🔢WEB · Numbers 22:5
What does Numbers 22:5 mean?
"He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me."
— Numbers 22:5 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
Moab was very afraid of the people, because they were many. Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.
He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.
Please come now therefore curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.
He said to them, “Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as Yahweh shall speak to me.” The princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
Explanation
Numbers 22:5 introduces a pivotal moment in the story of Israel's wilderness journey. In plain language, the verse tells us that Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers to a man named Balaam, who lived in Pethor near the Euphrates River, in Balaam's homeland. The message was urgent: a massive people had come out of Egypt, so numerous that they seemed to cover the entire landscape, and now this people was camped right across from Moab's territory.
The context is essential for understanding what's happening. The Israelites, having left Egypt and wandered for decades, were now approaching the plains of Moab on their way toward the Promised Land. Balak, the Moabite king, had watched what Israel did to the Amorites (recounted just before this in Numbers 21) and grew terrified. Rather than face Israel in battle, he sought a spiritual solution: hiring Balaam, a renowned diviner or seer from Mesopotamia, to curse Israel. Balaam was not an Israelite but apparently had some reputation for effective blessings and curses that extended even to foreign kings like Balak. The whole episode is narrated by the biblical author (traditionally understood as Moses) to show Israel's story from an outside vantage point — we see how the nations around Israel perceived and feared them.
Theologically, this verse sets the stage for demonstrating God's sovereign protection over Israel, even when Israel itself is unaware of the plots being hatched against it. The very fact that a pagan king felt compelled to hire a diviner rather
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