It is not perhaps to be wondered at that the episode of Balaam (xxii, 2-xxiv, 25) should have been regard- ed as a later addition. The language is peculiar, as well as the general cast of the narrative. The proph- ecies are vivid, and the diction of them highly finished : very different from the rugged, vigorous fragments of ancient poetrj' which meet us in ch. xxi. On these
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grounds, as well as on the score of the distinctly Mes- sianic character of Balaam's prophecies, Ewald gives this episode to his Fifth Narrator, or the latest editor of the Pentateuch. This writer he supposes to have lived in the former half of the 8th century B.C., and hence he accounts for the reference to Assyria and the Cypriotes (the Chittira); the latter nation about that time probably infesting as pirates the coasts of Sj-ria, whereas Assyria might be joined with Eber, because as yet the Assyrian power, though hostile to the southern nations, Avas rather friendly than otherwise to Judah. The allusions to Edom and Moab as vanquished enemies have reference, it is said, to the time of David (Ewald, Gesch. i, 143 sq., and comp. ii, 277 sq.). The prophecies of Balaam tlierefore, on this hypothesis, are vaticinia ex eventu, put into his mouth by a clever but not very scrupulous writer of the time of Isaiah, who, finding some mention of Balaam as a prince of Midian in the older records, put the story into shape as we have it now. But this sort of criticism is so purely arbitrary that it scarcely merits a serious refutation, not to men- tion that it rests entirely on the assumption that in prophecy there is no such thing as prediction. AVe will only observe that, considering the peculiarity of the man and of the circumstances as given in the his- tory, we might expect to find the narrative itself, and certainly the poetical portions of it, marked by some peculiarities of thought and diction. Even granting that this episode is not by the same writer as the rest of the book of Numbers, there appears no valid reason to doubt its antiquity, or its rightful claim to the place which it at present occupies. Nothing can be more improbable than that, as a later invention, it should have found its way into the Book of the Law. At all events, the picture of this great magician is wonderful- ly in keeping with the circumstances under which he appears and with the prophecies which he utters. This is not the place to enter into all the questions which are suggested by his appearance on the scene. How it was that a heathen became a prophet of Jehovah we are not informed; but such a fact seems to point to some remains of a primitive revelation, not yet extinct, in other nations besides that of Israel. It is evident that his knowledge of God was beyond that of most heathen, and he himself could utter the passionate wish that he might be found in his death among the true servants of Jehovah ; but because the soothsaj'er's craft promised to be gainful, and the profession of it gave him an additional importance and influence in the eyes of men like Balak, he sought to combine it with his higher vocation. There is nothing more remarkable in the earh' history of Israel than Balaam's appearance. Sum- moned from his home by the Euphrates, he stands by his red altar-fires, weaving his dark and subtle sorceries, or goes to seek for enchantment, hoping, as he looked down upon the tents of Israel among the acacia-groves of the valley, to wither them with his word, yet con- strained to bless, and to foretell their future greatness. See Balaam.
The book of Numbers is rich in fragments of ancient poetry, some of them of great beauty, and all throwing an interesting light on the character of the times in which they were composed. Such, for instance, is the blessing of the high-priest (vi, 24-26) :
"Jehovah bless thee and keep thee: Jehovah make his countenance shine upon thee,
And be gracious unto thee : .Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee,
And give thee peace."
Such, too, are the chants which were the signal for the ark to move when the people journeyed, ainl for it to rest when they were about to encamp :
' Arise, O Jehovali ! let thine enemies be scattered: Lei them also that hate thee flee before thee."
And,
'Return, O Jehovah, To the ten thousands of the families of Israel !
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In ch. xxi we have a passage cited from a book called " The Book of the Wars of Jehovah." This was prob- ably a collection of ballads and songs composed on dif- ferent occasions by the watch-fires of the camp, and for the most part, though not perhaps exclusively, in com- memoration of tlie victories of the Israelites over their enemies. The title shows us that these were written by men imbued with a deep sense of religion, and who were therefore foremost to acknowledge that not their own prowess, but Jehovah's right hand, had given them the victory when they went forth to battle. Hence it was called, not " The Book of the Wars of Israel," but "The Book of the Wars of Jehovah." Possibly this is the book referred to in Exod. xvii, 14, especially as we read (ver. 16) that when Moses built the altar which he called Jehovah-Nissi (Jehovah is my banner), he exclaimed, "Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." • This expression may have given the name to the book. The fragment quoted from this collection is difficult, because the allusions in it are obscure. The Israelites had reached the Arnon, " which," says the historian, " forms the border of Moab, and separates between the Moabites and Amorites." " Wherefore it is said," he continues, " in the Book of the Wars of Jehovah :