And he took up his parable, and said
Pronounced the word, the prophetic word, which God had put into
his mouth; so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call it, the
parable of his prophecy; so called, because, in prophecies, often
figurative and enigmatical expressions are used, and also
sententious and weighty ones, either of which are sometimes
called parables; see ( Psalms 78:2 ) (
Job 27:1 ) (
29:1 ) ( Proverbs 1:6
) ,
Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from
Aram;
or Syria, that is, from Mesopotamia, as the Septuagint translate
it; and so the Targum of Jonathan, from Aram or Syria, which is
by Euphrates:
out of the mountains of the east:
it being the mountainous part of Mesopotamia or Chaldea, where
Balaam dwelt, which lay to the east of the land of Moab:
saying, come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy
Israel;
he owns that this was Balak's view in sending for him; nor does
he deny that be himself came with such an intention, could he be
able to execute it; even curse the people of Israel, with the
utmost abhorrence and detestation of them, and in the most
furious and wrathful manner, as the last word used signifies.