(3) Vision or Reality. On the narrative con tained in Num. xxii :22-35 a difference of opinion has long existed, even among those who fully ad mit its authenticity. The advocates for a literal interpretation urge that in a historical work and a narrative bearing the same character it would be unnatural to regard any of the occurrences as taking place in vision, unless expressly so stated; that it would be difficult to determine where the vision begins and where it ends; that Jehovah's 'opening the mouth of the ass' (Num. xxii:28) must have been an external act ; and, filially. that Peter's language is decidedly in favor of the literal sense.
'The dumb ass, speaking with a man's voice, re proved the madness of the prophet' (2 Peter ii: 16). Those who conceive that the speaking of the ass and the appearance of the Angel occurred in vision to Balaam (among whom arc Leibnitz and Hengstenberg) insist upon the fact that dreams and visions were the meth ods by which God made himself known to the prophets (Num. xii :6) ; they remark that Balaam, in the introduction to his third and fourth proph ecies (xxiv.3. q, 15), speaks of himself as 'the man who had his eyes shut,' and who, on falling down in prophetic ecstasy. had his eyes opened; that lie expressed no surprise on hearing the ass speak; and that neither his servants nor the Moab itish princes who accompanied loin appear to have been cognizant of any supernatural appearance. Dr. Jortin supposes that the Angel of the Lord suffered himself to be seen by the beast. but not by the Prophet ; that the beast was terrified and Balaam smote her, and then fell into a trance, and in that state conversed first with the beast and then with the Angel. The Angel presented these objects to his imagination as strongly as if they had been before his eyes, so that this was still a miraculous or preternatural operation. In dream ing, many singular incongruities occur without exciting our astonishment ; it is therefore not wonderful if the prophet conversed with his beast in vision, without being startled at such a phe nomenon (See Jortin's 'Dissertation on Baiaam,' (4) Prophecies. The limits of this article will
not allow of an examination of Balaam's mag nificent prophecies, which, as Herder remarks (Geist der lihraisehen l'oesie, ii:221). 'arc dis tinguished for dignity, compression, vividness and fulness of imagery; there is scarcely anything equal to them in the later Prophets, and' (he adds, what few reader:. probably, of Dent. xxxii. will he disposed to admit) 'nothing in the dis courses of Moses.' \Viten Balak had pointed out the camp of the Israelites Balaam desired seven altars to be built, and a bullock and a rani to be offered on each altar (Num. xxiii ad fin.). Balak stood by the burnt offering, while Balaam with drew to his enchantments. God bade him return and utter an oracular blessing on Israel, and not a curse. This he did a second and a third time, to the extreme mortification of Balak, who dis missed him in great anger, Balaam declaring that he could not "go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of his own mind." He subsequently foretold what Israel should, in future times, do to the nations round about, and, after having advised Balak to engage Israel in idolatry and whoredom, that they might offend God and be forsaken by him, quitted his terri tories for his own land (Num. xxiv :14 ; Mic. vi :5; 2 Pet. ii :t5 ; Jude I I ; Rev. ii :14). This bad coun sel was pursued ; the young women of Moab in veigled the Hebrews to the feasts of Baal-Peor ; persuaded them to idolatry and seduced them to impurity. God commanded Moses to avenge this insidious procedure, and he declared war against the Midianites, of whom he slew many, and killed five of their princes (Num. xxv :17, 18). Among those who fell on this occasion was Balaam (xxxi :2, 7, 8).