Matthew Henry on Numbers 22:36–end
We have here the meeting between Balak and Balaam, confederate enemies to God's Israel; but here they seem to differ in their expectations of the success. 1. Balak speaks of it with confidence, not doubting but to gain his point now that Balaam had come. In expectation of this, he went out to meet him, even to the utmost border of his country (Num 22:36), partly to gratify his own impatient desire to see one he had such great expectations from, and partly to do honour to Balaam, and so to engage him with his utmost power to serve him. See what respect heathen princes paid to those that had but the name and face of prophets, and pretended to have any interest in heaven; and how welcome one wa…
Read the whole note in the consoleJamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 22:41
high places of Baal--eminences consecrated to the worship of Baal-peor (see on Num 25:3) or Chemosh.
Next: Numbers Chapter 23
John Gill on Numbers 22:41
And it came to pass on the morrow,.... The day after the arrival of Balaam at Balak's royal seat, and after the entertainment given him, and the princes, "on the morning" (y) of that day, as the word signifies; and perhaps early in the morning, the king eager to be about business, and get the people of Israel cursed if possible as soon as could be:
that Balak took Balaam and brought him up into the high places of Baal; where groves were planted, and altars erected to that "idol" and which the Targum of Jonathan calls the idol Peor, the same with Baalpeor, Numbers 25:3 which might be their god Chemosh, the same with Bacchus or Priapus:
that thence he might see the utmost part of the people;…
Read the whole note in the consoleJohn Calvin on Numbers 22:41-40
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.
