John Calvin Commentary Numbers 22:5

"And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me." — Numbers 22:5 (ASV)

He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam. This passage shows us, like many others, that the errors in which Satan entangles unbelievers are derived from good principles. The modesty of king Balak appears to be worthy of praise, because, conscious of his own weakness and placing no confidence in human aid, he proceeds to implore the help of God. For this is our only safe refuge: although earthly aids may fail us, still to maintain our courage and to rely upon God, who is all-sufficient in Himself and independent of external means.

To this extent, then, Balak acts rightly, for he seeks nothing more than to conciliate God’s favor, nor places his confidence of victory in anything but God’s good-will; but, when he seeks for God wrongly by indirect ways, he departs far from Him. And this is a common error with all hypocrites and unbelievers: that, while they aspire to God, they wander into their own indirect paths.

Balak desires Divine deliverance from his danger, but the means are of his own devising when he would purchase incantations from a mercenary prophet; thus it is that he binds God and subjects Him to his own inventions. He knows, he says, that the power of blessing and cursing belonged to Balaam; but from where did this persuasion arise, unless,¹⁴² by grasping at the rather empty name of Prophet, he separates God from Himself?

He should first have inquired what the will of God was and have addressed prayer in earnest faith to Him, to propitiate Him; whereas, omitting the main thing, he is satisfied with a mere venal blessing. We gather, therefore, from his anxiety to obtain peace and pardon from God, that there was some seed of religion implanted in his mind. The reverence which he pays to the Prophet is also a sign of his piety. But that he desires to win over God by his own vain inventions is a proof of foolish superstition, and that he seeks to place Him under obligation to himself, of impious pride.¹⁴³

I do not know how it came into the mind of the Chaldee interpreter to suppose that Pether was on the banks of the Euphrates; nor is it probable that Balaam was brought from such a great distance. Nor would his fame have extended from so distant a place to these nations. I am convinced that it is the proper name of a place, because the termination of the word Petorah does not allow it to be an epithet, such as “the soothsayer,” as Jerome has rendered it. Although the country is not specified, it is likely gathered from the context that Balaam was a Midianite; and for this reason I believe the Midianites were sought as allies, so that they might win over their fellow countrymen.

It is a poor exposition of what follows in verse 7, that they had the divinations in their hand,¹⁴⁴ to interpret this as referring to the art of divination, or even that they were accompanied by those who were skilled in the same practice. It is simpler to interpret it as their commission, as if Moses said that the messengers were instructed as to what they sought from Balaam, namely, that he should curse the people of Israel. For it is not absurd to suppose that Moses again repeats what he had related in the preceding verse.

Still, I am not unwilling to accept the view which others take, namely, that they took with them the reward or price of divination. For there have been in all ages hireling prophets who sold their revelations; and since even among the Israelites many impostors thus offered their services for hire, this abuse was very common among them. This is why Saul and his servant hesitated to go to Samuel, because they had no gift at hand to offer him, until the servant replied that he had a quarter of a shekel of silver, as if Samuel offered his prophecies for sale, as was commonly the case (1 Samuel 9:7, 8). Ezekiel, indeed, charges the false prophets with this: that they sold themselves for a trifling bribe.

¹⁴² “Si ce n’est qu’en prenant a la volee le titre vain de Prophete sans son effet, il separe Dieu de soy-mesme, ou le veust couper par pieces?” unless it be that, laying hold at random of the empty title of Prophet without its essence, he separates God from himself, and would cut him in pieces? — Fr..

¹⁴³ “D’un orgueil diabolique; “of diabolical arrogance. — Fr.

¹⁴⁴ A.V. “The rewards of divination;” Ainsworth says, “So Targum Jonathan expoundeth it, “The rewards of divination;” Ainsworth says, “So Targum Jonathan expoundeth it, The fruits of divination sealed in their hand; and thus and thus Besorah, i.e., i.e., good tidings, is used for is used for the reward of good tidings, in in 2 Samuel 4:10.” “Non raro Hebraei rem ponunt pro pretio rei; ut .” “Non raro Hebraei rem ponunt pro pretio rei; ut Exodus 21:10, , humiliatio, i.e., pretium pudicitiae.” — Bonfrerius in Poole.i.e., pretium pudicitiae.” — Bonfrerius in Poole.