Quotes About Balaam

Balaam in his wrath hardly seems to notice the miraculous gift of speech but responds as though he were accustomed to having daily domestic wrangles with his asses

This was the man, this Balaam, I say, was the man, who desired to die the death of the righteous, and that his last end might be like his; and this was the state of his mind when he pronounced these words.

W. S. Plumer said, "We never see sin aright until we see it as against God.... All sin is against God in this sense: that it is His law that is broken, His authority that is despised, His government that is set at naught.... Pharaoh and Balaam, Saul and Judas each said, `I have sinned'; but the returning prodigal said, `I have sinned against heaven and before thee'; and David said, `Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned.

The Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee?

Truth is truth, whether from the lips of Jesus or Balaam

The message of the story of Balaam as a whole is this: God saves Israel from its enemies but even God cannot save Israel from itself. To be defended by the Holy One, Israel must be holy, and that includes – as Leviticus insists in chapters 18 and 20 – a strict sexual ethic. Lose that and the nation will lose everything.

Balaam's ass is the patron saint of apologists. Madness, as we shall see, is an appropriate term for the unreality of unbelief.

he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.

The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.

“Spend the night here,” Balaam replied, “and I will give you the answer that the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

Then God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”

And Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message:

So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balakís princes, “Go back to your homeland, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”

And the princes of Moab arose, returned to Balak, and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first messengers.

They came to Balaam and said, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ëPlease let nothing hinder you from coming to me,

So in the morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Then Godís anger was kindled because Balaam was going along, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into a field. So Balaam beat her to return her to the path.

And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD and pressed herself against the wall, crushing Balaamís foot against it. So he beat her once again.

When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he became furious and beat her with his staff.

When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory.

So Balaam accompanied Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.

Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he gave portions to Balaam and the princes who were with him.