Numbers 22

Comments
Many modern biblical scholars believe that the Torah written in Classical Hebrew) reached its present form after 520 BC, may include priestly redactions and additions concerning Midianite women and Phinehas' priesthood and the Moabites based on earlier written and oral traditions and political elements at the time. There may be more of an error concerning our interpretation of the Israelite men's fraternization with Moabite women by having sex with them which may be a reference to national adultery and worshipping their gods and idolatry including Baal (Numbers 25:1–3). This led to the questionable instruction by Moses to the judges of Israel (Numbers 25:3–5) to slay^[1] all Israelite men who had done this.
When Israel was in Shittim they commit whoredom^[2] with the daughters of Moab. Micah 6:5 mentions this event associating it with the error of Balaam to make a distinction between the wages of unrighteousness and the righteousness of the LORD.





Questions




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1 ¶ And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.

3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?

10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,

11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.

12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.

14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.

15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.

16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:

17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.

19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.

20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.

23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:

33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.

35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast.

37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?

38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.

39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth.

40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

↑
02026 הָרַג‎ harag [haw-rag’] a primitive root HeyReishGimel; v; [BDB-246b] [{See TWOT on 514 }] AV-slay 100, kill 24, kill … 3, murderer 2, destroyed 1, murder 1, out of hand 1, made 1, put 1, slain 31, slayer 1, surely 1; 167
1) to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to kill, slay

1a2) to destroy, ruin

1b) (Niphal) to be killed

1c) (Pual) to be killed, be slain
- ה Hey Expression, Thought, Speech, Action. Manifest seeds of thought and life. [Emphasize, jubilation, window, fence] (Numeric value: 5)
- ר Reish Process of Clarification The "head" or "beginning". Life's revelation. [Head... Person head highest] (Numeric value: 200)
- ג Gimel Reward and Punish, Cause and effect, 'justified repayment'. Do to others as they should do. Written like a Vav with a Yod as a "foot". Camel, [throwstick, pride, to lift up] (Numeric value: 3)
- Root words often include other letters which can alter their meaning. The letter Vav appears in the beginning of numerous times which may suggest that someone is separated as if dead rather than slay as in massacre (See stoning).
↑
02181 זָנָה‎ ZayinNunHey zanah [zaw-naw’] a primitive root [highly-fed and therefore wanton]; v; [BDB-275b] [{See TWOT on 563 }] AV- … harlot 36, go a whoring 19, … whoredom 15, whore 11, commit fornication 3, whorish 3, harlot + 0802 2, commit 1, continually 1, great 1, whore’s + 0802 1; 93
1) to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be a harlot, act as a harlot, commit fornication

1a2) to commit adultery

1a3) to be a cult prostitute

1a4) to be unfaithful (to God) (fig.)

1b) (Pual) to play the harlot

1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to commit adultery

1c2) to force into prostitution

1c3) to commit fornication
- We can see the idea of national adultery or the use of force when the Tav related to faith or Lamed (hand) or Vav (separation or union) is included with or adjacent to the ZayinNunHey
- In Isaiah 23:17 we see wə·zā·nə·ṯāh וְזָֽנְתָ֛ה VavZayinNunTavHey which references Tyre and "her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms".
In Isaiah 23:17 we see the Hebrew: וְשָׁבָ֖ה לְאֶתְנַנָּ֑ה וְזָֽנְתָ֛ה אֶת־ כָּל־

where the word ethnan (0868) containing the root אֶתְנַ AlefTavNun is seen as לְאֶתְנַנָּ֑ה translated to her hire
- In Hosea 9:1 we see zā·nî·ṯā ZayinNunYodTav זָנִ֖יתָ Translated in
NAS: "like the nations! For you have played the harlot, forsaking"

KJV: "as [other] people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God,"
- We see לִזְנ֖וֹת LamedZayinNunVavTav liz·nō·wṯ in Leviticus 20:5-6 and Leviticus 21:9 along with Numbers 25:1 and Deuteronomy 22:21. We see lə·haz·nō·w·ṯāh לְהַזְנוֹתָ֑הּ LamedHeyZayinNunVavTavHey in Leviticus 19:29

[1] 02026 הָרַג‎ harag [haw-rag’] a primitive root HeyReishGimel; v; [BDB-246b] [{See TWOT on 514 }] AV-slay 100, kill 24, kill … 3, murderer 2, destroyed 1, murder 1, out of hand 1, made 1, put 1, slain 31, slayer 1, surely 1; 167
1) to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to kill, slay

1a2) to destroy, ruin

1b) (Niphal) to be killed

1c) (Pual) to be killed, be slain

ה Hey Expression, Thought, Speech, Action. Manifest seeds of thought and life. [Emphasize, jubilation, window, fence] (Numeric value: 5)

ר Reish Process of Clarification The "head" or "beginning". Life's revelation. [Head... Person head highest] (Numeric value: 200)

ג Gimel Reward and Punish, Cause and effect, 'justified repayment'. Do to others as they should do. Written like a Vav with a Yod as a "foot". Camel, [throwstick, pride, to lift up] (Numeric value: 3)

Root words often include other letters which can alter their meaning. The letter Vav appears in the beginning of numerous times which may suggest that someone is separated as if dead rather than slay as in massacre (See stoning).

[2] ה Hey Expression, Thought, Speech, Action. Manifest seeds of thought and life. [Emphasize, jubilation, window, fence] (Numeric value: 5)

[3] ר Reish Process of Clarification The "head" or "beginning". Life's revelation. [Head... Person head highest] (Numeric value: 200)

[4] ג Gimel Reward and Punish, Cause and effect, 'justified repayment'. Do to others as they should do. Written like a Vav with a Yod as a "foot". Camel, [throwstick, pride, to lift up] (Numeric value: 3)

[5] Root words often include other letters which can alter their meaning. The letter Vav appears in the beginning of numerous times which may suggest that someone is separated as if dead rather than slay as in massacre (See stoning).

[harlot-2] 02181 זָנָה‎ ZayinNunHey zanah [zaw-naw’] a primitive root [highly-fed and therefore wanton]; v; [BDB-275b] [{See TWOT on 563 }] AV- … harlot 36, go a whoring 19, … whoredom 15, whore 11, commit fornication 3, whorish 3, harlot + 0802 2, commit 1, continually 1, great 1, whore’s + 0802 1; 93
1) to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be a harlot, act as a harlot, commit fornication

1a2) to commit adultery

1a3) to be a cult prostitute

1a4) to be unfaithful (to God) (fig.)

1b) (Pual) to play the harlot

1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to commit adultery

1c2) to force into prostitution

1c3) to commit fornication

We can see the idea of national adultery or the use of force when the Tav related to faith or Lamed (hand) or Vav (separation or union) is included with or adjacent to the ZayinNunHey

In Isaiah 23:17 we see wə·zā·nə·ṯāh וְזָֽנְתָ֛ה VavZayinNunTavHey which references Tyre and "her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms".

In Isaiah 23:17 we see the Hebrew: וְשָׁבָ֖ה לְאֶתְנַנָּ֑ה וְזָֽנְתָ֛ה אֶת־ כָּל־

where the word ethnan (0868) containing the root אֶתְנַ AlefTavNun is seen as לְאֶתְנַנָּ֑ה translated to her hire

In Hosea 9:1 we see zā·nî·ṯā ZayinNunYodTav זָנִ֖יתָ Translated in

NAS: "like the nations! For you have played the harlot, forsaking"

KJV: "as [other] people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God,"

We see לִזְנ֖וֹת LamedZayinNunVavTav liz·nō·wṯ in Leviticus 20:5-6 and Leviticus 21:9 along with Numbers 25:1 and Deuteronomy 22:21. We see lə·haz·nō·w·ṯāh לְהַזְנוֹתָ֑הּ LamedHeyZayinNunVavTavHey in Leviticus 19:29

[7] We can see the idea of national adultery or the use of force when the Tav related to faith or Lamed (hand) or Vav (separation or union) is included with or adjacent to the ZayinNunHey

[8] In Isaiah 23:17 we see wə·zā·nə·ṯāh וְזָֽנְתָ֛ה VavZayinNunTavHey which references Tyre and "her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms".

[9] In Hosea 9:1 we see zā·nî·ṯā ZayinNunYodTav זָנִ֖יתָ Translated in

[10] We see לִזְנ֖וֹת LamedZayinNunVavTav liz·nō·wṯ in Leviticus 20:5-6 and Leviticus 21:9 along with Numbers 25:1 and Deuteronomy 22:21. We see lə·haz·nō·w·ṯāh לְהַזְנוֹתָ֑הּ LamedHeyZayinNunVavTavHey in Leviticus 19:29

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Numbers 22

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