Blame it on Balaam

Ba'Midbar 23:26

Balaam of Petor is the only prophetic figure not affiliated with the Hebrew nation who gets a lot of attention in these chapters and in other sections of the Hebrew Bible. Why?  Close readings display the disparity of views and the ambivalence towards him- on the one hand he’s hired to curse Israel and is a powerful enemy. On the other hand - he’s a vessel in the hands and mouth of the God of Israel and ends up blessing us with prophetic poetry that is immortalized as Jewish blessings and prayers, although he’ll be killed by Moses some chapters ahead for affiliation with the enemy.  His complex story stretches the line between history and myth. Recent evidence discloses that he may have actually existed, not just as an imaginary literary figure. But does that change the meaning of this strange saga?

Until recently there was only the Bible to tell his story, but then an archaeological discovery  surprised the world. In March 1967, a series of inscriptions written in black and red ink on white plaster were found at Tel Deir Alla, located on the east banks of the Jordan river. It was the site of a prosperous city during the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. Written in a unique early Canaanite- Aramaic alphabet the wall murals told “The misfortunes of Balaam son of Beor. A divine seer...”  The 1967 War broke out soon after, the fragments were taken to the museum in Amman, Jordan where they are still kept and research took about a decade to verify that this indeed is the oldest evidence of this narrative told outside the Bible, along similar plot lines. Balaam seems to have been a famous sorcerer who did not always get it right.  

One of the most fascinating facts from this find is that the language he uses to describe the divine sheds light on the theological evolution of the Israelite faith. Throughout these chapters, the God that Balaam mostly refers to as guiding his steps and dictating his messaging is YHWH - the God of Israel. Such is the case here, when he responds to the distraught king, fed up with Balaam’s blessing instead of cursing Israel: 

וַיַּ֣עַן בִּלְעָ֔ם וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֶל־בָּלָ֑ק הֲלֹ֗א דִּבַּ֤רְתִּי אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־יְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֹת֥וֹ אֶֽעֱשֶֽׂה׃ 

“ Balaam replied to Balak, “But I told you: Whatever YHWH says, that I must do.” Ba 23:26 

Balaam’s citing of YHWH as his authority is likely the biblical author/editor’s way to show that even this pagan prophet, serving many gods, is ruled by our God. But the archeological findings correlate the use of other names and identities of God found in chapter 23 and 24. 

Balaam cites God as YHWH but also uses the names El and Shaddai - those last two - often together.  El and Shadai were known in the ancient Semitic world and are mentioned in the Deir Alla fragments. Many theories suggest that YHWH as the God of Israel is a composite of various earlier deities that became one over time.  El is both the known name of the male head of the Canaanite pantheon but is also the generic word for a god. Shadai or its plural Shadaim is often referred to as the Deity of the Mountains, or the Fields, and is assumed to be the feminine aspect of creation, and likely the Mother Goddess herself. Both are mentioned in Genesis and Exodus, familiar to our ancestors and their spiritual vocabulary. But when Balaam cites El and Shadai  - he cites them together. In the found fragments  - they are still two different, and differentiated deities.   That’s a big deal. The male/female god-heads will alter converge to become one imagined deity that defied gender perhaps and is composed of earlier profiles of who and what is God. 

Biblical Scholar Prof.Carl S. Ehrlich sums this fascinating research up: 

“The Deir ‘Alla inscription allows us to flesh out the picture of Balaam...He is no longer simply a seer used as a tool in YHWH’s sole power, but an independent actor functioning in a polytheistic world. In addition, the depiction of Balaam’s pantheon in Deir ‘Alla presents incidental information that is important for understanding the development of Israelite religion. “

Who knows what else might be discovered one day to shed more light on this and other enigmas and riddles that give us clues to this mystery we call life?

Want to learn more, discuss your thoughts and feelings about the Book of Wilderness and Below the Bible Belt? Join me on Monday August 22 2022, 1pm ET for a one hour conversation on Zoom. Link here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87084369168

Meeting ID: 870 8436 9168

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