Numbers 23:10

The soul is in a certain sense mortal — and blessed, if it dies for sin. It was precisely of this death that Balaam spoke, when he prophesied, praying in the Divine Spirit: "May my soul die among the souls of the righteous." It was precisely of this death that Balaam prophesied wondrously, and in a word that came from God, wished for himself the most beautiful thing, for he wished to die for sin, in order to live for God. And therefore he said: "May my soul die the death of the righteous, and may my seed be as their seed!"

You have caused me, my brother, not to fear death, and I only would that my life might die with yours! This Balaam wished for as the greatest good for himself, when, inspired by the spirit of prophecy, he said, "Let my soul die in the souls of the righteous, and let my seed be like the seed of them." And in truth he wished this according to the spirit of prophecy, for as he saw the rising of Christ, so also he saw his triumph; he saw his death but saw also in him the everlasting resurrection of humanity and therefore feared not to die as he was to rise again. Let not then my soul die in sin or admit sin into itself, but let it die in the soul of the righteous, that it may receive his righteousness. Then too, he who dies in Christ is made a partaker of his grace in the font.

"Who shall search out the seed of Jacob, and who shall number the peoples of Israel?" This is like that which is written: "God led Abraham outside and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars, if you can number them. And he said: So shall your seed be." "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness." But Abraham indeed, and any other of men, or even of angels, and perhaps also of the higher powers, could not number the stars, nor the seed of Abraham, concerning which it is written: "So shall your seed be"; but God, concerning whom it is written: "who numbers the multitude of the stars, and calls them all by names," and who said: "I have given command to all the stars," is able to search out the seed of Jacob and to number the peoples of Israel. For he alone knows who is truly Jacob and who is truly Israel. For he does not look to him who is a Jew openly, nor to that circumcision which is openly in the flesh, but he sees him who is a Jew in secret, and who is circumcised in heart, not in flesh. He alone, then, is the one who can number and search out, and he, according to his ineffable and incomprehensible wisdom, in accordance with that heavenly pattern which he alone can know, has appointed also these numbers which we have in hand; in which he commanded that, according to their kindreds, according to the houses of their families, by name every male be numbered head by head from twenty years and upward, everyone who goes forth in the host of Israel, and there is gathered a certain sacred number of them, concerning which we have already spoken above, as the Lord granted. But this number is sacred and pleasing to God only then, when it is numbered at his own command. But if anyone should wish to number contrary to the commandment of the Lord, though he be David, though a great prophet, he acts against the law and is reproved through the prophet and suffers those things which we read written in the second book of Kingdoms. He alone, then, who numbers the multitude of the stars and who has brought forth all things by measure and number and weight, searches out the seed of Jacob and numbers the peoples of Israel.