the two sources here used, Balaam being allowed to go but not to curse....

IF THE MEN COME TO CALL THEE. This was the condition with which Balaam did not comply. See Numbers 22:21....

_If the men be come to call thee_ i.e. since the men have come this long distance to summon thee. The A.V. -if the men come to call thee" has sometimes given rise to the erroneous idea that God gave Balaam permission to go only if the messengers came to him in the morning and again asked him to accompany them, and that Balaam, in his eager desire to go, did not wait for this....