Who Was Balaam in the Bible? The Diviner Hired to Curse Israel

Balaam son of Beor was a diviner from Pethor, near the Euphrates River, whom King Balak of Moab hired to curse the Israelites as they camped on the plains of Moab (Numbers 22:1-7). God would not let him curse Israel, and each time he opened his mouth he blessed them instead (Numbers 24:10). He is also remembered for the donkey that spoke to him on the road, and for later advising Moab and Midian to lead Israel into sin (Numbers 31:16). His story is told in Numbers 22-24.

The New Testament mentions Balaam three times, each time as a warning about greed or false teaching (2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14).

Quick Facts About Balaam

Fact	Details
Name meaning	Uncertain; the Bible does not explain the name
Testament	Old Testament, with New Testament references
Key books	Numbers 22-25 and 31; Deuteronomy 23; Joshua 13 and 24
Time period	End of Israel's wilderness years, about 1406 BC (traditional dating)
Hometown	Pethor, near the Euphrates River (Numbers 22:5; Deuteronomy 23:4)
Known for	His talking donkey, blessing Israel instead of cursing it, and leading Israel into sin at Peor

Who Was Balaam in the Bible? Background

Near the end of the forty years in the wilderness, the Israelites under Moses camped on the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho (Numbers 22:1). Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, had seen what Israel did to the Amorites, and his people were terrified (Numbers 22:2-4).

Balak sent messengers to Balaam. He believed that whoever Balaam blessed was blessed and whoever he cursed was cursed (Numbers 22:6). The elders of Moab and Midian brought the fee for divination with them (Numbers 22:7). Joshua 13:22 later identifies Balaam as one "who practiced divination," a practice the Law of Moses forbade in Israel (Deuteronomy 18:10).

God Says No, Then Yes

Balaam asked the messengers to stay the night while he sought the LORD's answer (Numbers 22:8). God told him not to go and not to curse the people, because they were blessed (Numbers 22:12). Balaam sent the officials home (Numbers 22:13).

Balak then sent more officials, more distinguished than the first, and promised to reward Balaam handsomely (Numbers 22:15-17). Balaam said that even if Balak gave him a palace full of silver and gold, he could not go beyond the command of the LORD (Numbers 22:18). Still, he asked the men to stay another night. This time God allowed him to go, but told him to do only what He said (Numbers 22:19-20).

Balaam's Talking Donkey

Balaam saddled his donkey and set out with the officials of Moab. God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him (Numbers 22:21-22). The donkey could see the angel with a drawn sword. Balaam could not.

Three times the donkey avoided the angel:

• It turned off the road into a field, and Balaam beat it (Numbers 22:23).
• It pressed against a vineyard wall and crushed Balaam's foot, and he beat it again (Numbers 22:24-25).
• In a narrow place with no room to turn, it lay down under him, and he beat it with his staff (Numbers 22:26-27).

Then the donkey spoke:

"Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and it said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?'" (Numbers 22:28)

Balaam answered that if he had a sword he would kill it (Numbers 22:29). Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel and bowed facedown (Numbers 22:31). The angel said that Balaam's path was reckless, and that if the donkey had not turned away, he would have killed Balaam and spared the donkey (Numbers 22:32-33). Balaam admitted he had sinned and offered to go back. The angel told him to go on, but to speak only what he was told (Numbers 22:34-35).

Blessings Instead of Curses

Balak met Balaam at the Moabite town on the Arnon border and asked why he had not come sooner (Numbers 22:36-37). Balaam told him he could speak only what God put in his mouth (Numbers 22:38). Over the next days Balak took him to three high places that overlooked the Israelite camp. At each one, Balak built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each (Numbers 23:1-2, 23:14, 23:29-30).

The First Oracle at Bamoth Baal

From Bamoth Baal, Balaam could see the edge of the camp (Numbers 22:41). He asked how he could curse those whom God had not cursed (Numbers 23:8). He described Israel as a people who live apart and are as numerous as dust (Numbers 23:9-10). Balak complained that he had brought Balaam to curse his enemies, and he had blessed them (Numbers 23:11).

The Second Oracle at Pisgah

Balak moved him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, hoping a different view would change the result (Numbers 23:13-14). The second oracle included one of the clearest statements about God's character in the book of Numbers:

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19)

Balaam said he had received a command to bless, and he could not change it (Numbers 23:20).

The Third Oracle at Peor

Balak then took him to the top of Peor (Numbers 23:28). This time Balaam did not resort to divination as at other times. The Spirit of God came on him, and he described the beauty of Israel's tents (Numbers 24:1-5). He ended with words that echo God's promise to Abraham: those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed (Numbers 24:9; Genesis 12:3).

Balak struck his hands together in anger and told Balaam to go home without his reward (Numbers 24:10-11).

The Star Out of Jacob

Before leaving, Balaam gave a final oracle about what Israel would do to Moab in days to come (Numbers 24:14):

"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel." (Numbers 24:17)

The oracle goes on to describe this ruler crushing Moab and Edom (Numbers 24:17-19). "Jacob" here refers to the nation descended from the patriarch Jacob. Christian interpreters have long read the passage as pointing to the Messiah. Linking it to the star seen by the Magi (Matthew 2:2) is an interpretation, since Matthew does not cite Numbers 24.

Balaam's Advice and Death

Numbers 24 ends with Balaam going home (Numbers 24:25). The next chapter records that Israelite men began to commit sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. Israel yoked itself to the Baal of Peor, and a plague followed (Numbers 25:1-3, 25:9).

Numbers 25 does not name Balaam. A later passage does. After the war against Midian, Moses said the Midianite women had followed Balaam's advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD in the Peor incident (Numbers 31:16). In the same war, the Israelites killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword (Numbers 31:8). Joshua's account of the conquest also records his death (Joshua 13:22).

What the Rest of the Bible Says About Balaam

Later writers return to Balaam several times:

• Deuteronomy 23:4-5: Moab hired Balaam, but the LORD would not listen to him and turned the curse into a blessing.
• Joshua 24:9-10: Joshua reminds Israel that God would not listen to Balaam and so he blessed them again and again.
• Nehemiah 13:1-3: Nehemiah's generation read this law aloud and separated from foreign peoples.
• Micah 6:5: The prophet tells Israel to remember what Balak plotted and how Balaam answered.
• 2 Peter 2:15-16: Peter compares false teachers to Balaam, who loved the wages of wickedness and was rebuked by a donkey.
• Jude 11: False teachers rush for profit into Balaam's error.
• Revelation 2:14: Some in the church at Pergamum held to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice Israel to eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.

Key Lessons From Balaam's Life

• God's word cannot be bought. Balak offered rewards, but Balaam could only speak what God gave him (Numbers 22:18; 23:20).
• God protects His promises. The curse Balak paid for became a blessing (Deuteronomy 23:5).
• Right words do not guarantee a right heart. Balaam spoke true oracles, yet Scripture remembers him for loving wages and leading Israel into sin (2 Peter 2:15; Numbers 31:16).
• Persistence after a clear answer is dangerous. God had already said no, and Balaam still asked again (Numbers 22:12, 22:19).

Where Balaam Appears in the Bible

• Numbers 22-24 and 31:8, 31:16
• Deuteronomy 23:4-5
• Joshua 13:22; 24:9-10
• Nehemiah 13:2
• Micah 6:5
• 2 Peter 2:15-16; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14

Numbers is the fourth of the five books of Moses in the order of the books of the Bible. Balaam's donkey makes a useful clue in Bible riddles, and names such as Beor, Pethor and Bamoth Baal suit hard Bible trivia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Balaam in the Bible?

Balaam son of Beor was a diviner from Pethor whom King Balak of Moab hired to curse Israel (Numbers 22:5-7). God made him bless Israel instead, and he later advised the Midianites on how to lead Israel into sin (Numbers 31:16).

Did Balaam's donkey really talk?

Numbers 22:28 says the LORD opened the donkey's mouth and it spoke to Balaam. Peter treats the event as history, saying the donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness (2 Peter 2:16).

Was Balaam a true prophet?

God spoke to Balaam and gave him true oracles about Israel (Numbers 23:5; 24:2). However, Scripture also calls him a diviner and condemns his love of money and his role in Israel's sin (Joshua 13:22; 2 Peter 2:15; Revelation 2:14).

How did Balaam die?

The Israelites killed Balaam with the sword during their war against Midian, along with the five kings of Midian (Numbers 31:8).

What is the "teaching of Balaam" in Revelation?

Revelation 2:14 says Balaam taught Balak to entice the Israelites to eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. Jesus rebuked the church in Pergamum for tolerating people who held to this teaching.