Balaam

Balaam, son of Beor, is a figure in the Hebrew Bible described as a non-Israelite diviner or prophet from Pethor in Mesopotamia. In the Book of Numbers, Balak, king of Moab, hires him to curse the Israelites as they encamp in the plains near Moab. God forbids him to go, but after Balak’s envoys press the matter, God allows Balaam to go on the condition that he speaks only the words God gives him.

During the journey, Balaam’s donkey thwarted by an angel of the Lord with a drawn sword; after the animal speaks, Balaam’s eyes are opened and he continues to accompany the messengers. The narrative emphasizes that Balaam can only utter what God authorizes.

Balaam delivers a series of oracles in Numbers 23–24 that bless Israel and foretell its security and eventual triumph, rather than curse it. Although Balak grows frustrated, Balaam maintains that he must speak only what God puts in his mouth. Later, Balaam counsels Balak to entice Israel to sin through intermarriage and idol worship, which leads to a plague among the people. He is killed by the Israelites in the ensuing campaign against Midian (Numbers 31:8; Joshua 13:22).

In Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, Balaam is portrayed as a morally complex figure: a skilled diviner whose genuine prophecies acknowledge the God of Israel, yet who is motivated by greed and implicated in leading Israel astray. The narrative has been cited in discussions of prophecy, ethics, and the dangers of religious influence.