Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Peter 2:15

"forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing;" — 2 Peter 2:15 (ASV)

Which have forsaken the right way. The straight path of honesty and integrity. Religion is often represented as a straight path, and to do wrong is to go out of that path in a crooked way.

Following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor. See Numbers 22:5 and following. In the Book of Numbers, Balaam is called the son of Beor. Perhaps the name Beor was corrupted into Bosor; or, as Rosenmuller suggests, the father of Balaam may have had two names. Schleusner (Lexicon) supposes that it was changed by the Greeks because it was more easily pronounced. The Seventy, however, read it bewr—Beor. The meaning here is that they imitated Balaam. The particular point of imitation to which Peter refers seems to have been the love of gain, or covetousness. Possibly, however, he might have designed to refer to a more general resemblance, for in fact they imitated him in the following things:

1. In being professed religious teachers, or the servants of God;

2. In their covetousness;

3. In inducing others to sin, referring to the same kind of sins in both cases. Balaam counseled the Moabites to entice the children of Israel to illicit relations with their women, thus introducing licentiousness into the camp of the Hebrews (Numbers 31:16). In like manner, these teachers led others into licentiousness, thus corrupting the church.

Who loved the wages of unrighteousness. He was supremely influenced by the love of gain and was capable of being employed, for a price, in a wicked design, thus prostituting his high office as a professed prophet of the Most High to base and ignoble ends.

There can be no doubt that Balaam, though he professed to be influenced by a supreme regard to the will of God (Numbers 22:18, 38), was really influenced by the desire of reward. He was willing to prostitute his great office to secure such a reward. This is evident from the following points:

1. The elders of Moab and of Midian came to Balaam with the rewards of divination in their hand (Numbers 22:7), and with promises from Balak of promoting him to great honor if he would curse the children of Israel (Numbers 22:17).

2. Balaam was disposed to go with them and was restrained from going at once only by a direct and solemn prohibition from the Lord (Numbers 22:11).

3. Notwithstanding this solemn prohibition, and notwithstanding he said to the ambassadors from Balak that he would do only as God directed, though Balak should give him his house full of silver and gold (Numbers 22:18), yet he did not regard the matter as settled. He proposed to them that they should wait another night, with the hope that the Lord would give a more favorable direction to their request, thus showing that his heart was in the service they required and that his inclination was to avail himself of their offer (Numbers 22:19).

4. When he did obtain permission to go, it was only to say what the Lord should direct him to say (Numbers 22:20); but he went with a perverse heart, with a secret wish to comply with the desire of Balak, and with a knowledge that he was doing wrong (Numbers 22:34). He was restrained from uttering the curse which Balak desired only by an influence from above which he could not control. Balaam was undoubtedly a wicked man and was constrained by a power from on high to utter sentiments which God meant should be uttered, but which Balaam would never have expressed of his own accord.