to rise (in various applications · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
morning
בַּבֹּ֔קֶרba.Bo.ker
H1242
properly · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
saddled
וַֽיַּחֲבֹ֖שׁvai.ya.cha.Vosh
H2280
to wrap firmly (especially a turban · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
ass
אֲתֹנ֑וֹ'a.to.No
H860
a female donkey (from its docility) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
went
יָלַךְyâlak
H3212
to walk (literally or figuratively)
princes
שָׂרֵ֥יsa.Rei
H8269
a head person (of any rank or class) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Moab
מוֹאָֽבmo.'Av
H4124
Moab · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Proverbs 1:15-16 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:15-21
We have here a second embassy sent to Balaam, to fetch him over to curse Israel. It were well for us if we were as earnest and constant in prosecuting a good work, notwithstanding disappointments, as Balak was in pursuing this ill design. The enemies of the church are restless and unwearied in their attempts against it; but he that sits in heaven laughs at them. Observe,
I. The temptation Balak laid before Balaam. He contrived to make this assault more vigorous than the former. It is very probable that he sent double money in the hands of his messengers; but, besides that, now he tempted him with honours, laid a bait not only for his covetousness, but for his pride and ambition. How earnestl…
THE JOURNEY. (Num. 22:21-41)
Balaam . . . saddled his ass--probably one of the white sprightly animals which persons of rank were accustomed to ride. The saddle, as usually in the East, would be nothing more than a pad or his outer cloak.
John Gill on Numbers 22:21
And Balaam rose up in the morning,.... Early, not waiting for the call of the princes, which showed how eager he was to be gone, and how intent upon the journey:
and saddled his ass; which, if he did himself, as Jarchi suggests, this is a further proof of the haste he was in; though, as he had two servants with him, it is more likely that they did it by his order: the same is said of Abraham, Genesis 22:3, it was usual for persons of note and figure, in those times and countries, to ride on asses, Judges 5:10 and went with the princes of Moab; in company with them, and with as good a will as they, his heart and theirs being alike, as Jarchi notes; though it seems by what follows that by som…
And God came to Balaam at, night. Although God is far from being deceitful, still hypocrites with their quibbles deserve that He should delude their craft. If we more closely consider the desire of Balaam, it was that God should belie Himself. For, if he was persuaded that He was truthful, what else was there to be hoped except that he should ratify His reply ten times over? Nevertheless, he wickedly lies to God, when he asks for a permission to go, which would convict God Himself of capriciousness and inconstancy. God, therefore, ironically permits what He had before forbidden. If any should deem it to be absurd that God, who is truth itself, should speak deceptively, the answer is easily f…
The Church Fathers
But let us return to the subject. Balaam is troublesome to God and almost extorts that it be permitted him to go to curse the sons of Israel and to invoke the demons, to whom God had already come. He mounts the donkey; there meets him the angel who kept watch on behalf of Israel, concerning whom it is written, the Lord saying to Moses: "my angel will go with you." To him, then, pressing on to go, it is granted; on the way he is crushed by the donkey; but the magician sees the demons, he does not see the angel; the donkey, however, sees it. Not because she was worthy to see the angel, just as neither was she worthy to speak, but so that Balaam might be confuted and, as Scripture says in a certain place, a mute animal, answering with human voice, might rebuke the madness of the prophet. But since many things have now been said concerning the history, let us touch also on some things concerning the allegory at the end. If you see the contrary power assailing the people of God, you understand who it is that sits upon the donkey; and if you consider men, how they are cast headlong by demons, you understand what the donkey is. For thus in the Gospel too you will understand Jesus sending his disciples to the donkey, which was tied, and to its colt, that the disciples may loose her and lead her, that he himself may sit upon her. And perhaps this donkey—that is, the Church—formerly bore Balaam, but now Christ, from the time when she was loosed by the disciples and, released from the bonds by which she had been bound, that the Son of God might sit upon her and with her might enter into the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "rejoice, daughter of Zion; proclaim, daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your king comes to you, meek and sitting upon a beast of burden." By the beast of burden—that is, the donkey—he means, without doubt, those who believe from among the Jews, and by the young colt those, surely, who from among the nations believe in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Ass — Frequently mentioned throughout Scripture. Of the domesticated species we read of, (1.) The she ass (Heb. ‘athon), so named from its slowness (Gen. 12:16; 45:23; Num. 22:23; 1 Sam. 9:3). (2.) The…
Ass (Donkey) · .Used for riding — .Used for riding
Ass, The Domestic · Was used: For riding — Was used: For riding
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Balaam not permitted to curse Israel — Balaam not permitted to curse Israel
Travellers · Of distinction: Rode on asses, camels, &c — Of distinction: Rode on asses, camels, &c
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
The rapid defeat of the two mighty kings of the Amorites filled the Moabites with such alarm at the irresistible might of Israel, that Balak their king, with the princes of Midian, sought to bring the powers of heathen magic to bear against the nation of God; and to this end he sent messengers with presents to Balaam, the celebrated soothsayer, in Mesopotamia, who had the reputation of being able both to bless and curse with great success, to entreat him to come, and so to weaken the Israelites with his magical curses, that he might be able to smite them, and drive them out of his land (Num 22:1-7). At first Balaam declined this invitation, in consequence of divine instructions (Num 22:8-14)…
The passage is clearly making fun of this professional seer, whose spiritual insights and obedience to God are not equal to those of his donkey.
Rashi on Numbers 22:21
ויחבש את אתנו AND HE SADDLED HIS SHE-ASS — From here we may learn that the hatred one bears for a person makes one disregard the rule imposed upon him by his exalted position, for he, himself, not a servant, did the saddling. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You wicked man! Their ancestor Abraham has already anticipated you in this, as it is said, (Genesis 22:3) “And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass”) (Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 8; cf. Sanhedrin 105b).
עם שרי מואב [HE WENT] WITH THE PRINCES OF MOAB — his heart alike with their hearts (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 8).
