4 And Moab said unto the

before them. This, however, was in accordance with "the prophecy which went before upon them," Ex. 15:15, "Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed, the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them." Thus it is said also of the beginning of their victories, Deut. 2:25, "This day will I begin to put the dread of thee, and the fear of thee, upon the nations, that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee." ¶ Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. Heb. yâkâtz, implying both the idea of chagrin and abhorrence. They were prompted by a peculiar kind of loathing towards the Israelites, as were the Israelites themselves in regard to the manna, ch. 21: 5, where the word in the original is the same. See also the Note on Ex. 1:12, where the import of the term is fully illustrated. Gr. "Moab was incensed," the original word being the same with that Heb. 3: 10, "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation." The "distress" here predicated of Moab was evidently self-procured, for the command given to Israel, Deut. 2:9, was, "Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle." They had therefore only themselves to blame for their trouble.

V. 4. And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, etc. Gr. "The senate, or eldership, of Madiam." The elders in those ancient countries were the senators who managed the affairs of state, and were thence called "princes," v. 8. The Midian here spoken of is undoubtedly to be regarded as a different region from that where Moses found refuge when he fled from Egypt, and

d c. 31. 8. Josh. 13. 21, 22. whose priest or sheikh was Jethro, who became the father-in-law of the future law-giver of Israel. These people dwelt about the eastern arm of the Red Sea, which was at too great a distance from the territories of Moab to allow of their being referred to in the present connection. The Midianites here mentioned, though probably descended from Abraham and Keturah, were a people of nomade or semi-nomade habits, occupying the country east and south-east of the Moabites, who, as we have seen, were seated on the east of the Dead Sea. They pastured their flocks in the unsettled country beyond the Moabites, with whom they seem to have been on the most friendly terms, and on whose borders were situated those "cities and goodly castles which they possessed." Num. 31:10. They seem also to have shared with the Moabites in a deeprooted hostility to the Israelites, as in conjunction with them they designedly enticed the Israelites to idolatry, as we read in the sequel to the present narrative. It was this class of Midianites who, at a subsequent period, harassed the chosen people to such a degree that Gideon was raised up as a divinely endowed champion and deliverer of his people, and enabled to achieve a signal and final triumph over these marauders, from which they never afterwards recovered. The communication was no doubt made by messengers sent for the purpose, and though the precise purport of the message is not stated, yet the sequel makes it evident that they united in the scheme of engaging Balaam to come and exercise his magical skill in banning or cursing the chosen people, as it is said, v. 7, that "the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed

are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak, the son of Zippor,

with the rewards of divination in their hands."- ¶ Now shall this company lick up all (that are) round about us, etc. Heb. yelahaku hakkâhol eth kol sebebothënu, the congregation shall lick up all our surroundings. An analogous mode of speech still prevails in the East. "A native gentleman, who had many people depending upon him, says, 'Yes, they are all grazing upon me. If I am not careful, they will soon graze up all I have.' Of people who have got all they can out of one rich man, and who are seeking after another, 'Yes, yes, they have done grazing there, and are now looking out for another place.' 'These bulls are grazing in every direction.'"Roberts. The root of the Heb. verb is lâhak, from which our English lick is evidently derived. The import is that of devouring or consuming, as a fire that consumes is said to lick up, 1 Kings 18: 38. Here, however, the metaphor is taken from the feeding of cattle, of which Buffon, in his "Natural History," says, "The horse eats day and night, slowly, but almost continually; the ox or beeve, on the contrary, eats quick, and takes in a little time all the nourishment he wants; after which he ceases to eat, and lies down to chew the cud." The policy of Moab is first to inoculate Midian with his own fear, which he does by assuring him that this mighty host, without some concerted resistance on the part of the exposed nations and tribes, will sweep the whole of them from the face of the ground, with the same ease that the grazing ox causes the grass to disappear in the pasture. The actual conduct of Israel had already effectually disproved the justice of this charge.

was king of the Moabites at the time.

5 He sent messengers, there

e Deut. 23. 4. Josh. 24. 9. Neh. 13. 1, 2. Mic. 6. 5.

They had, of their own accord, turned aside into a circuitous route in order to avoid doing them injury. This forbearance would have delivered them from all apprehension, had not their own malignity prompted them to entertain foul suspicions; for why had not the Israelites made a direct attack upon their territories, but that they designed to obey the divine command and leave them totally unharmed? The representation of Balak, however, takes effect, and the two peoples agree to act together in the emergency which is now upon them.

-T Unto

בלעם .Heb

V. 5. He sent messengers therefore, etc. The despatching the messengers is here attributed solely to Balak, doubtless because he was principal in the affair, but it is evident, from v. 7, that the Midianites shared in the delegation.Balaam the son of Beor. Bilâm, from bâla, to consume, to destroy, and âm, people, equivalent to destroyer of the people. The name was probably borne by Balaam as a dreaded charmer and conjurer, though given to him, we may suppose, according to Oriental custom, at a later period, when the fact indicated by it had become well known. This import of the name is confirmed by Rev. 2:6, 14, 15, where mention is made of the Nicolaitans as holding the same doctrines with the Balaamites, and Nicolaitans is a name signifying etymologically conquerors or destroyers of the people. There is no evidence from Church history of the existence of any such heretical sect as the Nicolaitans, and therefore there need be no hesitation in taking the denomination mystically or symbolically as denoting false teachers of a certain type, just as

fore, unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by

the name of Jezebel occurs, Rev. 2: 20, not as a historical but as a symbolical designation. It is used simply to denote a class of persons who inculcated the most abominable doctrines, and therefore were fitly denominated by the name of a woman who had proved the vilest and most detestable of her sex.

The son of Beor. There would be nothing to call for special remark in regard to the parentage of Balaam, were it not that the apostle Peter, 2 Pet. 2: 15, calls him "Balaam the son of Bosor." This may be explained either on the ground of a transmutation of letters with a view to soften the sound of the original Hebrew letters, of which Ainsworth (in loc.) has given a number of analogous instances; or with Grotius, we may suppose "Bosor" is another mode of writing "Pethor," and that Peter does not intend to say that Balaam was the son of Bosor, but that he was of the city or place "Bosor," inasmuch as the original Gr. phrase is elliptical, "the son" being omitted.- -T To Pethor. Heb. pethorah, having the local particle at the close indicating the direction to which or towards. As the name is beyond question derived from the radical pâthor, to interpret, some of the ancient versions have rendered it by soothsayer, as the Vulg., while the Syriac represents it by expounder or augur. The probability is, that it is the name of a place so called from the fact of its being a chief resort of men devoted to occult arts, or professing to interpret the will of the gods. The precise location of the place is of course unknown to geography, and we are obliged to content ourselves with the bare intimation that it was situated in Mesopotamia.

-T Which is by the river of the land of the children of his people. One is

the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him,

conscious at once of something peculiar in the phraseology of this clause, that prompts the inquiry whether it is accurately translated from the original. Judging from the diversity of renderings, this may be justly doubted. Our version follows, perhaps, the current of authorities, which is always entitled to special weight with an interpreter, though not an absolute criterion of truth. The Hebrew is capable of being translated thus: "He sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor (which is by the river), the land of the children (sons) of his people." The parenthesis is inserted simply to show the connection. "The river" is here emphatic, denoting the Euphrates, which is several times so termed in the Scriptures. The purport on this construction, would be, that Balak sent messengers to Balaam, who resided at Pethor, on the Euphrates, a country distinguished as the dwelling-place of "the children of his people," by which we may perhaps understand the stock of his peculiar kind of people, a class composed of persons similar to himself, i. e., soothsayers and reputed prophets, who were prone to rendezvous and concentrate themselves about particular districts. As this sense of the words has not been previously suggested, the reader will probably share in the hesitation of the author in adopting it. The Vulg. has the following: "He sent therefore messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, a soothsayer, who dwelt by the river of the land of the children of Ammon." This reading depends upon a substitution of the Heb. benë Ammon, children of Ammon, instead of benë ammo, children of his people, for which it is said there is authority in some of the ancient manuscripts, as

also in the Syriac and Samaritan versions. The change is favored by Mr. Kitto (Note in loc.). But our proposed construction renders the reading unnecessary, to which we may add, that there is no evidence of the territory of the Ammonites ever having extended to the Euphrates. Yet that Balaam came from Mesopotamia (Aram), through which runs the Euphrates, is expressly affirmed, ch. 23:7. We are on the whole strongly persuaded of the correctness of the above interpretation.

-¶ To call him, saying, etc. The signal success of the Israelites in conquering all the opposing powers with whom they came in conflict, had impressed the king and people of Moab with the conviction that it was vain to contend with them by force of arms, while they so manifestly enjoyed the blessing and protection of the Divine Power. They must, therefore, have recourse to some other policy than that of open warfare, and they concluded that if, in accordance with the ideas then prevalent among ancient nations, they could lay upon them the anathema or ban of some powerful magician, they might be shorn of their strength, and having become as weak as other men, might be made an easy prey to their adversaries; for even among the heathen there was a latent conviction, that the removal of God's blessing was the exhaustion of the strength and heroism of a people. The general belief on which their policy was founded is thus alluded to by Mr. Kitto: "Their procedure, in seeking to lay the armies of Israel under a curse, that their own arms might be successful against them, is a strange notion to us. But it is not so in the East. Even at the present day, the pagan Orientals, in their wars,

have always their magicians with them to curse their enemies, and to mutter incantations for their destruction. Sometimes they secretly convey a potent charm among the opposing troops, to ensure their destruction. In our own war with the Burmese, the generals of that nation had several magicians with them, who were much engaged in cursing our troops; but as they did not succeed, a number of witches were brought for the same purpose. We may, indeed, trace it as a very ancient opinion, among all people, that the maledictions and the blessings, the charms, the incantations, and the devotements of men, who were believed to be inspired by a superior spirit, good or evil, had the most marked effects not only upon individuals but upon regions and entire nations, and even upon cattle and upon the fruits of the field." In Balaam they were well assured of finding an instrument suited to their purpose, and accordingly they resolve to enlist him in their service. His character will develope itself as the narrative proceeds.¶ Behold they cover. Heb. kissâh, it covereth, the collective people being spoken of as one-a frequent idiom in Hebrew.¶ The face of the earth. Heb. "The eye of the earth.” See the phrase fully explained in the Note on Ex. 10: 5.-¶ They abide over against me. Heb. "He is sitting over against me." The subject is still the "people" spoken of above, which in the original is singular, and, consesequently, the predicates all along are singular, with still a plural import. The various items of grievance here mentioned were intended to form a plea or an argument which should avail with Balaam. By saying that they were a people that had come out of Egypt,