Keywords

Biblical studies, Mormon studies, Book of Numbers, Balaam

Abstract

Balaam, the non-Israelite who prophesied positively about the Israelites, remains an enigmatic biblical figure, at least in part, because we cannot fully or confidently answer several important questions about him. The account of Balaam in Numbers 22–24 is oddly unique and reads like an independent unit, but it connects in several ways with the content and themes of the rest of the book of Numbers. So, however this account developed and was incorporated into the book of Numbers, it can at least be appreciated as part of the organic whole of the book.

Original Publication Citation

“Balaam in the Book of Numbers,” in From Creation to Sinai: The Old Testament through the Lens of the Restoration, Daniel L. Belnap and Aaron P. Schade, eds. (BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book: Provo and Salt Lake City, UT, 2021), 561–598.