Breakdown of Numbers 23:1-2

"And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram." — Balaam’s request for seven altars wasn't just about having enough space for sacrifices; it hints at his deceptive practice. He mixes the prescribed number of animals (seven bulls and seven rams) with…

Numbers 23:1-2 Meaning Explained

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Numbers 23:1-2

And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.

English Standard Version (ESV)

Balaam’s request for seven altars wasn't just about having enough space for sacrifices; it hints at his deceptive practice. He mixes the prescribed number of animals (seven bulls and seven rams) with pagan ritual (seven altars), a practice foreign to true worship, to try and manipulate God.

What Numbers 23:1-2 means

After failing to curse Israel from the mountain peaks, Balak takes Balaam to a new vantage point and demands more sacrifices. Balaam, following a pattern of pagan ritual that mixes elements of true worship with superstition, instructs Balak to build seven altars and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for offerings. This sets the stage for Balaam to attempt to divine God's will and manipulate the situation to curse Israel.

The Ambiguity of Balaam's Altars

Why seven altars? Was this a divine command or a pagan practice? Balaam's ritual is shrouded in mystery, blending elements of both.

When Balaam instructs Balak to build seven altars and prepare seven bulls and seven rams, we see a fascinating, and perhaps unsettling, mix of practices.

Sacred Numbers: The number seven held significance in ancient cultures, often associated with completeness or perfection. Some scholars suggest Balaam chose it for this symbolic weight. The text itself notes that the sacrifices offered – bulls and rams – were in line with Israel's sacrificial system.
Pagan Echoes: However, the practice of building multiple altars was not typical for the true worship of God, either before or after the Law was given. The patriarchs built one altar, and the Mosaic Law prescribed a single altar of burnt offering. This plurality of altars, along with the number seven, leans heavily into Canaanite and pagan customs, where multiple altars and specific numbers were common in their rituals and sorcery.
Deceptive Intent: Balaam, a diviner, was likely blending these familiar pagan rites with sacrifices to the true God to manipulate both Balak and, he hoped, God Himself. His aim was not pure worship, but a mystical attempt to control divine power.

Balaam's Performance vs. God's Power

Balaam seemed to be performing a sacred rite, but was he truly in control? The real power lay not with the diviner, but with the God he sought to manipulate.

Balaam's elaborate ritual of seven altars and numerous sacrifices was not a genuine act of worship but a performance designed to impress Balak and influence God.

The Illusion of Control: Balaam, a skilled diviner, believed he could orchestrate divine favor through specific rituals. He likely thought that by offering the right sacrifices in the right way (or what he thought was the right way), he could compel God to act according to his will. This reflects a common pagan mindset where magic and ritual could control the gods.

Understand the original words

Original language

altarsמִזְבֵּחַ

mizbeach · Hebrew Noun

A structure built of earth, stones, or metal upon which sacrifices were offered to God or idols, serving as a place of meeting between the human and the divine and a symbol of worship and covenant.

bullsפַּר

par · Hebrew Noun

Large, domesticated bovine animals often used in Old Testament sacrificial rituals, representing strength, labor, and a costly offering to the Lord.

ramsאַיִל

ayil · Hebrew Noun

Male sheep used in sacrificial offerings, often associated with the burnt offering or sin offering, symbolizing substitutionary atonement and dedication.

Historical context

Written: Around the 15th century BC, during the Israelites' wilderness wanderings.
Author: Traditionally understood as Moses, though some scholars suggest other Levitical priests or scribes.
Location: Written likely from the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River.
Genre: Narrative Law, featuring poetic oracles and dialogue. A key feature is the use of symbolic numbers and ritualistic actions to convey divine messages.

Historical background

Balaam's request for seven altars reveals his syncretistic approach, mixing pagan ritual with a purported attempt to consult the God of Israel. The use of seven altars was not standard Israelite practice, even before the Law, and likely reflects common pagan beliefs about the number's significance.

c. 1400 BC
Israelites Wander in the Wilderness
After their Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, approaching the borders of Moab.
c. 1400 BC
Moabites Fear Israelite Invasion
The Moabite King Balak and his people were terrified by the approaching Israelite host, fearing they would be destroyed as other nations had been.
c. 1400 BC
Balak Hires Balaam
Balak sent for the sorcerer Balaam, hoping his magical arts could curse Israel and bring about their defeat.
c. 1400 BC— this verse
Balaam Prepares Sacrifices
Balaam instructed Balak to build seven altars and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for sacrifice to God, seeking divine intervention.

Key themes

01Strategic ritualistic preparation
02Divine communication sought
03Idolatrous practices mixed
04Number symbolism in worship

Cross-references

Leviticus 1:1-17

This passage details the instructions for burnt offerings, which involved specific animals like bulls and rams, mirroring Balaam's request and highlighting the ritualistic nature of seeking divine favor.

Job 1:5

In Job, after his sons held feasts, Job would sanctify them and offer burnt offerings for each of them, showing a pattern of offering sacrifices for individuals or groups to cover potential sin or seek divine blessing.

1 Kings 18:30-38

Elijah built an altar and offered a sacrifice to the Lord, calling fire down from heaven. This highlights the importance of proper worship and the true God's power to respond to genuine sacrifice, contrasting with Balaam's mixed motives.

Romans 12:1

Paul calls believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. This shifts the focus from literal animal sacrifice to a spiritual, whole-life offering, showing how the concept of sacrifice has evolved.

Scholarly commentary

Numbers 23:1: "And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams."

Build me here seven altars, etc. - The oxen and the rams were such as the Mosaic law had ordered to be offered to God in sacrifice; the building of seven altars was not commanded. Some think that these seven altars were built to the seven planets: this is most gratuitously said; of it there is no proof whatever; it is mere trifling, even with conjecture. As seven was a number o…
clarke

Numbers 23:1-30: "And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams."

And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.

Tunc dixit ad cum Balac: Veni obsecro mecum ad alterum locum, unde videas illum (tantummodo extremum ejus vidisti, et totum ipsum non vidisti) et ei maledic mi…

calvin

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What Numbers 23:1-2 means

Original language

altarsמִזְבֵּחַ

mizbeach · Hebrew Noun

A structure built of earth, stones, or metal upon which sacrifices were offered to God or idols, serving as a place of meeting between the human and the divine and a symbol of worship and covenant.

bullsפַּר

par · Hebrew Noun

Large, domesticated bovine animals often used in Old Testament sacrificial rituals, representing strength, labor, and a costly offering to the Lord.

ramsאַיִל

ayil · Hebrew Noun

Male sheep used in sacrificial offerings, often associated with the burnt offering or sin offering, symbolizing substitutionary atonement and dedication.

Historical context

Written: Around the 15th century BC, during the Israelites' wilderness wanderings.
Author: Traditionally understood as Moses, though some scholars suggest other Levitical priests or scribes.
Location: Written likely from the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River.
Genre: Narrative Law, featuring poetic oracles and dialogue. A key feature is the use of symbolic numbers and ritualistic actions to convey divine messages.

Historical background

c. 1400 BC

Israelites Wander in the Wilderness

After their Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, approaching the borders of Moab.

c. 1400 BC

Moabites Fear Israelite Invasion

The Moabite King Balak and his people were terrified by the approaching Israelite host, fearing they would be destroyed as other nations had been.

c. 1400 BC

Balak Hires Balaam

Balak sent for the sorcerer Balaam, hoping his magical arts could curse Israel and bring about their defeat.

c. 1400 BC— this verse

Balaam Prepares Sacrifices

Balaam instructed Balak to build seven altars and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for sacrifice to God, seeking divine intervention.

Scholarly commentary

Numbers 23:1: "And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams."

Build me here seven altars, etc. - The oxen and the rams were such as the Mosaic law had ordered to be offered to God in sacrifice; the building of seven altars was not commanded. Some think that these seven altars were built to the seven planets: this is most gratuitously said; of it there is no proof whatever; it is mere trifling, even with conjecture. As seven was a number o…
clarke

Numbers 23:1-30: "And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams."

And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.

Tunc dixit ad cum Balac: Veni obsecro mecum ad alterum locum, unde videas illum (tantummodo extremum ejus vidisti, et totum ipsum non vidisti) et ei maledic mi…

calvin

Frequently asked questions

What does Numbers 23:1-2 mean?

Explain the meaning of Numbers 23:1-2

What is the context of Numbers 23:1-2?

Ask Sola about this verse

Ask Sola things like:

“What does "altars" mean in the original Hebrew?”
“Why did Traditionally understood as Moses, though some scholars suggest other Levitical priests or scribes. write Numbers 23:1-2?”
“How does strategic ritualistic preparation show up in Numbers 23:1-2?”

Ask in the Sola app Get the app

Live chat about Numbers 23:1-2 is available in the Sola app.