27<\/strong>. This verse is a connecting link, added by the compiler, between the E and the J narrative. The words ‘I will take thee unto another place’ cannot be from J , for he has not yet related that Balaam was taken to any place; but the whole of ch. 24 is from J .<\/p>\n And Balak said unto Balaam, come, I pray thee<\/strong>,…. Come along with me: I will bring thee unto another place: if not better for the view of the people, yet a more religious place, on which account the king hoped for success:<\/p>\n peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence<\/strong>; it may be God will give thee leave to curse the people from that place, being devoted to sacred service: this is the first time that Balak makes mention of the name of God; and he now seems to be satisfied that it was not Balaam’s fault that he did not curse Israel, but that he was hindered by God, who would not suffer him to do it.<\/p>\n Verses 27-30:<\/strong><\/p>\n Though Balak was exasperated with Balaam’s efforts, he resolved to try again a third time, to have him curse Israel. He was persistent in his evil.<\/p>\n “Peon” meaning “opening,” a high peak near the town of Baal-Peor, the site of Israel’s camp, De 3:29. Scripture indicates it was opposite Jericho on the heights of Arboth Moab. The site commanded a bird’s-eye view of Israel’s encampment.<\/p>\n “Jeshimon,” <\/strong>see Nu 21:20.<\/p>\n Once more Balak prepared seven altars, and the sacrificial animals for them, as Balaam instructed on the two previous occasions.<\/p>\n (27) Peradventure it will please God . . . <\/strong>Here Balak makes mention of God as Elohim. <\/em>He appears to be satisfied that Balaam was hindered by God from uttering the curses which he desired him to pronounce upon Israel (comp. Num. 24:11<\/span>). Or the words may have been spoken ironically (comp. Num. 24:11<\/span>, and Note).<\/p>\n 27<\/strong>. <\/strong> Peradventure it will please God <\/strong> “It was the opinion of the heathen that what was not obtained through the first, second, or third victim might nevertheless be secured through a fourth.” Clericus<\/em>. Hence the continued altar-building and burnt offerings.<\/p>\n The Third Attempt To Influence Yahweh ( Num 23:27<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> to Num 24:13<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ). <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n The previous two attempts at enchantment having failed Balak decided that he must try again, this time with Baal-peor. Some may wondered at Balak’s persistence, but both he and Balaam probably thought that the next seven offerings would do the trick. For seven times three would be divine completeness and perfection indeed. <\/p>\n Num 23:27-28<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘And Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse me them from there.” And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks down on the desert.’ <\/p>\n The stark mountain of Peor was his last hope. Here surely Baal-peor would come to his help against these people. So he took Balaam there and called on him to make another attempt to curse Israel for him. <\/p>\n Num 23:29<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘And Balaam said to Balak, “Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven ox bulls and seven rams.” ’ <\/p>\n Balaam again called on him to follow his usual pattern. It had always ‘worked’ in the past. Another munificent offering to the gods might be successful, and might change Yahweh’s mind. Three times seven was complete divine perfection. <\/p>\n There is in all this a deliberate intent in the writer’s mind to bring out the futility of Balaam’s methods and Balak’s hopes. Yahweh the God of Israel just could not be influenced by these methods. He was over and above them. They were useless. Balaam might be powerful in his own sphere but against God he was powerless. All he could do was prophecy in His favour. <\/p>\n Num 23:30<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up an ox bull and a ram on every altar.’ <\/p>\n So Balak again did all that was required of him. An ox bull and a ram were offered up on each of seven altars. <\/p>\n Num 23:27<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>I will bring thee unto another place<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> As the Syrians imagined that some gods were powerful in the hills, who could do nothing in the plains, 1Ki 20:23<\/span>; 1Ki 20:28<\/span> so it seems there was such a conceit at this time in these countries, that some gods had more power on one hill than on another. The idea of local deities was very general. Thus Balak might imagine that his God had hitherto been withheld by the gods of Israel from granting his desire, but might be more powerful in another place. Low as were the conceptions of these idolaters respecting their deities, do we not see the same style prevail in the Romish Church, where much more virtue is attributed to some images of the Blessed Virgin, than to others? for which reason devotees flock in greater numbers to the places where such images are found. <\/p>\n Num 23:27 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.<\/p>\n Ver. 27. Peradventure it will please God.<\/strong> ] Heb., It will be right in the eyes of God. Never think it, man. “He is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness.” Psa 5:4 <\/p>\n Come: Num 23:13 <\/p>\n peradventure: Num 23:19, Num 23:20, Job 23:13, Pro 19:21, Pro 21:30, Isa 14:27, Isa 46:10, Isa 46:11, Mal 3:6, Rom 11:29 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Lev 1:3 – a burnt Mic 6:5 – Shittim<\/p>\n 23:27 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another {l} place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.<\/p>\n (l) Thus the wicked imagine of God that what he will not grant in one place, he will do in another.<\/p>\n Still hopeful, Balak took Balaam to a third site from which he could view the whole of the Israelite camp. Again he offered sacrifices as before.<\/p>\n Balaam had learned that God would bless Israel even though Balak had not. Consequently this time he did not seek indications of the will of God in omens as he had done previously (Num 23:1). He simply proclaimed the message the Holy Spirit revealed to him (Num 23:2). Balaam intended his opening words (Num 23:3-4) to impress upon Balak that the Almighty God had inspired his oracle.<\/p>\n The phrase "falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered" (found also in Num 23:16), ". . . has usually been interpreted as describing the particular state in which the prophet-seer received his revelations (e.g., that he was in a prophetic trance or sleep . . . or was falling down in awe, or in the overpowering presence of the spirit of prophecy . . .)." [Note: J. M. Allegro, "The Meaning of nophel in Numbers xxiv. 4, 16," Expository Times 65 (July 1954):317.] <\/span><\/p>\n In the article just cited, the author went on to suggest the translation "pared or peeled of eye(s)" (Num 23:4; Num 23:16), which is possible grammatically.<\/p>\n Balaam pictured Israel as a man carrying two buckets overflowing with water (Num 23:7). Water was the source of physical refreshment and blessing in the hot and arid Near East. Israel’s seed would enjoy the richest blessing (i.e., would grow up beside many waters).<\/p>\n "In an ironic reversal of the evil intended by Pharaoh’s order to cast the seed of Abraham into the river, Balaam’s third oracle uses the well-watered gardens that spread out along the banks of a river to speak of the abundance of Israel’s ’seed.’ A literal reading of Balaam’s remark in Num 24:7 is ’Their seed is in the abundant waters’ . . . Thus what was once the intended means for the destruction of the promised seed, that is, the ’abundant waters,’ has now become the poetic image of God’s faithfulness to his promise." [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 407.] <\/span><\/p>\n "Agag" (Num 23:7) was the title of the kings of the Amalekites or the name of several Amalekite kings, perhaps a dynasty (cf. Abimelech in Gen 20:1-2; Gen 26:1; and Jabin in Jos 11:1; Jdg 4:2). Balaam may have used "Agag" here as the personification of Israel’s enemies. King Saul later defeated another Agag (1Sa 15:8).<\/p>\n "It is clear from Num 23:24 that Balaam is speaking about the people of Israel and the exodus from Egypt. In Num 24:8, however, Balaam repeats the same line and applies it, using singular forms, to the king he has introduced in Num 24:7: ’God brought him [singular] out of Egypt; he has the strength of a wild ox.’<\/p>\n <\/p>\n "The writer’s purpose appears to be to view the reign of the future king in terms taken from God’s great acts of salvation in the past. The future is going to be like the past. What God did for Israel in the past is seen as a type of what he will do for them in the future when he sends his promised king." [Note: ibid., p. 408.] <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n "The stunning climax is in the blessing of God on all who bless Israel [Num 23:9; cf. Num 23:17; Gen 12:3; Gen 27:29; Gen 49:9]. This, of course, takes us back to the original promise of God to Abram. The irony cannot be missed by Balaam or by any who hear his words. In his actions he brings a curse on his own head, even as he speaks blessing!" [Note: Allen, p. 907.] <\/span><\/p>\n Balak sent Balaam home without pay because he failed to produce the curse Balak had hired him to deliver.<\/p>\n This oracle is even stronger than the preceding two. As Balaam had alluded to other aspects of the Abrahamic promises previously (Num 23:10; Num 23:24) here the blessing<\/span> aspect concludes this oracle (Num 23:9; cf. Gen 12:3; Gen 27:29).<\/p>\n "Like Pharaoh before him, Balak also made three attempts to thwart God’s blessing for Israel (Num 23:1-26; Num 23:27 to Num 24:9), and each attempt was turned into a blessing (Num 23:11-12; Num 23:25-26; Num 24:10-11)." [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 406.] <\/span><\/p>\n And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. 27. This verse is a connecting link, added by the compiler, between the E and the J narrative. The words ‘I will take thee unto another … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 23:27”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4452\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"