See also:

• BALAAM (eit Bil'am; BaAaau; Vg. Balaam; the etymology of the name is uncertain)

BALAAM (eit Bil'am; BaAaau; Vg. Balaam; the See also:

• ETYMOLOGY (Gr. grvµos, true, and X6yos, "account)

etymology of the name is uncertain)  , a See also:

• PROPHET (Irpo4i ri7s)

prophet in the See also:

• BIBLE
• BIBLE, ENGLISH

Bible . See also:

• BALAAM (eit Bil'am; BaAaau; Vg. Balaam; the etymology of the name is uncertain)

Balaam, the son of Beor, was a See also:

• GENTILE
• GENTILE, C

Gentile seer; he appears in the See also:

• HISTORY

history of the Israelites during their sojourn in the plains of See also:

• MOAB

Moab, See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

east of See also:

• JORDAN (the down-comer; Arab. esh-Sheri'a, the watering-place)
• JORDAN, CAMILLE (1771—1821)
• JORDAN, DOROTHEA (1762—1816)
• JORDAN, THOMAS (1612 ?–1685)
• JORDAN, WILHELM (1819–1904)

Jordan, at the See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close of the See also:

• FORTY

Forty Years' wandering, shortly before the See also:

• DEATH

death of See also:

• MOSES (Gr. Mwvo c, Mcoo-i3s)
• MOSES, ASSUMPTION OF

Moses and the See also:

• CROSSING

crossing of the Jordan . See also:

• ISRAEL (Hebrew for " God strives " or " rules "; see Gen. xxxii. 28; and the allusion in Hosea xii. 4)

Israel had conquered two See also:

• KINGS, FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF

kings of eastern See also:

• PALESTINE

Palestine—Sihon, See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

king of the See also:

• AMORITES

Amorites, and Og, king of See also:

• BASHAN

Bashan . Balak, king of Moab, became alarmed, and sent for Balaam to curse Israel; Balaam came after some hesitation, but when he sought to curse Israel Yahweh compelled him to bless them . The See also:

• MAIN (from the Aryan root which appears in " may " and " might," and Lat. magnus, great)
• MAIN (Lat. Moenus)

main passage concerning Balaam in Num. xxii-See also:

• XXV

xxv.; it consists of a narrative which serves as a framework for seven oracular poems, the first four being of some length and the last three very brief . The See also:

• STORY, JOHN (c. 1510-1571)
• STORY, JOSEPH (1779-1845)
• STORY, ROBERT HERBERT (1835-1907)
• STORY, WILLIAM WETMORE (1819—1895)

story is doubtless based on See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient traditions, current in various forms; the OId Testament references are not wholly consistent . The narrative in Num. xxii. if. is held to be compiled with editorial additions from the two ancient documents (900-700 B.c.) commonly denoted by the symbols J and E . The See also:

• DISTRIBUTION (Lat. distribuere, to deal out)

distribution of the material between the two documents is uncertain; but some such See also:

• SCHEME (Lat. schema, Gr. oxfjya, figure, form, from the root axe, seen in exeiv, to have, hold, to be of such shape, form, &c.)

scheme as the following is not improbable . The references to portions the origin of which is especially uncertain are placed in brackets O . The See also:

• PRESENT

present narrative, therefore, is not really a single continuous story, but may be resolved into two older accounts . In combining these two and using them as a framework for the poems, the compilers have altered, added and omitted . Naturally, when both documents made statements which were nearly identical, one might be omitted; so that neither See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account need be given in full in the composite passage .

The two older accounts, as far as they are given here, may have run somewhat thus: restorations of supposed omissions are given in square brackets [] . (i) J. xxii . 3b-5a to " Beor " (5c to " to the See also:

• LAND

land "–7, rr, 17, i8) . Balak, king of Moab, alarmed at the Israelite conquests, sends elders of Moab and See also:

• MIDIAN (properly Madyan, so Sept.)

Midian to Balaam, son of Beor, to the land of See also:

• AMMON
• AMMON, CHRISTOPH FRIEDRICH VON (1766—185o)

Ammon, to induce him to come and,curse Israel . He sends back word that he can only do what Yahweh commands . The land of Ammon . The current See also:

• HEBREW

Hebrew See also:

• TEXT (Lat. textum, woven fabric, from texere, to weave)

Text has the land of ammo,i.e. as EV, " his See also:

• PEOPLE

people," but Ammon is read by the Samaritan See also:

• PENTATEUCH

Pentateuch, the See also:

• SYRIAC

Syriac and See also:

• VULGATE (from Lat. vulgus, the common people)

Vulgate Versions and some Hebrew See also:

• MSS

MSS., and is accepted by many See also:

• MODERN

modern scholars . xiii . 22-35a to "Balaam, " also " Go " and " So Balaam went." Nevertheless Balaam sets out with two servants to go to Balak, but the See also:

• ANGEL

Angel of Yahweh meets him . At first the Angel is seen only by the .See also:

• ASS (O.E. assa; Lat. asinus)
• ASS, FEAST OF THE

ass, which arouses Balaam's anger by its efforts to avoid the Angel . The ass is miraculously enabled to speak to Balaam . Yahweh at last enables Balaam to see the Angel, who tells him that he would have slain him but for the ass .

Balaam offers to go back, but is told to go on . Speaking animals are a See also:

• COMMON

common feature of folk-See also:

• LORE
• LORE, AMBROISE DE (1396-1446)

lore; the only other See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case in the Old Testament is the See also:

• SERPENT (Lat. serpens, creeping, from serpere; cf. "reptile " from repere, Gr.4 ml-eta)

serpent in See also:

• EDEN
• EDEN, SIR ASHLEY (1831-1887)

Eden . See also:

• MAIMONIDES

Maimonides suggested that the See also:

• EPISODE

episode of the Angel and the conversation with the ass is an account of a See also:

• VISION (from Lat. videre, to see), or SIGHT

vision; similar views have been held by E . W . See also:

• HENGSTENBERG, ERNST WILHELM (1802-r869)

Hengstenberg and other See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian scholars . Others, e.g . Volck in Hauck's Realencyklopadie (s . Bileam "), regard the statements about the ass speaking; as figurative; the ass brayed, and Balaam translated, the See also:

• SOUND
• SOUND, THE (Danish Oresund)

sound into words . The See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary literal See also:

• INTERPRETATION (from Lat. interpretari, to expound, explain, inter pres, an agent, go-between, interpreter; inter, between, and the root pret-, possibly connected with that seen either in Greek 4 p4'ew, to speak, or irpa-rrecv, to do)

interpretation is more probable; but it does not follow that the authors of the Pentateuch intended the story to be taken as See also:

• HISTORICAL

historical in its details . It need hardly be said that the exact accuracy of such narratives is not an essential See also:

• PART

part of the Christian faith; no such See also:

• DOCTRINE

doctrine is laid down by the See also:

• CREEDS (Lat. credo, I believe), or CONFESSIONS OF FAITH

creeds and confessions . xxii . 36, 39, See also:

• XXIV

xxiv. r, 2, I0-r4, 25 .

Balak meets Balaam and they go together [and offer sacrifices]; Balaam, however, blesses Israel by divine See also:

• INSPIRATION (Lat. inspirare, breathe upon or into)

inspiration; Balak remonstrates, but Balaam reminds him of his See also:

• MESSAGE (a word occurring in slightly different forms in several languages, e.g. Fr. message, Span. mensaje, Ital. messagio; adapted from the Low Lat. missaticum, from mittere)

message and again blesses Israel . Then Balaam - goes See also:

• HOME
• HOME, DANIEL DUNGLAS (1833-1886)
• HOME, EARLS OF

home . (For the relation of the poems to J's narrative, see below.) (ii.) E. xxii . 2, 3a, 5b " to Pethor, which is by the See also:

• RIVER

river," 8-1o, 12-16, 29-2I, 37a, to " unto me," 38 . Balak, king of Moab, alarmed at the conquests of Israel, sends the princes of Moab to Balaam at Pethor on the See also:

• EUPHRATES (Babylon. Purattu, Heb. Perath, Arab. Frdt or Furst, Old Pers. Ufratu, Gr. Eb4 parrls)

Euphrates, that he may come and curse Israel . A . Jeremias, Das Alte Testament See also:

• IM(K2+a2+h2—2 ah cos 0)

im Lichte See also:

• DES

des See also:

• ALIEN (Lat. alienus)

alien Orients, p . 278, adopts Marquart's view that the " River " (nahar) is the so-called " River " (better " See also:

• RAVINE

Ravine" nahal) of See also:

• EGYPT

Egypt or Mucci, on the See also:

• SOUTHERN

southern frontier of Judea . So too Winckler, in the new edition of E . See also:

• SCHRADER, EBERHARD (1836-1908)

Schrader's See also:

• DIE
• DIE (Fr. de, from Lat. datum, given)

Die Keilinschriften and dos Alte Testament . It has been usual to keep nahar and take it in its ordinary sense when used absolutely, i.e. the Euphrates, and to identify Pethor with a Pitru on a tributary of the Euphrates, mentioned in an inscription of See also:

• SHALMANESER [Ass. Sulmanu-afarid, " the god Sulman (Solomon) is chief "]

Shalmaneser II . Deut. See also:

• XXIII

xxiii .

4 places Pethor in See also:

• MESOPOTAMIA (Mevoaora)

Mesopotamia . See also:

• GOD

God appears to him in a See also:

• DREAM (from a root dreug, connected with Germ. trugen, to deceive)

dream and forbids him to go; The princes return and See also:

• REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report to Balak, who sends them back to put further pressure on Balaam . God in another dream permits him to go, on See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition that he speaks what God tells him . He goes with the princes of Moab . Balak meets them, and Balaam warns him that he can only speak what God tells him . xiii . 40, 41, xxiii . 1-6,11-17 . Balak offers sacrifices, but Yahweh inspires Balaam with a blessing on Israel . Balak remonstrates and Balaam explains . They try to get a more favourable result by sacrificing on a different spot, and by placing Balaam on the See also:

• TOP (cf. Dan. top, Ger. Topf, also meaning pot)

top of Pisgah to view Israel, but he is again compelled to bless Israel . After further remonstrances and explanations [Balaam goes home] .

(For the relation of the poems to E's narrative, see below.) Deut. xxiii . 3-6' summarizes E's account of this incident, adding, however, the feature that the See also:

• AMMONITES

Ammonites were associated with the Moabites, possibly an imperfect See also:

• REMINISCENCE (from Lat. reminisci, to remember)

reminiscence of the reference to Ammon in J . See also:

• JOSHUA, BOOK OF

Joshua, in his farewell speech to the Israelites,2 also refers to this episode . The Priestly Code3 has a different story of Balaam, in which he advises the Midianites how they may bring disaster on Israel by seducing the people ' Quoted Neh. xiii. i f . 2 Josh. xxiv . 9, 10 . E; cf . See also:

• MICAH
• MICAH (r )

Micah vi . 5 . 3 Num. xxxi . 8 (quoted Jos xiii . 22), i6 .

These references are not necessarily inconsistent with JE; but they are probably based on an See also:

• INDEPENDENT

independent tradition . The date of the Priestly See also:

• CODE (Lat. codex)

Code is ca . 400 B.C . fromr their See also:

• LOYALTY

loyalty to Yahweh . Later on he is slain in See also:

• BATTLE

battle, fighting in the ranks of Midian . - It is often supposedthat the name of the king of See also:

• EDOM

Edom,° See also:

• BELA
• BELA, LAS BELA

Bela, son of Beor, is a corruption of Balaam, and that, therefore, one See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of the tradition made him a king of Edom . The Poems fall into two See also:

• GROUPS
• GROUPS, THEORY

groups: the first four, in xxiii. i.-xxiv . 19, are commonly regarded as ancient lyrics of the See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early See also:

• MONARCHY (Fr. monarchic, from Lat. monarchia, Gr. uovapXia, rule of one, µbvos, alone, apXi7, rule)

monarchy, perhaps in the See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time of See also:

• DAVID
• DAVID (a Hebrew name meaning probably beloved 1)
• DAVID, FELICIEN (1810—1876)
• DAVID, GERARD [GHEERAERT DAVIT], (?=1523)
• DAVID, PIERRE JEAN (1789–1856)
• DAVID, ST (Dewi, Sant)

David or See also:

• SOLOMON, ODES OF
• SOLOMON, PSALMS OF

Solomon, which J and E inserted in their narrative . Some See also:

• RECENT

recent critics,5 however, are inclined to See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place them in the See also:

• POST

post-exilic See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period, in which case a See also:

• LATE

late editor has substituted them for earlier, probably less edifying, oracles . But the features which are held to indicate late date may be due to editorial revision . The first two are found in an E setting, and therefore, if ancient, formed part of E . The First, xxiii .

7-10, prophesies the unique exaltation of Israel, and its countless See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers . The Second, xxiii . 18-24, celebrates the moral virtue of Israel, the monarchy and its conquests . - Again the second couple are connected with J . The Third, xxiv . 3-9 also celebrates the See also:

• GLORY (through the O. Fr. glorie, modern gloire, from Lat. gloria, cognate with Gr. KXebs, abets)

glory and conquests of the monarchy . Agag, in See also:

• VERSE (from Lat. versus, literally a line or furrow drawn by turning the plough, from vertere, and afterwards signifying an arrangement of syllables into feet)

verse 7, can hardly be the Amalekite king of i Sam. xv.; Amalek was too small and obscure . The See also:

• SEPTUAGINT, THE (Gr. of 0', Lat. LXX.)

Septuagint and other See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek Versions and Sam . Pent. have See also:

• GOG (possibly connected with the Gentilic Gagaya, " of the land of Gag," used in Amarna Letters i. 38, as a synonym for " barbarian," or with Ass. Gagu, a ruler of the land of Sahi, N. of Assyria, or with Gyges, Ass. Gugu, a king of Lydia)

Gog, which would imply a post-exilic date, cf . Ezek. xxxix . Probably both Agag and Gog are textual corruptions . Og has been suggested, but does not seem a See also:

• GREAT

great improvement .

- The See also:

• FOURTH

Fourth, xxiv . 14-19, announces the coming of a king, possibly David, who shall conquer Edom and Moab . The remaining poems are usually regarded as later additions; thus the See also:

• OXFORD
• OXFORD, EARLS OF
• OXFORD, EDWARD DE VERE, 17TH EARL
• OXFORD, JOHN DE VERE, 13TH EARL OF (1443-1513)
• OXFORD, PROVISIONS OF
• OXFORD, ROBERT DE VERE, 9TH EARL OF (1362-1392)
• OXFORD, ROBERT HARLEY, 1ST

Oxford See also:

• HEXATEUCH

Hexateuch on Num. xxiv . 20-24 . " The three concluding oracles seem irrelevant here, being concerned neither with Israel nor Moab . It has been thought that they were added to bring the See also:

• CYCLE
• CYCLE (Gr. KUK)^os, a circle)

cycle up to seven." The Fifth, xxiv . 20, deals with the ruin of Amalek . It is of uncertain date; if the historical Amalek is meant, it may be early; but Amalek may be symbolical . The See also:

• SIXTH

Sixth, xxiv . 21 f., deals with the destruction of the Kenite See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state by See also:

• ASSYRIA

Assyria; also of uncertain date, Assyria being, according to some, the ancient See also:

• REALM

realm of See also:

• NINEVEH (Heb. m}'?, in classical authors Nivos, Ninus; LXX. Ntsetni, Nnveun: Assyrian Nind or Ninua)

Nineveh, according to others the Seleucid See also:

• KINGDOM

kingdom of See also:

• SYRIA

Syria, which was also called Assyria . The Seventh, xxiv . 23 f., speaks of the coming of See also:

• SHIPS

ships from the See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

West, to attack See also:

• ASSUR
• ASSUR (Auth. Vera. Asshur)

Assur and See also:

• EBER, PAUL (1511-1569)

Eber '; it may refer to the See also:

• CONQUEST

conquest of See also:

• PERSIA

Persia by See also:

• ALEXANDER
• ALEXANDER (1461-1506)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OF BATTENBERG) (1857-1893)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OsxENOVici) (1876-1903)
• ALEXANDER, ARCHIBALD (1772—1851)
• ALEXANDER, FRANCIS (1800—1881)
• ALEXANDER, GEORGE (1858— )
• ALEXANDER, JOHN WHITE (1856- )
• ALEXANDER, JOSEPH ADDISON (18o9—186o)
• ALEXANDER, SIR JAMES EDWARD (1803—1885)
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM (1824— )
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM LINDSAY (1808—1884)

Alexander the Great .

An interesting, but doubtful, emendation makes this poem describe the ruin of Shamal, a state in N . W . Syria . •In the New Testament Balaam is cited as a type of avarice;° in Rev. ii . 14 we read of false teachers at See also:

• PERGAMUM, or PERGAMTS (mod. Bergama)

Pergamum who held the " teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to See also:

• CAST (from the verb meaning " to throw "; the word is Scand. in origin, cf. Dan. kaste, and Swed. kasta; " cast " in Middle Eng. took the place of the A.S. weor pan, cf. Ger. werf en)

cast a stumbling-See also:

• BLOCK
• BLOCK (from the Fr. bloc, and possibly connected with an Old Ger. Block, obstruction, cf. " baulk ")
• BLOCK, MAURICE (1816–19or)

block before the See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and-to-commit fornication." Balaam has attracted much See also:

• INTEREST

interest, alike from See also:

• JEWS
• JEWS (Heb. Y8hudi, man of Judah; Gr. 'Iovbaiot; Lat. Judaei)

Jews, Christians and Mahommedans . See also:

• JOSEPHUS, FLAVIUS (c. 37-C. 95?)

Josephus 7 paraphrases the story more suo, and speaks of Balaam as the best prophet of his time, but with a disposition See also:

• ILL

ill adapted to resist temptation . - See also:

• PHILO
• PHILO, HERENNIUS

Philo describes him in the See also:

• LIFE

Life of Moses as a great magician; elsewhere ° he speaks of " the -sophist Balaam, being," i.e. symbolizing, a vain See also:

• CROWD, CROUTH, CROWTH

crowd- of :contrary and warring opinions "; and again ° as " a -vain people"; both phrases being based on a mistaken See also:

• ETYMOLOGY (Gr. grvµos, true, and X6yos, "account)

etymology of the name Balaam . The later Targums and the Talmuds represent him as a typical sinner; and there are the usual worthless Rabbinical fables, e.g. that he was See also:

• BLIND, MATHILDE (1841—1896)

blind of one See also:

• EYE
• EYE (O. Eng. edge, Ger. Auge; derived from an Indo-European root also seen in Lat. oc-ulus, the organ of vision (q.v.)

eye; that he was the Elihu of See also:

• JOB

Job; that, as one of See also:

• PHARAOH (Par'oh)

Pharaoh's counsellors, he was See also:

• GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

governor of a See also:

• CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city of See also:

• ETHIOPIA, or AETHIOPIA (Gr. AlOtoaia)

Ethiopia, and rebelled against Pharaoh; Moses was sent against him by Pharaoh at the See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head of, an See also:

• ARMY
• ARMY (from Fr. armee, Lat. armata)

army, and stormed the city and put Balaam to See also:

• FLIGHT

flight, &c . &c . , a Gen. See also:

• XXXVI

xxxvi . 32 . For names and reasons, see See also:

• GRAY
• GRAY (or GREY), WALTER DE (d. 1255)
• GRAY, ASA (1810-1888)
• GRAY, DAVID (1838-1861)
• GRAY, ELISHA (1835-1901)
• GRAY, HENRY PETERS (1819-18/7)
• GRAY, HORACE (1828–1902)
• GRAY, JOHN DE (d. 1214)
• GRAY, JOHN EDWARD (1800–1875)
• GRAY, PATRICK GRAY, 6TH BARON (d. 1612)
• GRAY, ROBERT (1809-1872)
• GRAY, SIR THOMAS (d. c. 1369)
• GRAY, THOMAS (1716-1771)

Gray, Numbers, 314 .

6 2 See also:

• PETER
• PETER (Lat. Petrus from Gr. irfpos, a rock, Ital. Pietro, Piero, Pier, Fr. Pierre, Span. Pedro, Ger. Peter, Russ. Petr)
• PETER (PEDRO)
• PETER, EPISTLES OF
• PETER, ST

Peter ii . 16, 17 (also refers to the ass speaking), See also:

• JUDE, THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF

Jude xi . ' See also:

• ANT
• ANT (O. Eng. aemete, from Teutonic a, privative, and maitan, cut or bite off, i.e. " the biter off "; aemete in Middle English became differentiated in dialect use to (mete, then amte, and so ant, and also to emete, whence the synonym " emmet," now only u

Ant. iv; 6. e Quad . Det . Potiori, § 2o . ? De Cherub., §To: Curiously enough, the Rabbinical (Yalkut) See also:

• IDENTIFICATION (Lat. idem, the same)

identification of Balaam with Laban, See also:

• JACOB
• JACOB, JOHN (1812-1858)

Jacob's See also:

• FATHER

father-in-See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law, has been revived from a very different standpoint, by a modern critic.' The Mahommedans, also, have various fables concerning Balaam . He was one of the Anakim, or giants of Palestine ; he read the books of See also:

• ABRAHAM, or ABRAM (Hebrew for " father is high ")

Abraham, where he got the name Yahweh, by virtue of which he predicted the future, and got from God whatever he asked . It has been conjectured that the Arabic See also:

• WISE, HENRY ALEXANDER (1806-1876)
• WISE, ISAAC MAYER (1819-1900)

wise See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man, commonly called Lugman (q.v.), is identical with Balaam . The names of their fathers are alike, and "See also:

• LUQMAN, or LOKMAN

Luqman "• means devourer, swallower, a meaning which might be got out of Balaam by a popular etymology . If we might accept the various theories mentioned above, Balaam would appear in one source of J as an Edomite, in another as an Ammonite ; in E as a native of the See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

south of See also:

• JUDAH

Judah or possibly as an Aramaean ; in the tradition followed by the Priestly Code probably as a Midianite . All these peoples either belong to the Hebrew stock or are closely connected with it . We may conclude that Balaam was an ancient figure of traditions originally common to all the See also:

• HEBREWS, EPISTLE TO THE

Hebrews and their See also:

• ALLIES, THOMAS WILLIAM (1813-1903)

allies, and after-wards appropriated by individual tribes ; much as there are various St Georges .

The See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief significance of the Balaam narratives for the history of the See also:

• RELIGION
• RELIGION, FOLKLORE, CUSTOM

religion of Israelis the recognition by J and E of the genuine inspiration of a non-Hebrew prophet . Yahweh is as much the God of Balaam as he is of Moses . Probably the See also:

• ORIGINAL

original tradition goes back to a• time when Yahweh was recognized as a deity of a circle of connected tribes of which the Israelite tribes formed a part . But the retention of the story without modification may imply a continuous recognition through some centuries of the See also:

• IDEA (Gr. Ibia, connected with i&eiv, to see; cf. Lat. species from specere, to look at)

idea that Yahweh revealed his will to nations other than Israel . Apparently the Priestly Code ignored this feature of the story . Taking the narratives as we now have them, Balaam is a See also:

• COMPANION (through the O. Fr. compaignon or compagnon, from the Late Lat. companio,—cum, with, and panis, bread,—one who shares meals with another; the word has been wrongly derived from the Late Lat. compagnus, one of the same pages or district)

companion figure to See also:

• JONAH
• JONAH, RABBI (ABULWALID MERWAN IBN JANAH, also R. MARINUS) (c. 996-c. 1050)

Jonah, the prophet who wanted to go where he was not sent, over against the prophet who ran away from the See also:

• MISSION

mission to which he was called .