22:1 And the benai Yisrael set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moav on this side Yardan [by] Yericho.
Haftarah Hukkat:Softim 11:1-33
Brit Hadshah : Yochanan 3:9-21; 4:3-30; 12:27-50
Parashah 40: Balak 22:2-25:9
(In regular years read with Parashah 39, in leap years read separately)
22:2 (i) And Balak (בּלק) Ben Tzippor saw all that Yisrael had done to the Emorites.
22:3 And Moav was sore afraid of the people, because they [were] many: and Moav was distressed because of the benai Yisrael.
22:4 And Moav said unto the Zakenei (elders) Midyan, Now shall this company lick up all [that are] round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak (בּלק) Ben Tzippor [was] melek the Moavites at that time.
22:5 He sent messengers therefore unto Bil'am (בּלעם) Ben Beor to Pethor, which [is] by the river of the eretz of the benai his people, to call him, saying, hinei, there is a people come out from Mitzrayim: hinei, they cover the face of the eretz, and they abide over against me:
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 eretz: for I wot that he whom thou blessest [is] blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
22:7 And the Zakenei (elders) Moav and the Zakenei (elders) Midyan departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Bil'am (בּלעם), and spake unto him the Divrei of Balak (בּלק).
22:8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as YHWH (יהוה) shall speak unto me: and the sarim of Moav abode with Bil'am (בּלעם).
22:9 And Elohim (אלהים) came unto Bil'am (בּלעם), and said, What men [are] these with thee?
22:10 And Bil'am (בּלעם) said unto Elohim (אלהים), Balak (בּלק) Ben Tzippor, melek Moav, hath sent unto me, [saying],
22:11 hinei, [there is] a people come out of Mitzrayim, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
22:12 And Elohim (אלהים) said unto Bil'am (בּלעם), Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they [are] blessed.
And Bil'am (בּלעם) rose up in the morning, and said unto the sarim of Balak (בּלק), Get you into your eretz: for YHWH (יהוה) refuseth to give me leave to go with you.
22:14 And the sarim of Moav rose up, and they went unto Balak (בּלק), and said, Bil'am (בּלעם) refuseth to come with us.
22:15 And Balak (בּלק) sent yet again sarim, more, and more honourable than they.
22:16 And they came to Bil'am (בּלעם), and said to him, Thus saith Balak (בּלק) Ben Tzippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:
22:17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
22:18 And Bil'am (בּלעם) answered and said unto the servants of Balak (בּלק), If Balak (בּלק) would give me his house full of kesef and zahav, I cannot go beyond Dvar YHWH (יהוה) my Elohim (אלהים), to do less or more.
22:19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what YHWH (יהוה) will say unto me more.
22:20 And Elohim (אלהים) came unto Bil'am (בּלעם) 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.
Bil'am Meets the messenger of YHWH
22:21 (LY:iii) And Bil'am (בּלעם) rose up in the morning, and saddled his athon (donkey), and went with the sarim of Moav.
22:22 And Elohim (אלהים)'s anger was kindled because he went: and the messenger of YHWH (יהוה) stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his athon (donkey), and his two servants [were] with him.
22:23 And the athon (donkey) saw the messenger of YHWH (יהוה) standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the athon (donkey) turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Bil'am (בּלעם) smote the athon (donkey), to turn her into the way.
22:24 But the messenger of YHWH (יהוה) stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall [being] on this side, and a wall on that side.
22:25 And when the athon (donkey) saw the messenger of YHWH (יהוה), she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Bil'am (בּלעם)'s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
22:26 And the messenger of YHWH (יהוה) went further, and stood in a narrow place, where [was] no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
22:27 And when the athon (donkey) saw the messenger of YHWH (יהוה), she fell down under Bil'am (בּלעם): and Bil'am (בּלעם)'s anger was kindled, and he smote the athon (donkey) with a staff.
22:28 And YHWH (יהוה) opened the mouth of the athon (donkey), and she said unto Bil'am (בּלעם), What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
22:29 And Bil'am (בּלעם) said unto the athon (donkey), Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
22:30 And the athon (donkey) said unto Bil'am (בּלעם), [Am] not I thine athon (donkey), upon which thou hast ridden ever since [I was] thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
22:31 Then YHWH (יהוה) opened the eyes of Bil'am (בּלעם), and he saw the messenger of YHWH (יהוה) standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
22:32 And the messenger of YHWH (יהוה) said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine athon (donkey) these three times? hinei, I went out to withstand thee, because [thy] way is perverse before me:
22:33 And the athon (donkey) saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
22:34 And Bil'am (בּלעם) said unto the messenger of YHWH (יהוה), I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
22:35 And the messenger of YHWH (יהוה) said unto Bil'am (בּלעם), Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Bil'am (בּלעם) went with the sarim of Balak (בּלק).
22:36 And when Balak (בּלק) heard that Bil'am (בּלעם) was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moav, which [is] in the border of Arnon, which [is] in the utmost coast.
22:37 And Balak (בּלק) said unto Bil'am (בּלעם), Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?
22:38 And Bil'am (בּלעם) said unto Balak (בּלק), Hinnei, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that Elohim (אלהים) putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
And Bil'am (בּלעם) went with Balak (בּלק), and they came unto Kiryat Huzot.
22:40 And Balak (בּלק) offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Bil'am (בּלעם), and to the sarim that [were] with him.
Bila'am's Oracles 22:41 - 24:25
22:41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak (בּלק) took Bil'am (בּלעם), and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost [part] of the people.
Balak Ben Tzippor= “devastator,” He was king of Moav named after the man who was a distant cousin to Israel through Lot, Avraham’s nephew
Bil'am = means “destruction of people.” The Hebrew word bela means “ destruction, confuse, confound.” The Hebrew word am means “people, tribe, nation.”
Arnon wnra= "rushing stream" a river and surrounding valley in south Palestine, forms the border between Moav and the Emorites
Moav - Moab - bawm Barasheet 19:37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moav: the same is the father of the Moavites unto this day.
Moab = "of his father" Semites; a son of Lot by his eldest daughter; the nation descended from the son of Lot; the land inhabited by the descendants of the son of Lot
There were seven oracles in all each is introduced with the words the word Oracle means proverbs meaning prophectic speeches
23:7-10
- First Prophectic speech
23:18-24 - Second Prophectic speech -< addressed to Balak the unwilling listener - Hashem cannot renege on His promises of life for His People (Roman 8:31-39)
24:3-9 Third Prophectic speech - blessing on the tribe of Israel as they about to enter Kenaan, Hashem would empower them to destroy all enemies Yisrael is pictured as a lion, Bil'am quoted Barasheet 12:3
24:15-19 Fourth Messianic Prophectic speech - the pagan Bilam had a vision of the coming of the Hebrew Moshiach Adonay Yeshua Ha Moshiach was visible from afar, like a star, radiant and beautiful, He was like a Scepter, majestic and powerful. He is victor over His enemies. All nations who resisted Yisrael and Hashem's redemptive work would come under the curse they unwittingly embraced.