Bible Commentary

Numbers 22:41

Numbers 22:41

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain

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" 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, Nu 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; the whole host of Israel, even to the extreme part of it; the camp of Dan, as the Targum of Jonathan, which brought up the rear; he had him to those high places, both that he might have a better view of the whole body of the people, and know how they lay, and to direct his curses at them, and that success might attend the undertaking, these being places of religious worship.

Josephus says those high places were sixty furlongs or seven and one half miles from the camp of Israel. rqbb in matutino, Montanus; mane, V. L. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. Antiqu. l. 4. c. 6. sect.

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