Balaam was an evil non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Jews. After being thoroughly humiliated by a talking donkey, he found himself unable to curse the Jews, showering them with tremendous blessings instead. His downfall is recorded in the Torah portion of Matot. Read on for 14 facts about this shady biblical character, drawn from the Torah, its commentators, the Talmud, and Midrashic sources.
1. He Was the Non-Jewish World’s Greatest Prophet
Balaam was the greatest non-Jewish prophet who ever lived. In fact, his prophecy actually rivaled that of Moses!1 But this wasn’t because he deserved it. Rather, it was meant to disprove the nations’ claim that having a prophet of their own would help them improve their ways.2 Balaam can be compared to a royal cook: privy to palace secrets, yet not one of the king’s ministers.3
2. He Was Half Blind
Several of Balaam’s prophecies open with the phrase, “... the words of the man with the open eye …”4 Yes, that’s one open eye, not two. Our sages tell us that Balaam was blind in one eye, and lame in one leg as well.5
3. Some Say He Was Laban’s Son (or Even Laban Himself)
The Torah names Balaam’s father as Beor.6 A tradition recorded in the Talmud identifies this Beor as none other than Laban the Aramean, Jacob’s trickster father-in-law. (Indeed, Balaam is known to hail from Aram.7) Some understand this to mean that Laban was (not Balaam’s father but) his ancestor.8
Another tradition goes a step further, identifying Laban and Balaam as one and the same person9—fittingly, since both were known for their sorcery.10 According to the Midrash, the wall against which Balaam’s leg was crushed by his donkey was actually the mound of stones that Laban and Jacob erected as a covenant of peace between them.11 According to this tradition, by plotting to harm the Jews, Balaam/Laban was violating the covenant he himself had made never to harm Jacob’s descendants.12
(Some have identified Balaam with the Edomite king Bela son of Beor mentioned in Scripture, though others refute this.13)
4. He Advised Pharaoh to Enslave the Jews
According to a tradition recorded in the Talmud, Balaam served as one of Pharaoh’s advisors back when the Jews lived in Egypt, and he was the one who advised Pharaoh to throw the Jewish baby boys into the Nile.14
5. He Died at an Old—or Young—Age
According to these traditions, Balaam was an old man when he died—at least 150, or even past 400. But another tradition holds that he died at just 33, in line with the verse in Psalms that “men of blood and deceit will not live out half their days,”15 since the average lifespan is 70.16
6. His Prophecies and Curses Came True
Balak, king of Moab, was afraid that the Jews would vanquish him, so he sent for Balaam to curse them. Why Balaam specifically? Balak knew from two earlier episodes that Balaam’s prophecies and curses had a track record of being fulfilled:
- When Balak was younger, Balaam—who hailed from his hometown—prophesied that Balak would one day become king. Sure enough, that is what happened.17
- When Sichon, king of the Emorites, waged war against the Moabites, he hired Balaam to curse them—and won.18
Read: What Is Prophecy?
7. He Was Known for Three Evil Qualities
Our sages teach that you can tell the “students of Balaam” apart from the “students of Abraham” by three telltale traits:19
| Abraham and His Students | Balaam and His Students |
|---|---|
| Good eye | Evil eye |
| Humble spirit | Haughty spirit |
| Satisfied nature | Coveting nature |
Where do we see these three traits in Balaam himself?
- Haughty spirit: When Balak sent a delegation of dignitaries to summon him, Balaam responded, “It is beneath my dignity to go with you. I will only go with more distinguished officials.”20
- Coveting nature: Balaam told Balak’s messengers, “In truth, your master should give me all the gold and silver in his possession for my services!”21
- Evil eye: Later, once Balaam saw that his curses had turned into blessings, he tried a different tactic—attempting to harm the Jews simply by gazing at them with an evil eye.22
Read: What Is the Evil Eye?
8. He Conversed With a Donkey
On his way to Balak, a sword-wielding angel blocked Balaam’s path three separate times. Balaam couldn’t see the angel, but his donkey could, and the donkey sidestepped the danger each time, finally crouching down on the ground rather to avoid proceding. When Balaam struck the donkey for refusing to move, G‑d miraculously opened its mouth. The conversation that followed left Balaam thoroughly humiliated in front of the accompanying officials—after all, an animal had perceived what he, the great prophet, could not, and he couldn’t even control his own donkey!23
Read: Balaam and the Donkey
9. His Curses Turned into Blessings
Balaam finally met Balak, and together they made their way to a site overlooking the Jewish camp. Balaam stepped away to wait alone, hoping for Divine permission to unleash his curses. Instead, G‑d placed blessings in his mouth and made him recite them to Balak—much to the dismay of both men. Balaam tried again, and once again found himself forced to bless the Jewish people instead of cursing them.24
Our sages tell us that Balaam had come prepared with a specific list of curses in mind. G‑d simply flipped each one into its opposite. For instance, he wanted to say that the Jews should have no synagogues or houses of study. But instead, what came out of his mouth was, “How good are your tents, O Jacob!” which can also be understood as referring to “tents” of prayer and learning.25
Read: Our Goodly Tents
10. He Was Impressed by Jewish Modesty
By his third attempt, Balaam decided to switch tactics. This time, he planned something cunning: reminding G‑d of the sin of the Golden Calf, hoping it would provoke Divine punishment.
But when he turned to look at the Jewish camp, an impressive sight caught his eye: to preserve modesty, each tent’s entrance had been deliberately positioned so it didn’t face the entrance of any other tent, ensuring no one could see into their neighbor’s home. Struck by this, he changed course yet again and offered the Jewish people beautiful blessings instead—including the famous verse of Mah tovu: “How good are your tents, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel!”26
Read: Tzniut—Modesty
11. He Orchestrated a Sinning Spree
With his hopes dashed, Balak sent Balaam on his way, but Balaam’s hatred for the Jewish people hadn’t faded one bit. So he advised the Moabites and Midianites to send their women and girls to seduce the Jews into sin. Tragically, the plan worked: the Jews fell into his trap, and a Divine plague broke out as a result, claiming 24,000 lives.27
12. He Had a Bitter Downfall (Literally!)
Balaam’s blessings to the Jewish people turned out to be his very last prophecies. Fed up, G‑d withdrew His presence from Balaam entirely, reducing him to an ordinary commoner.28 And even in that diminished state, his time was short.
As told in Parshat Matot, the Jews were soon commanded to wage war against the Midianites as punishment for leading them astray. Balaam happened to be there at the time, to collect payment for his role in the deaths of the thousands of Jews who had perished because of his advice. According to a Midrashic tradition, Balaam used sorcery to make the five kings of Midian fly through the air, and he flew right alongside them—until Phinehas the Priest held up the tzitz, the headband engraved with G‑d’s name, causing them all to fall back down to earth. The victorious Jews then put the evil sorcerer to death.29
13. His Story Is Proof of the Bible’s Divinity
While every Jew accepts the Divine origin of the Torah with simple, perfect faith, there are logical proofs for it too, and the story of Balak and Balaam is a striking example. Throughout the episode, the two men never once made contact with the Jewish people. So how could Moses possibly have known the details of their private conversations? The only answer is that the Torah isn’t Moses’ own composition but the word of G‑d.30
14. He Prophesied About the Redemption
One of Balaam’s most remarkable prophecies looks ahead to the Future Redemption through Moshiach. He proclaimed: “I see him, but not now; I observe him, but he is not close. A star will issue from Jacob, and a rod will rise from Israel …”31 This is actually the clearest reference to Moshiach anywhere in the Five Books of Moses (such prophecies are far more common later, in the Books of Prophets). Of course, while in Balaam’s day Moshiach’s arrival was still distant, today it stands close at hand. May we merit to see it happen now!
Read: Who Is Moshiach?
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