Balaam (/ˈbeɪlæm/;[1] Hebrew: בִּלְעָם, romanized: Bīlʿām), son of Beor,[2] was a biblical character, a non-Israelite prophet and diviner who lived in Pethor, a place identified with the ancient city of Pitru, thought to have been located between the region of Iraq and northern Syria in what is now southeastern Turkey.[3]: 166 According to chapters 22-24[4] of the Book of Numbers, he was hired by King Balak of Moab to curse Israel, but instead he blessed the Israelites, as dictated by God. Subsequently, the plan to entice the Israelites into idol worship and sexual immorality[5] is attributed to him.[6] Balaam is also mentioned in the Book of Micah.
- ^ Mangold, Max; Cho, See-Young. "A Pronouncing and Phonetic Dictionary of Biblical Names". University of Tübingen. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ Numbers 22:5
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
burnettwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Numbers 22–24
- ^ Numbers 25:1–3
- ^ Numbers 31:16