Numbers 22:15-25

15 Once again Balak sent officials, more numerous and more distinguished than these.

16 They came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak son of Zippor: "Do not let anything hinder you from coming to me;

17 for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do; come, curse this people for me.' "

18 But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, "Although Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God, to do less or more.

19 You remain here, as the others did, so that I may learn what more the Lord may say to me."

20 That night God came to Balaam and said to him, "If the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only what I tell you to do."

21 So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the officials of Moab.

22 God's anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the road as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.

23 The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back onto the road.

24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side.

25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck it again.

Numbers 22:15-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 22

The children of Israel being come into the plains of Moab, put the king of Moab into a panic, who expressed his fears to the elders of Midian, Nu 22:1-4 and sent for Balaam the soothsayer to curse the people of Israel, but he, upon consulting the Lord refused to come, Nu 22:5-14, on which the king of Moab sent to him a second time, making large promises of preferment to him, and who at this time got leave from the Lord to go with the messengers, Nu 22:15-21, but was met with in the way by an angel of the Lord, who would have slain him had it not been for his ass, of which a very wonderful revelation is given, Nu 22:22-35, and the chapter is closed with the interview between Balak king of Moab and Balaam, and an account of what passed between them, and what was done by them, Nu 22:36-41.