Interesting Facts

• Balaam was the son of Beor.
• He was a youth of fifteen years old serving amongst the servants of Angeas, the king of Dinhabah (Africa).
• Balaam was known to be very wise and understood the art of witchcraft.
• He successfully used his witchcraft to show Angeas a vision of his army being defeated by the Egyptians, thus dissuading Angeas from going to war.
• Despite his initial association with Angeas, Balaam later fled to Chittim and was greatly honored by Zepho, who recognized his wisdom and bestowed many gifts upon him.
• When Zepho prepared to battle Egypt, he sought Balaam’s divinatory skills to predict the outcome, but on both attempts, Balaam’s divination failed.
• Balaam came with the children of Chittim to the battle against Egypt and was highly honored by Zepho and his men.

Genealogy

• Balaam was the son of Beor.
• The text identifies Balaam as a Syrian.
• No other familial relationships, such as parents beyond his father, siblings, marital connections, or offspring, are mentioned in the provided sources.

Historical Context

Balaam’s story unfolds during a period marked by conflicts and shifting alliances between various powers in the ancient world, including Egypt (involving the sons of Jacob and Pharaoh), Africa under King Angeas, and the land of Chittim, eventually led by Zepho. The narrative highlights a cultural context where divination and witchcraft were considered potent tools for understanding and influencing events, as seen in both Angeas and Zepho’s reliance on Balaam’s skills. The fear of military defeat and the desire for victory were significant drivers of the actions of these rulers. Balaam’s movement from serving Angeas to being honored by Zepho reflects the fluidity of allegiances and the value placed on individuals perceived to possess wisdom or supernatural abilities. The eventual failure of Balaam’s divination when Zepho sought to attack Egypt is presented as a divine intervention, underscoring the overarching influence of the Lord in these events.

Narrative

Balaam’s personal story begins as a remarkably wise and magically adept youth in the service of King Angeas of Africa. His pivotal action in this early part of the narrative is using his witchcraft to dissuade Angeas from attacking Egypt by conjuring a vision of African defeat. This demonstrates Balaam’s power and influence over the king at that time. Later, when Angeas remains hesitant to wage war against Egypt, Balaam departs Africa and finds a new patron in Zepho, the leader of Chittim. Zepho holds Balaam in high esteem due to his wisdom and rewards him handsomely. When Zepho decides to confront Egypt, he seeks Balaam’s divinatory expertise to ensure a favorable outcome. However, on this crucial occasion, Balaam’s powers fail him, an event attributed to the Lord’s will to deliver Zepho into the hands of the Israelites. Despite his failed divination, Balaam accompanies Zepho to the battle against Egypt. Balaam’s narrative arc portrays him as a figure of significant perceived wisdom and magical ability, whose influence shifts from one ruler to another. His ultimate inability to foresee the outcome of the battle against Egypt suggests a limitation to his powers, possibly due to divine intervention, and sets the stage for the subsequent events of that conflict.