25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust

"does not know, does not consider," and therefore virtually rushes on to destruction, v. 33.—¶ And went into the field. "In the East the roads are like bridle-paths across commons, and even through cultivated grounds are wholly unenclosed, except when they pass through gardens and plantations in the neighborhood of towns."-Pict. Bible. Mr. Kitto suggests in the same connection, that the ass, after the first view of the angel, turned aside from one of these bridle-paths into the wide fields through which it passed. Balaam then forced her back by blows into the road. But presently they came to a place where a deviation from the road was not possible, seeing it was confined by vineyard walls on the right hand and on the left. This fact he regards as an intimation, that they were approaching a town or village, and that the Moabite lords had gone on ahead to prepare a place for the diviner's reception. As the ass was gradually compelled into narrower and narrower straits, so it was with Balaam himself, and so it is with all men who imitate his perverse example in turning aside from the straightforward path, and roam abroad in the open fields or byways of disobedience. And Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. Gr. "Smote the ass with his rod, or staff," taken doubtless from v. 27. The perverseness of Balaam was equal to that of the beast, and equally deserving of chastisement.

26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to

ol, in a very narrow pass. The walls of two adjoining vineyards here stood so near to each other that an extremely narrow passage was all that remained between them, and the ass therefore could not diverge into the fields, as she had done before. If she attempted to move either way, in consequence of her advance being opposed, she must necessarily be brought in collision with the wall on one side or the other.

V. 25. She thrust herself against the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall. The original word for "thrust" and "crushed" is here the same (lâhatz), only one is in the passive or reflexive form, and the other in the active-lit. "She was violently pressed against the wall, and violently pressed Balaam's foot against the wall." The word occurs, 2 Kings 6:32, where the king's messenger, who was sent to take away Elisha's head, was "pressed (or crushed) in the door," though rendered in our version "held fast." "The children of God have the angels to keep them in all their ways, and to bear them up, 'lest they dash their foot against a stone,' but Balaam, tempting the Lord, hath his angel to withstand him, whereby his foot is crushed against the wall; yet maketh he no good use thereof."-Ainsworth. Physical disasters may befall the best of men, but the occurrence of such incidents is always calculated to prompt the inquiry within us, whether our way is right in his sight or not.

27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's

road-way, it seems, continued to grow more and more compressed and narrow, till at length it passed between walls so near together that any degree of turning was impossible. Here again the opposing angel took his station, and for the third time arrested the progress of the ass and his rider-emblematical, as we have before remarked, of the gradual course of the Divine providence in hedging up the way of wicked men, and causing them to fall before him. "Fear, and the pit, and the snare shall be upon thee. He that fleeth from the fear, shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare." Jer. 48: 43, 44,

V. 27. And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam. It is said to have been an old Pythagorean maxim, "Go not in the way where an ass has fallen down," something of evil omen being thereby implied. But for the deplorable hardness of Balaam's heart, he must have been struck and confounded by so extraordinary an incident as the ass' falling to the ground, as she was not usually restive, nor had she ever before served him thus. But he was too intent upon the attainment of his ends to consider the circumstance in its true light, and also to be aware that the falling of the ass had been the means of saving his life from the sword of the angel.¶ And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. "Thus they who by wilful sin are running headlong into perdition, are angry at those who would prevent their ruin."-Henry.

28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass; and she said

2 Pet. 2. 16.

V. 28. The Lord opened the mouth of the ass. The precise nature of the miracle here recorded it is not easy to define. From the simple letter we should infer that the vocal sounds were formed by the pulmonary organs of the animal, nor can we affirm that such was not the fact. Yet, on the other hand, they may have been caused by a direct act of divine power, and made to produce upon the auditory nerve of Balaam the same effect as if they had issued from the organs of the ass. But certain it is, that the ass understood nothing that was uttered. Articulate sounds with men are caused by the action of the mind operating upon the lungs, and are, in fact, thought speaking. Not so with the brute animal. He is not capable of that kind of thought which shapes itself into words, and, therefore, if he speaks, his lungs must be mechanically moved by a foreign power, or the speaking must proceed apparently from the animal, but really from Omnipotence. The difference, however, between the two modes of construing the record is rather formal than real. A miracle is to be affirmed in either case, and on either view the credit of the Holy Volume, as an inspired book, is abundantly sustained. What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? The simple pathos of this appeal would seem capable of softening the obduracy and disarming the rage of Balaam, whose madness was thus powerfully and affectingly rebuked. But one whose folly would not be amended by braying in a mortar, Prov.

27: 22, would be little likely to be wrought upon by the intelligent and articulate braying of the ass.

V. 29. Because thou hast mocked me. He could see the alleged mockery of the ass toward him, but could not realize his own mockery of God, who had so solemnly charged him as to the conduct he was to observe in this emergency. For now I would kill thee. This might properly have reminded him of his impotency in regard to any injury he would have inflicted upon Israel. His will would not be seconded by his ability. Another practical lesson to be drawn from this item of the narrative is suggested by the old commentator Ness: "The ass had turned out of the literal highway for saving her own life, and the life of her master, yet did he smite her, and would have killed her for so doing: Whereas himself had turned out of the metaphorical way of the Lord, and followed his own crooked ways with a purpose to destroy the lives of God's people; therefore he deserved more to be smitten, yea, and killed, than his ass."

V. 30. Upon which thou hast ridden ever since (I was) thine unto this day. The phrase in the original is somewhat indefinite, being made up of the particle for "since" and the suffix "thou" or "thine"-lit. "since thou," i. e., since thou wast a rider. Gr. "From thy youth." Chald. "Since thou hast been." Sam. "From thy beginning." Vulg. "Am not I thy beast on which thou

30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

31 Then the LORD opened' the

t Gen. 21. 19. 2 K. 6. 17. Luke 24. 16, 31. hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day?" The import probably is, that he was the only animal on which Balaam had ridden since the time that he began to ride at all, or, in other words, from his youth. He was his familiar hack; and as he had now done three times what he had never done before, he had at least the right to claim of Balaam that he should attribute it to some extraordinary cause. See a parallel usage, Gen. 48: 15, where the same Heb. term is rendered "all my life long." Gr. "From my youth."

- Was I ever wont to do so unto thee? Heb. "Have I accustoming been accustomed?" As the ass was of course incapable of understanding Balaam, or of making any such remonstrance as this, the words are to be considered as the Lord's own rebuke, apparently uttered by the dumb beast, of the harshness and cruelty of Balaam. It clearly involved the implication, that when the creatures over whom the Lord has given us dominion, depart from their wonted obedience, it is to be presumed that there is some good reason for it, and that reason is to be sought in ourselves. To forbear to make the inquiry is to give evidence of astonishing hardness of heart and blindness of mind.

-¶And he said, Nay. Thus confessing to the justice of the ass's plea. Even with all his perverseness he could not withstand the reasonableness of the expostulation.

V. 81. Then the Lord opened the eyes

the

way,

of Balaam, and he saw the angel, etc. Or, Heb. "Uncovered the eyes," as if by the removal of a veil. That is, the eyes of his spirit, for angels and divine theophanies are never seen by the natural eye. He had, no doubt, the use of outward vision before, but here was a supernatural couching of the internal eye which revealed to him a divine antagonist confronting him in his way. The reproving aspect of the august personage before him was rendered still more terrible by the drawn sword in his hand, the symbol of opposition and warfare. The prophet was apparently going forward in accordance with a divine dictation, yet in truth in contrariety to the will of God. A conditional permission he had construed unconditionally, and notwithstanding he had been so solemnly assured that Israel was blessed, and was to be blessed, still he was going with a desire and a purpose to curse them. In order to awaken him to a sense of his wickedness, the Lord sent an angel, or rather appeared as an angel, to stop him in his presumptuous course. It is thus that the Most High often interposes to arrest the progress of sinners, and prevent the commission of iniquity. Not that he manifests himself precisely in this way, but as his resources are infinite, he has innumerable methods of putting forth providential hindrances in the way of the perpetration of evil on the part of rash or heedless transgressors. How many, by the approach of some unexpected person, or by some suggestion of their own minds, are deterred from theft, robbery, burglary, adultery, or murder. It only requires that the eyes of our understandings should be opened to see under what obligations

u Ex. 34. 8.

of gratitude we are laid by these seasonable and saving interpositions, however unwelcome they may be at the time. "Lo all these things worketh God often times with man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living." "When our eyes are opened, we shall see what danger we are in in a sinful way; and how much it was for our advantage to be crossed in it, and what fools we were to quarrel with our crosses, which helped to save our lives."

Henry.- -¶ And he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. The original is here marked by a certain degree of ambiguity, so that we are left in doubt whether it is intended to be said that Balaam fell down upon his own face, or that he prostrated himself before the face or person of the angel, as is clearly understood by the Greek. The usage of the Hebrew will admit of either rendering, but it would require an extended display of that usage to determine the question to the satisfaction of the reader. This we shall waive for the present, simply remarking that, as far as we have investigated the diction of the sacred writers, the evidence preponderates to our mind in favor of the Greek version, viz., that he humbled himself before the face of the angel. So also the Vulg. "Adoravit eum pronus in terram,” adored him (falling) prone to the ground. It would seem that Balaam recognized in the heavenly visitant a proper object of the profoundest worship, which we know that angels are not. From the tenor of the narra

tive it is to be inferred, also, that Balaam had at this time dismounted from the ass, which he had probably done when she laid down under him, v. 27.