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		Living in Exile     Balak   (Num 22:1 - 25:9)

B'Midbar/Numbers 23:8   How can I curse? G-d has not cursed. And how can I be angry? The L-rd is not angry.

View whole verse and interlinear translation ...

Balaam's four oracles - spanning chapters 23-24 of Numbers - are couched in some of the earliest biblical Hebrew found in Tanakh. Along with Ya'akov's last words to his sons (B'resheet 49:1-27), the Song at the Sea (Shemot 15:1-18) and the Song of Moshe (D'varim 32:1-43), this is known as Archaic Biblical Hebrew. They are all characterised by unusual spelling, abbreviated grammar and eclectic vocabulary choices. Gordon Wenham, based on the original work of Albright published in 1944,¹ asserts that "the archaic Hebrew spelling of these poems and their metre prove the early date of their composition."² Unusual spelling appears in the verb קַבֹּה, a Qal 3ms affix form of the geminate root קבב, that we would have expected to appear as קָבַב and we can see abbreviated grammar, here probably missing words, by comparing our translation above with a typical modern English translation - "How can I curse whom G-d has not cursed? How can I be angry with whom the L-RD has not been angry?". The translators have added the word 'whom' to connect the two phrases in each half of the verse, rather than two short stand-alone sentences.

In this particular case, our text is also a well-known example of synonymous parallelism. Who Is ...

Abraham Ibn Ezra: (1089-1167 CE), born in Tudela, Spain; died in the South of France after wandering all around the shores of the Mediterranean and England; a philosopher, astronomer, doctor, poet and linguist; wrote a Hebrew grammar and a commentary on the Bible
Ibn Ezra explains this means that "the idea is repeated according to the practice by which one idea is spoken twice in different words." Our text contains two lines that are synonymous - they express the same idea in two different sets of words: "How can I XXX? G-d has not XXX." Saying it twice adds both emphasis - as Thomas Dozeman comments, "Balaam cannot curse a people whom G-d has not cursed"³ - and a hook for memory. Allowing for addition of a vav-conjunction at the start of the second line, the structure of the two lines is identical: interrogative particle, 1cs prefix form verb, negative particle, 3ms affix form verb, divine name. Identical cantillation marks - munach, zaqef katan, mercha, tipcha, atnach/sof-pasuk - mean that both lines will be sung to exactly the same tune except for the end-of-verse fragment. There is a word play in the sound of the first verb - ekov - that sounds like the name Ya'akov, to bring the Israelites - specifically named in verses 7 and 10 - into the verse without using another word.

Now let's have a look at the vocabulary choices in the text. In the first line, the first verb, אֶקֹּב, comes from the root נקב, with the first nun elided into the second letter so the sound ekov alliterates with the second verb קַבֹּה. נקב has the normal meaning "to pierce, bore",⁴ although Davidson and most English translations offer 'curse'; NJPS render it as 'damn'. That second verb קבב only has the meaning "to curse".⁵ In the second line both verbs come from the same root, זעם, "to be angry, indignant; to curse, denounce"⁶; here the repeated verb emphasises the "how can I ... when G-d hasn't ..." meaning. All the verbs are only infrequently used in Tanakh: נקב, 20 times; קבב 16 times; זעם 14 times. This will cause an audience to take notice not only of the unusual words themselves, but the density of such words in one verse. Jacob Milgrom reports that the first divine name אֵל, at the end of the first line, is the name of G-d used by the patriarchs; we can see this when Ya'akov names the place where he had his night vision of HaShem בֵית־אֵל, Bethel, the house of G-d.

Given that these are presented as prophetic words directly inspired by The Name ...

HaShem: literally, Hebrew for 'The Name' - an allusion used to avoid pronouncing the Tetragrammaton, the so-called 'ineffable' name of G–d
HaShem, what are we to make of their larger meaning? What is Balaam voicing for HaShem? We know already that it is not HaShem's will that Israel should be cursed; when Balak's messengers first come to ask Balaam to come and curse Israel, HaShem tells Balaam, "לֹא תָאֹר You must not curse that people, for they are blessed" (B'Midbar 22:12, NJPS), using the negative particle לֹא "not, never" rather the more common אַל "not now". Both HaShem and Balaam are very consistent about that; Balaam will repeat the idea in his second oracle: "My message was to bless: When He blesses, I cannot reverse it" (23:20, NJPS). Balaam knows that however much he might want to - so as to collect his fee for cursing Israel - he cannot undo, take back or reverse what HaShem has done.

Rabbi Who Is ...

Hirsch: Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888 CE), German rabbi, author and educator; staunch opponent of the Reform movement in Germany and one of the fathers of Orthodox Judaism
Hirsch paraphrases Balaam's words to say, "[Israel] must first have lost its virility by G-d's curse before my word can affect it in any way." Unless HaShem speaks first, Balaam's words will be of no use. The prophet Amos, sent to speak to the northern kingdom of Israel around the year 762 BCE during the reign of king Jeroboam son of Joash, tells the people quite bluntly, "Indeed, my L-rd G-D does nothing without having revealed His purpose To His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7, NJPS). Things don't just happen unless HaShem has done it: "Can misfortune come to a town If the L-RD has not caused it?" (v. 6, NJPS). Amos knows that HaShem has both acted and spoken, so he - in turn - must speak out: "A lion has roared, who can but fear? My L-rd G-D has spoken, who can but prophesy?" (v. 8, NJPS). Balaam too knows only too well that HaShem has commanded him not to curse Israel, so despite Balak's fervent attempts to extract a curse, he has to affirm that HaShem has forbidden him to make a curse and instead - to Balak's intense annoyance - he echoes HaShem's many words of blessing.

Believers in Yeshua often find themselves in the same position as Balaam: being urged to do what someone else - frequently, it seems, almost everyone else - wants them to do when they know perfectly well that it is not in accordance with G-d's will. Sometimes the matter is simple; your fellow students want you to come out on the town with them and get drunk, while you know that Rav Sha'ul tells you, "do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery" (Ephesians 5:18, ESV), adding that drunkenness is a work of the flesh so that "that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of G-d" (Galatians 5:21, ESV). Other times, the matter is more complex or is a question of personal obedience to Yeshua, something the Spirit has told you: don't go there, don't read that. Whichever way it comes, the pressure can be strong and applied in very emotionally terms. Nevertheless, Scripture is clear that "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. G-d is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV). So that's alright. Hard work, yes, but possible. We don't have to sin!

Ask the question another way. As exiles, are we obliged to agree with the majority and approve all the normal social practices of the world around us? Do we have subscribe to all the latest social trends in order to respect people and provide the affirmation they seek for their often profoundly non-biblical desires and lifestyle choices? The Torah is quite clear: "You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice" (Shemot 23:2, ESV). The Holman Christian Standard Bible says, "Never follow a crowd in doing wrong." The NCV has, "You must not do wrong just because everyone else is doing it." We follow Yeshua, not the world, so by definition we will have different values and standards: the values of the kingdom of G-d: truth, life, righteousness and justice. Sooner or later we will bump up against the world and have to make a choice over what we do and say. Warning His disciples about the cost of discipleship - of following Him - Yeshua was blunt: "No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of G-d" (Luke 9:62, ESV).

When Gamaliel II directed Samuel ha-Katan to add the nineteenth blessing to the What Is ...

The Amidah: also known as Shemoneh Esrei - the Eighteen Blessings (although there are actually nineteen stanzas), this is one of the central prayers in each of the prayer services; Amidah means "standing", so it is also known as the Standing Prayer (for which everyone in the synagogue stands) or simply "The Prayer"; it is shortened on Shabbat and the festivals to exclude stanzas of petition
Amidah (now the twelfth paragraph) speaking against informers and heretics, principally the followers of Yeshua, in the days following the destruction of the Second Temple (m. Berachot 4:3) - "For the slanderers let there be no hope and may all wickedness perish ..." (Authorised Daily Prayer, pages 86-87) - the Jewish believers in those days had to make a choice: would they join the rest of the congregation and curse themselves and all the brethren or would they keep silent and hope to remain unnoticed? Most chose not only to protest but were also put out of the synagogue, remembering Yeshua's words: "Whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26, ESV). They did but follow Balaam's example: "How can I curse? G-d has not cursed." On the contrary, G-d has blessed the followers of Yeshua with unbelievable blessing, seating them already "in the heavenly places in Yeshua" (Ephesians 2:6). As Yeshua explains, "Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24, ESV). How much of a blessing is that!

As exiles and therefore always under the critical eye of our surrounding culture, we must be particularly careful in our words and actions to scrupulously follow the example of Yeshua and daily guidance of the Spirit. We must not judge or dishonour what Yeshua has not judged; we dare not criticise or rebuke people that the Spirit has not told us to criticise. More positively, we show grace to those to whom Yeshua shows grace, we must demonstrate love to those G-d loves. We must exceed the reluctance obedience and acquiescence of Balaam; we must find joy in modelling Yeshua and the kingdom of G-d before the world. That's a tough call, but Yeshua showed us how and has promised never to leave us. It can be done!

1. - W. F. Albright, "The Oracles of Balaam", JBL, 63, 1944, pages 207-233.

2. - Gordon J. Wenham, Numbers, TOTC, (Nottingham, IVP, 1981), page 194.

3. - Thomas B. Dozeman, "Numbers" in The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary Vol I, edited by Leander E. Keck, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015), page 790.

4. - David J. A. Clines (ed.) The Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2009), page 282.

5. - Clines, page 386.

6. - Clines, page 102.

Further Study: Job 34:23-29; Isaiah 44:24-26; Philippians 3:12-16

Application: Do you struggle when people's behaviour and language fall short of the values of the kingdom? Listen hard and ask Yeshua what He wants to say and be guided by the still, small voice, "the sound of a low whisper" (1 Kings 19:12) rather than unleashing the earthquake, fire and whirlwind. Say what He tells you and stand back to see a miracle as the Spirit changes everything around you.

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© Jonathan Allen, 2025

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