Numbers 22:7

_AND THE ELDERS OF MOAB AND THE ELDERS OF MIDIAN DEPARTED WITH THE REWARDS OF DIVINATION IN THEIR HAND; AND THEY CAME UNTO BALAAM, AND SPAKE UNTO HIM THE WORDS OF BALAK._ The rewards of divination - like the fee of a fortune-teller, and being a royal present, it would be something handsome....

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 22:7. _THE REWARDS OF DIVINATION_] Whoever went to consult a prophet took with him a present, as it was on such gratuitous offerings the prophets lived; but here more than a mere present is intended, perhaps every thing necessary to provide materials for the _incantation_. The _drugs_, c., used on such occasions were often very expensive. It appears that Balaam was very _covetous_, and that he loved the wages of unrighteousness, and probably lived by it see 2 Peter 2:15....

REWARDS OF DIVINATION - Rightly interpreted in 2 Peter 2:15 as “the wages of unrighteousness.”...

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 ELDERS OF MOAB, AND THE ELDERS OF MIDIAN, DEPARTED,.... By which it appears that they were princes and nobles; for such the elders were, that were sent on this errand to Balaam; and that they were some of both people, Midian and Moab, that went upon it, see Numbers 22:14 which shows, that if they were not one people, under one king, which yet seems likely, nevertheless they made a common cause of it, and joined in this expedient to save their country: WITH THE REWARDS OF DIVINATION IN THEIR HANDS; not that diviners were sent along with them to Balsam, as Aben Ezra interprets it, that he might not deceive them, and put them off, by saying it was not a fit and proper day or hour to go out and curse, which these men would be able to refute; but if they were skilled in the art of divination as well as he, what need was there to send to him, when they had

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 ...

REWARDS OF DIVINATION. Hebrew "divinations". Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Effect), App-6, put for the money which procures it. Compare 2 Peter 2:15....

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....