1Ug si Balaam miingon kang Balac: Tukoran mo ako dinhi ug pito ka halaran, ug tagan-an mo ako dinhi ug pito ka lakeng vaca ug pito ka lakeng carnero. 2Ug si Balac nagbuhat sumala sa giingon ni Balaam; ug si Balac ug si Balaam nanaghalad sa ibabaw sa tagsatagsa ka halaran ug usa ka lakeng vaca ug usa ka lakeng carnero. 3Ug si Balaam miingon kang Balac: Tumindog ka haduol sa imong halad-nga-sinunog, ug ako moadto: basin na lamang si Jehova moanhi sa pagpakighibalag kanako; ug bisan unsa nga iyang igapakita kanako, ako magatug-an kanimo. Ug siya miadto sa usa ka kal-anan nga bukid. 4Ug ang Dios nakighibalag kang Balaam: ug siya miingon kaniya: Ako nag-andam ug pito ka halaran, ug ako naghalad ug usa ka lakeng vaca ug usa ka lakeng carnero sa ibabaw sa tagsatagsa ka halaran. 5Ug si Jehova nagbutang ug pulong diha sa baba ni Balaam, ug miingon: Bumalik ka ngadto kang Balac, ug mao kini ang igasulti mo. 6Ug siya mibalik ngadto kaniya, ug, ania karon, siya nagatindog haduol sa iyang halad-nga-sinunog, siya, ug ang tanang mga principe sa Moab. 7Ug siya migamit sa iyang sambingay, ug miingon: Gikan sa Aram si Balac nagdala kanako, Ang hari sa Moab gikan sa mga kabukiran sa Sidlakan: Umari ka , hagita ang Israel 8Unsaon ko pagtunglo, kadtong wala pagtungloha sa Dios? Ug unsaon ko paghagit sa kasuko, niadtong wala paghagita ni Jehova? 9Kay gikan sa kinatumyan sa mga kapangpangan ako nakakita kaniya, Ug gikan sa mga kabungtoran ako nakatan-aw kaniya Ania karon, kana maoy usa ka katawohan nga nagpuyo nga naginusara, Ug dili pagaisipon uban sa mga nasud. 10Kinsa ba ang makaisip sa abug ni Jacob, Kun mag-isip sa ikaupat ka bahin sa Israel? Tugoti ako nga mamatay sa kamatayon sa matarung, Ug himoa nga ang akong katapusan mahisama sa iya! 11Ug si Balac miingon kang Balaam: Unsa ang imong gibuhat kanako? Ako nagkuha kanimo aron sa pagtunglo sa akong mga kaaway, ug, ania karon, ikaw nagpanalangin kanila gayud. 12Ug siya mitubag ug miingon: Kinahanglan ba nga dili ako magatagad sa pagsulti niadtong gibutang ni Jehova sa akong baba? 13Ug si Balac miingon kaniya: Umari ka , ako nagapangliyupo kanimo, uban kanako ngadto sa laing dapit, nga gikan didto ikaw makakita kanila; ikaw makakita lamang sa kinatapusang bahin nila, ug dili ka makakita kanilang tanan: ug itunglo ako kanila gikan didto. 14Ug siya nagdala kaniya ngadto sa kaumahan sa Sophim, ngadto sa kinatumyan sa Pisga, ug nagtukod didto ug pito ka halaran, ug naghalad ug usa ka lakeng vaca ug usa ka lakeng carnero sa ibabaw sa tagsatagsa ka halaran. 15Ug siya miingon kang Balac: Tumindog ka dinhi haduol sa imong halad-nga-sinunog, samtang ako makighibalag kang Jehova didto sa unahan. 16Ug si Jehova nakighibalag kang Balaam, ug nagbutang ug pulong diha sa baba niya, ug miingon: Bumalik ka ngadto kang Balac, ug mao kini ang imong igasulti. 17Ug siya midangat ngadto kaniya, ug, ania karon, siya nagatindog haduol sa iyang halad-nga-sinunog, ug ang mga principe sa Moab uban kaniya. Ug si Balac miingon kaniya: Unsa ang gipamulong ni Jehova? 18Ug siya migamit sa iyang sambingay, ug miingon: Tumindog ka , Balac, ug magpatalinghug; Patalinghugi ako, ikaw anak nga lalake ni Zippor; 19Ang Dios dili usa ka tawo, nga siya magbakak; Ni anak sa tawo, nga siya magahinulsol; Siya nagsulti, ug dili ba siya magabuhat niana? Kun siya nakapamulong, ug dili niya kana pagatumanon? 20Ania karon, ako nakadawat ug sugo sa pagpanalangin: Ug siya nagpanalangin, ug ako dili makausab niana. 21Siya wala makakita ug kadautan diha kang Jacob; Ni nakakaplag siya ug pagkamasupilon diha sa Israel: Si Jehova nga iyang Dios nagauban kaniya; Ug ang singgit sa usa ka hari anaa sa taliwala nila. 22Ang Dios maoy nagdala kanila gikan sa Egipto; Siya may kusog nga ingon sa vaca nga ihalas. 23Sa pagkamatuod walay pagdiwata uban kang Jacob; Ni adunay pagpanagna nga malimbungon uban sa Israel: Karon igaingon mahitungod kang Jacob ug sa Israel, Unsa ba ang nabuhat sa Dios! 24Ania karon, ang katawohan nanindog ingon sa usa ka leon nga baye, Ug ingon sa usa ka leon mituyhakaw siya sa iyang kaugalingn: Ug siya dili mohigda hangtud nga siya makakaon sa tukbonon, Ug makainum sa dugo sa mga gipamatay. 25Ug si Balac miingon kang Balaam: Ayaw gayud sila pagtungloha, ni magpanalangin ka gayud kanila. 26Apan si Balaam mitubag ug miingon kang Balac: Wala ba ako magsugilon kanimo, nga nagaingon: Ang tanan nga gipamulong ni Jehova, kana kinahanglan akong pagabuhaton? 27Ug si Balac miingon kang Balaam: Umari ka karon, ko magadala kanimo ngadto sa laing dapit; basin pa lamang kini magapahimuot sa Dios nga ikaw magatunglo kanila tungod kanako gikan didto. 28Ug si Balac nagdala kang Balaam ngadto sa kinatumyan sa Peor, nga nagaambo ngadto sa kamingawan. 29Ug si Balaam miingon kang Balac: Tukuri ako dinhi ug pito ka halaran, ug andami ako dinhi ug pito ka lakeng vaca ug pito ka lakeng carnero. 30Ug si Balac naghimo sumala sa giingon ni Balaam, ug naghalad ug usa ka lakeng vaca ug usa ka lakeng carnero sa ibabaw sa tagsatagsa ka halaran.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 BALAK'S SACRIFICES. (Num. 23:1-30)
Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars--Balak, being a heathen, would naturally suppose these altars were erected in honor of Baal, the patron deity of his country. It is evident, from
Num 23:4 that they were prepared for the worship of the true God; although in choosing the high places of Baal as their site and rearing a number of altars (
2Kgs 18:22;
Isa 17:8;
Jer 11:13;
Hos 8:11;
Hos 10:1), instead of one only, as God had appointed, Balaam blended his own superstitions with the divine worship. The heathen, both in ancient and modern times, attached a mysterious virtue to the number seven; and Balaam, in ordering the preparation of so many altars, designed to mystify and delude the king.
3 Stand by thy burnt offering--as one in expectation of an important favor.
peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he showeth me--that is, makes known to me by word or sign.
he went to an high place--apart by himself, where he might practise rites and ceremonies, with a view to obtain a response of the oracle.
4 God met Balaam--not in compliance with his incantations, but to frustrate his wicked designs and compel him, contrary to his desires and interests, to pronounce the following benediction [
Num 23:8-
Num 23:10].
7 took up his parable--that is, spoke under the influence of inspiration, and in the highly poetical, figurative, and oracular style of a prophet.
brought me from Aram--This word joined with "the mountains of the East," denotes the upper portion of Mesopotamia, lying on the east of Moab. The East enjoyed an infamous notoriety for magicians and soothsayers (
Isa 2:6).
8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?--A divine blessing has been pronounced over the posterity of Jacob; and therefore, whatever prodigies can be achieved by my charms, all magical skill, all human power, is utterly impotent to counteract the decree of God.
9 from the top--literally, "a bare place" on the rocks, to which Balak had taken him, for it was deemed necessary to see the people who were to be devoted to destruction. But that commanding prospect could contribute nothing to the accomplishment of the king's object, for the destiny of Israel was to be a distinct, peculiar people, separated from the rest of the nations in government, religion, customs, and divine protection (
Deut 33:28). So that although I might be able to gratify your wishes against other people, I can do nothing against them (
Exod 19:5;
Lev 20:24).
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob?--an Oriental hyperbole for a very populous nation, as Jacob's posterity was promised to be (
Gen 13:16;
Gen 28:14).
the number of the fourth part of Israel--that is, the camp consisted of four divisions; every one of these parts was formidable in numbers.
Let me die the death of the righteous--Hebrew, "of Jeshurun"; or, the Israelites. The meaning is: they are a people happy, above all others, not only in life, but at death, from their knowledge of the true God, and their hope through His grace. Balaam is a representative of a large class in the world, who express a wish for the blessedness which Christ has promised to His people but are averse to imitate the mind that was in Him.
13 Come, . . . with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them--Surprised and disappointed at this unexpected eulogy on Israel, Balak hoped that, if seen from a different point of observation, the prophet would give utterance to different feelings; and so, having made the same solemn preparations, Balaam retired, as before, to wait the divine afflatus.
14 he brought him into the field of Zophim . . . top of Pisgah--a flat surface on the summit of the mountain range, which was cultivated land. Others render it "the field of sentinels," an eminence where some of Balak's guards were posted to give signals [CALMET].
18 Rise up--As Balak was already standing (
Num 23:17), this expression is equivalent to "now attend to me." The counsels and promises of God respecting Israel are unchangeable; and no attempt to prevail on Him to reverse them will succeed, as they may with a man.
21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob--Many sins were observed and punished in this people. But no such universal and hopeless apostasy had as yet appeared, to induce God to abandon or destroy them.
the Lord his God is with him--has a favor for them.
and the shout of a king is among them--such joyful acclamations as of a people rejoicing in the presence of a victorious prince.
22 he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn--Israel is not as they were at the Exodus, a horde of poor, feeble, spiritless people, but powerful and invincible as a reem--that is, a rhinoceros (
Job 39:9;
Ps 22:21;
Ps 92:10).
23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob--No art can ever prevail against a people who are under the shield of Omnipotence, and for whom miracles have been and yet shall be performed, which will be a theme of admiration in succeeding ages.
26 All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do--a remarkable confession that he was divinely constrained to give utterances different from what it was his purpose and inclination to do.
28 Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor--or, Beth-peor (
Deut 3:29), the eminence on which a temple of Baal stood.
that looketh toward Jeshimon--the desert tract in the south of Palestine, on both sides of the Dead Sea.