the wonderful phenomena which occurred to Balaam on his way to the Plains of Moab:

1. As the relation occurs in an historical book, there is no ground for considering it as occurring in vision, unless it be expressly stated. To this objection it may be replied, that frequent

cases do occur of a like nature in the Old Testament. The authors are so well aware that the customary method by which God reveals himself, is in visions and dreams, and that such exhibitions of himself have all the characteristics of reality, that they do not seem to think it necessary to apprise the reader of the precise method of a given communication. Thus, we are not informed of the particular way in which the command is given to Abraham to offer up his son Isaac, but we infer from the phrase in Gen. 22: 3, " And Abraham rose up early in the morning," that it was by a nightly vision or dream. So in Gen. 21: 12 sq. “ God said unto Abraham let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bond woman."-" And Abraham rose up early in the morning"-" and sent her away with the child." In Gen. 15: 1, it is said that "the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision," and the verses that follow seem to make a part of that vision, and yet in the fifth verse, God is represented as taking him forth and saying to him: "Look now towards heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them." But in the twelfth verse the sun is represented as going down, so that this must have been a vision which, contrary to the usual method, occurred in the middle of the day.1

Similar passages occur also in the New Testament. The voice which came from heaven, in answer to the prayer of Christ, in John 12: 28, 29, seems to have been but partially cognizable by the outward senses; for the people who stood by "said that it thundered, others said, an angel spake to him." The great mass recognized merely a murmuring, only those who were divinely illuminated understood the words. A parallel case is found in Acts 9: 4 sq. where only Paul understood the words spoken, those who were with him merely saw the light and heard a voice. A good illustration of the narrow separation between the external and internal in supernatural communications, is found in 2 Cor. 12: 2-4, where the apostle Paul knew not whether in his rapture to heaven, he was in the body or out of the body, Eïtɛ ¿v owμaτι, οὐκ οἶδα· εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος, οὐκ οἶδα.

1 Compare also Gen. 28: 12 sq. 32: 2. 1 Sam. 3: 1: sq., et cet; and see Hengstenberg, Gesch. Bil. S. 51, 2.

1846.]

Objections to a Vision answered.

365

2. It is also objected, that we cannot draw the line of demarkation between that which was seen in vision, and that which actually occurred before the eyes of all. But as Hengstenberg well says, this appears not to be difficult. So long as the narrative is in the province of ordinary external occurrence, we may suppose that it commemorates external events. There can be no doubt, that Balaam saddled his ass, and taking his two servants with him accompanied the princes of Balak; that he beat, three several times, the animal which had carried him out of the way, crushed his foot against the wall, and fallen down under him. But in reference to those events which may be considered as falling at least as naturally within the province of the internal as the external sense, such as the appearance of the angel with the drawn sword, we must judge by the probabilities in the case, and they, it seems to us, favor the supposition of a subjective communication. Let it not be said that this explanation limits the power of the Almighty. We neither deny nor disbelieve, that God might have actually caused the beast, which furnishes the metaphor for expressing the most inveterate stolidity, to have uttered the words of a rational man, or that he might have placed an angel, visible to mortal eyes, with the veritable appearance of a sword in his hand in the way of Balaam; all that we intend to say is, that the other explanation seems to us more natural and answers all the demands of the case.

3. It is said that " God opened the mouth of the ass," and in 2 Pet. 2: 16, it is asserted that Balaam "was rebuked for his iniquity; the dumb ass, speaking with man's voice, forbad the madness of the prophet." It cannot be denied that, at first view and by themselves, these passages seem to indicate that there was an external communication. But they do not necessarily favor this opinion. They are easily explained upon the supposition that there was a direct communication to Balaam; and as that seems to be the most natural explanation of the whole account, we need not hesitate to give them that interpretation. By the first phrase, then, nothing more seems to be intended than to show the agency of God in the production of these wonderful phenomena, and to give a just representation of them as they passed before the mind of the seer. In the second passage, the apostle speaks first of the rebuke of Balaam and then gives the manner in which it was effected. Now the rebuke is the same, whether God put the sound of words into the mouth of the dumb beast, or into the ears of Balaam, as coming from the beast; and we could

not expect the apostle in the circumstances, to give a detailed account of the manner in which it was effected. He merely wishes to indicate the severity of the rebuke, which consisted in showing that the beast saw what Balaam, although a professed seer, did not behold. And this is accomplished whether the speaking is considered as an objective or subjective occurrence.1

"And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; -now therefore if it displeaseth thee, I will get me back again;" but the angel replied: "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." From these words it seems that it was not the object of these wonderful phenomena to prevent the journey of Balaam, but only to impress upon his mind that he was to speak only that which should be given him to declare by Jehovah. It seems probable that, notwithstanding the command that was made to him before leaving Mesopotamia, he was hastening on with hope of obtaining the rewards promised him. His subsequent history would perhaps warrant us in believing that unless some such warning had been given him, he would have thrown off all remaining restraint, and cursed the chosen people of the God whose prophet he professed to be. His tardiness in receiving the warning is also another indication how much his heart was sef on his own emolument, and how little on doing the will of his master. It is true his curse would not have directly availed anything; but so strong was the belief in the efficacy of such incantations, that it might have discouraged the Israelites and given hope to their enemies. And this would have had the more influence, since he professed to be the servant of Israel's God, and had so vehemently declared, that he could do nothing which Jehovah did not approve. Besides, as it has been said: Voluit [Deus] per os Balaam probare quam efficax et immutabile esset suum consilium de adoptione populi, quo veritus ejus et constantia magis illustraretur.-Calvin in Num. 22: 35.

We are not told in what part of the journey the warning was given; but it is probable, that it was not far from the borders of Moab, so that the vision might be fresh in the remembrance of Balaam when he should stand before the king, and receive his proffers of honor and wealth. In the very next verse after it is

1 For a further discussion of this whole subject of the supernatural communication of God to Balaam, see Hengstenberg, Gesch. Bil. S. 48-65, and Tholuck, Vermischte Schriften S. 410, 411, note.

1846.]

Balaam's Arrival at Kirjath-huzoth.

367

said that "Balaam went with the princes of Balak," we are told that "Balak when he heard that Balaam was come, went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast." It has been before stated that the Amorites had taken possession of the country of the Moabites unto the Arnon; so that a city which had been in the interior of their dominions was now a border city. The Arnon was the dividing line between Moab on the north and the Amorites, and the city here designated was Ar, which is mentioned in Numbers 21: 15, 28, and which, in later times, was called Areopolis. This special honor paid to Balaam by the king, of going out in person to the borders of his country, to welcome him, was undoubtedly shown with a view to conciliate his favor, so as to render him more earnest in cursing this wandering tribe from Egypt. His first salutation to the seer was equally well devised, to persuade him of the royal power and munificence: Did I not send to thee, to call thee? Why did you not come to me? Am I not indeed able to honor you? If Balaam had not received the signal warning by the way, we can hardly suppose that he would have maintained his integrity, when tempted by such alluring prospects. But the angel with the drawn sword was before his eyes, and the miraculous words were sounding in his ears, and he dared not do otherwise than he was commanded. He accordingly replied: "Behold I have come to thee; now can I say anything? word that God puts into my mouth that will I speak."

The

From Ar they passed on in company to Kirjath-huzoth, (Strassburg, the city of streets,) where Balak offered oxen and sheep as a thank offering for Balaam's safe arrival, or more probably as a propitiatory sacrifice to Balaam's God, for the favorable issue of the business on which they were the next day to enter. He also sent of the offerings to Balaam and the princes that were with him, as a further pledge of the honor which he had promised to bestow upon him. Calvin says: Huc tendunt omnia, blanditiis illectum fuisse Balaam, ut eum puderet regi tam magnifico, et à quo non modo amice, sed liberaliter tractatus erat, quisquam negare.

The first Prophecy.

Balak, impatient to know the event of his plan for defeating the Israelites, took Balaam early the next morning after his arri

1 See 21: 26.

2 Gesenius Thesaurus and Hengstenberg, Gesch. Bil. S. 66, 234 sq.

val, and went upon the Bamoth-Baal (heights of Baal), where he could see "the extremities," the whole of the people. This ⚫ place is probably identical with the Bamoth in Chap. 21: 20, and was a spur of the Pisgah mountains, extending into the valley of the field of Moab. There seems to have been two reasons for choosing a high place for the scene of this solemn execration of Israel. First, the curse, it was thought, would be more effectual if uttered with the people in full view; and, secondly, mountains and elevated regions generally were considered, by the ancients, as sacred; since they are nearer to the Heaven, where is the source of all holiness. God has been pleased to make upon mountains some of the most striking exhibitions of himself. On Sinai Jehovah spoke with Moses, and the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, and stood afar off from fear; on Horeb he also passed before the awe stricken prophet in the storm, the earthquake, the flame and "in the still small voice;" on Tabor was the transfiguration of our Saviour, and the appearance of Moses and Elias talking with him. Aaron was called home from the top of mount Hor and Moses after he had caught a glimpse of the promised Land from Nebo, died, and God buried him there in a valley, and no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. The altars of the heathen gods were often placed upon the mountain-tops, and the Israelites are chided by the prophets for nothing more than for their desire to worship on high places. The height upon which Balaam was taken, probably received its name, from its consecration to Baal, but it does not appear to have been chosen, at this time, particularly on that account, but because of its favorable position.

According to Balaam's direction, seven' altars were erected and seven oxen and seven rams were sacrificed to Jehovah. The choice of the same number, seven, for the altars and the offerings before each of the prophecies of Balaam, seems to indicate some imagined appropriateness in this number, to be employed in the worship of Jehovah; and this is abundantly confirmed by its use in other passages of the Bible. The custom of offering sacrifices before undertaking any important work, was prevalent throughout the nations of antiquity.2 Divination especially was accompanied by sacrifices. Diodorus of Sicily says, that the

For the origin and use of seven as a sacred number, see Bähr's Symbol. I. 145 sq., and Hengstenberg, Gesch. Bil. S. 70 sq.

2 See Naegelsbach, Die Homerische Theol. S. 181 sq.