Log inSign up

Numbers 22 · a question people ask

Was Balaam a prophet of the LORD, or a diviner God used?

Interpretation

The Bible says things that point both ways, and readers weigh them differently. What the chapter makes plain: God came to Balaam and spoke to him (22:9, 22:12, 22:20), and Balaam could speak only "the word that God puts in my mouth" (22:38). The New Testament holds up his way as a warning (2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11).

How Christians read it

Where Christians differ, Favor sets out the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.

A prophet who went wrong

Some read Balaam as a man who knew the LORD. He calls him "the LORD my God" (22:18), waits for "the LORD" to speak (22:8, 22:19), and God comes to him (22:9, 22:20). Peter calls him "the prophet" (2 Peter 2:16). On this reading his fault was that he "loved the wages of wrongdoing" (2 Peter 2:15).

Numbers 22:8 · Numbers 22:9 · Numbers 22:18-20 · 2 Peter 2:15-16

A diviner God spoke through

Others read Balaam as a paid diviner whom God used for Israel's sake. The elders of Moab and Midian came "with the rewards of divination in their hand" (22:7). Joshua calls him "Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer" (Joshua 13:22), and Numbers later says that "he didn’t go, as at the other times, to use divination" (Numbers 24:1). Deuteronomy says the LORD "turned the curse into a blessing to you, because the LORD your God loved you" (Deuteronomy 23:5).

Numbers 22:7 · Joshua 13:22 · Numbers 24:1 · Deuteronomy 23:4-5

The verses

“God came to Balaam, and said, “Who are these men with you?””
Numbers 22:9 · World English Bible
“God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.””
Numbers 22:12 · World English Bible
“God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak to you, that you shall do.””
Numbers 22:20 · World English Bible
“Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you. Have I now any power at all to speak anything? I will speak the word that God puts in my mouth.””
Numbers 22:38 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Numbers 22

Numbers 22: The donkey saw

Balak paid for a curse, but God had already said of Israel, "they are blessed" (22:12). On the road the donkey saw the LORD's angel three times before Balaam did, and the angel stood there "as an adversary", in Hebrew le-satan, the word's first use in the Hebrew Bible (22:22). Balaam arrived with one line: "I will speak the word that God puts in my mouth" (22:38).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekNumbers 22 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Numbers 22

All questions about Numbers →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

The best way to study the Bible.

Your small group or your church can use Favor for Bible study, or you can read by yourself.

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Last reviewed September 26, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions