🔢WEB · Numbers 22:7
What does Numbers 22:7 mean?
"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."
— Numbers 22:7 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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.
God came to Balaam, and said, “Who are these men with you?”
Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has said to me,
Explanation
Numbers 22:7 sits within the strange and fascinating story of Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites as they journeyed toward the Promised Land. This particular verse describes the moment when the elders of Moab, joined by the elders of Midian, arrive at Balaam's home carrying payment for divination, ready to deliver Balak's message and request. In plain language, the verse simply states that these dignitaries came bearing fees for Balaam's services and relayed exactly what King Balak wanted from him — namely, to come and pronounce a curse on the people of Israel who were camped on Moab's border.
The book of Numbers is traditionally attributed to Moses, written to document Israel's journey from Egypt through the wilderness to the edge of Canaan. This section (Numbers 22–24) is often called the "Balaam narrative" and is unusual because it shifts focus away from Israel's camp to show events from the perspective of Moab and its hired prophet. Balak, the Moabite king, had watched Israel defeat the Amorites and grew terrified that his own kingdom would be next. Since military resistance seemed hopeless, he turned to supernatural means, seeking out Balaam, a diviner with a reputation extending beyond Israel's borders, known even in Mesopotamia (the region from which messengers were sent, as mentioned in verse 5). The "rewards
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