Numbers 22:6

_COME NOW THEREFORE, I PRAY THEE, CURSE ME THIS PEOPLE; FOR THEY ARE TOO MIGHTY FOR ME: PERADVENTURE I SHALL PREVAIL, THAT WE MAY SMITE THEM, AND THAT I MAY DRIVE THEM OUT OF THE LAND: FOR I WOT THAT HE WHOM THOU BLESSEST IS BLESSED, AND HE WHOM THOU CURSEST IS CURSED._ Come ... curse me this people. Among the pagan an opinion prevailed that prayers for evil, or curses, would be heard by the unseen powers as well as prayers for good, when offered by a prophet or priest, and accompanied by the use of certain rites, (Brucker, 'Hist. Phil.,' tom. 1:, p. 108; 'Heliogab.,' cap. 9:) Many examples are found in the histories of the Greeks and Romans of whole armies being devoted to destruction. Similar instances occur among the natives of India and other pagan countries still. In the Burmese war, magicians were employed to curse the British troops. FOR I WOT THAT HE WHOM THOU BLESSEST IS BLESS...

1-14 The king of Moab formed a plan to get the people of Israel cursed; that is, to set God against them, who had hitherto fought for them. He had a false notion, that if he could get some prophet to pray for evil upon them, and to pronounce a blessing upon himself and his forces, that then he should be able to deal with them. None had so great a reputation as Balaam; and Balak will employ him, though he send a great way for him. It is not known whether the Lord had ever spoken to Balaam, or by him, before this; though it is probable he had, and it is certain he did afterwards. Yet we have abundant proof that he lived and died a wicked man, an enemy to God and his people. And the curse shall not come upon us if there is not a cause, even though men utter it. To prevail with Balaam, they took the wages of unrighteousness, but God laid restraint upon Balaam, forbidding him to curse Israel...

Verse Numbers 22:6. _COME NOW, THEREFORE, I PRAY THEE, CURSE ME THIS_ _PEOPLE_] Balaam, once a prophet of the true God, appears to have been one of the _Moshelim_, (see Numbers 21:27), who had added to his poetic gift that of _sorcery_ or _divination_. It was supposed that prophets and sorcerers had a power to _curse persons_ and _places_ so as to _confound_ all their _designs, frustrate_ their _counsels_, _enervate_ their _strength_, and fill them with fear, terror, and dismay. See Genesis 9:25; Psalms 109:6;...

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....

COME NOW, THEREFORE, I PRAY THEE,.... To my country, city, and court: CURSE ME THIS PEOPLE; by imprecations on them; and which being attended with various rites and ceremonies, brought calamities on persons, which men of Balaam's character were supposed to have power to do: FOR THEY ARE TOO MIGHTY FOR ME; to oppose and subdue by force of arms; and therefore was obliged to have recourse to such arts and methods he was master of; suggesting, that he was able to do more by his divinations than could be effected by an army of men: PERADVENTURE I SHALL PREVAIL, THAT WE MAY SMITE THEM, AND THAT I MAY DRIVE THEM OUT OF THE LAND; there is hope, by taking such measures, that they may be prevailed over and conquered; and that, together with your curses, and my army, we may be able to smite them, and destroy them; you with your tongue, and I and my people with the sword, and so drive them quite...

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 FIRST SUMMONS TO BALAAM, AND YAHWEH'S REFUSAL TO LET HIM GO. This comes mainly from J. But in Numbers 22:5, if the land of the children of his people (which can only refer to Balak and yields little sense) be corrected (after Sam., Syr., Vulg.) to the land of the children of Ammon, there is a discrepancy in the account of Balaam's home, which is diversely represented as (_a)_ Pethor on the River (_i.e._ Pituru on the Euphrates, mentioned in an inscription of Shalmaneser II), nearly a month's journey from Moab, and (_b)_ Ammon, only a few days-' journey distant. The discrepancy is explicable as due to a difference in the sources used: the first statement probably comes from E, the second from J. Balak's belief (Numbers 22:6) in the potency of words uttered in blessing or cursing ...

CURSE. Hebrew. _'arar._ To wish or speak evil against, as to _effect_ rather than as to the act. WOT. know....

Balak king of Moab being frightened by the near proximity of the Israelites sent for Balaam a famous soothsayer to curse them, offering him liberal payment. Balaam came but refused to utter any oracle but that which Jehovah revealed to him. _Zippor_ The word denotes -a little bird," the fem. of which is seen in Ẓippôrah, Moses" wife. The name may point to early totemistic beliefs (see Frazer, _Totemism_2, W. R. Smith, _Rel. Sem._2 124 ff.). _the Amorites_ Og, the king of Bashan, is not mentioned; see on Numbers 21:33-35....

HE SENT MESSENGERS, THEREFORE, &C.— There is nothing for _therefore_ in the original; and all the sacred historian seems to express is, that after first confederating the Midianites, Balak thought proper, as the next step, to call in the aid of Balaam. As the miracles performed in Egypt were designed to prove the superiority of Jehovah over the false gods of that country; so the present story seems to have been inserted principally to evince the same superiority of Jehovah over the gods of Moab and Midian. For the better elucidation of this extraordinary piece of sacred history, it may be proper, after the example of the excellent Mr. Saurin, to lay down some principles, which will render the following Chapter s much more intelligible. _First principle._ Though the descendants of Abraham, some ages after that patriarch, formed the only nation which God owned, and to which he committed hi...