And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
Then Balaam began his prophecy and said, 'Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from the eastern mountains, saying, Come and curse Jacob for me, come and speak against Israel.'
This verse shows Balaam explaining that King Balak hired him to come from far away to curse God's people Israel.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Numbers, Balaam was a prophet from Aram who was hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites as they journeyed toward the Promised Land after their exodus from Egypt. Balak feared the Israelites' growing numbers and military strength, seeing them as a threat to his kingdom, so he sought Balaam's help to invoke a curse against them. Despite this, God had already declared His blessing on Israel, setting the stage for Balaam's prophecies to align with divine will rather than human desires.
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