Balaam

Technical Profile

• Name Meaning: Hebrew Bilʿām (בִּלְעָם), commonly understood as “not of the people,” marking him as an outsider to Israel.
• Period/Era: Patriarchal Period (Israel’s wilderness journey before settlement).
• Main References: Numbers 22–24; Numbers 31:8, 16; Deuteronomy 23:4–5; Joshua 13:22.
• Key Connections: Balak king of Moab; Israel under Moses; Midianite and Moabite leaders.

Who was Balaam?

Balaam was a foreign diviner from Pethor near the Euphrates who was consulted for blessings and curses (Num. 22:5–7).
Balak hired him to curse Israel as they approached Moab, but God restrained him and redirected his speech (Num. 23:7–12).
He delivered oracles that publicly affirmed Israel’s blessed status and future prominence among the nations (Num. 24:5–9).
He later appears among Israel’s enemies and is remembered for counsel that contributed to Israel’s compromise at Peor (Num. 31:8, 16).

Key Events & Achievements

• Event 1: Summoned by Balak and warned that he could speak only what God permitted (Num. 22:12, 20).
• Event 2: Delivered four major oracles that turned intended curses into blessings over Israel (Num. 23:7–10; 23:18–24; 24:3–9; 24:15–19).
• Event 3: Killed during Israel’s campaign against Midian after the Peor incident (Num. 31:8).

Life Lesson & Legacy

Balaam’s account shows that Israel’s blessing could not be overturned by hired divination and that speech about God can coexist with actions hostile to his purposes.

Key Verse

"God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" — Numbers 23:19, ESV