The Oracle against Moab: Balak and Balaam
Tomos 3. “The oracle against Moab” (Isaiah 15:1).
Having fully finished his discourse on the Babylonians and the Philistines, he now turns his prophecy to Moab, that is, against the capital city of the Moabites, the whole country, and the kingdom itself. They too were a barbarous nation, hateful to God, because they were wholly given over to the worship of idols, trusted above all in the art of magic, exalted themselves against the glory of God, and were among the bitterest enemies of the people of Israel.
Indeed, when the Israelites had been freed from the greed of the Egyptians and were going to the land of promise, they very nearly all perished, as far as the scheme of Balak, then king of the Moabites, could bring it about. It is written thus in Numbers: “And all the sons of Israel encamped on the west of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho. And Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorite; and Moab was greatly afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was filled with dread before the sons of Israel” (Numbers 22:1-3).
Then what was his wicked scheme? He hired Balaam from Mesopotamia, a false prophet and an augur, and then appealed to him, saying: “Curse Israel for me. For I know,” he says, “that those whom you bless are blessed, and those whom you curse are cursed” (Numbers 22:6). So Balaam went through his ways of sorcery, with altars set up and sacrifices offered (Numbers 23:1-2). But Balak was cheated of his hope and missed his aim, for the man brought in to curse them unexpectedly blessed Israel (Numbers 24:10).
When his attempt had turned out contrary to his hopes, he pursued his malice against them again by another way. For he caught the Israelites as in a net, carried away by the beauty of the women, so that they forsook their love for God and chose to worship Baal of Peor, an idol of the Moabites. It is written thus again in Numbers: “And Israel lodged at Shittim, and the people were defiled by committing fornication with the daughters of Moab; and they invited them to the sacrifices of their idols, and the people ate of their sacrifices and bowed down to their idols. And Israel was initiated into the rites of Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry with Israel in His wrath” (Numbers 25:1-3).
For since, with God defending them, …
Greek
ΤΟΜΟΣ Γʹ. ΤΟ ΡΗΜΑ ΤΟ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΩΑΒΙΤΙ∆ΟΣ.}1 ∆ιαπεράνας εὖ μάλα τὸν ἐπί γε τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις λόγον, μεθίστησι πάλιν τὴν προαγόρευσιν ἐπὶ τῇ Μωαβίτιδι· τοῦτ' ἔστι κατὰ ‹70.397› τῆς τῶν Μωαβιτῶν μητροπόλεως χώρας τε ἁπάσης καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς βασιλείας. Ἔθνος καὶ αὐτοὶ βάρβα- ρον, ἀπηχθημένον παρὰ Θεῷ, διάτοι τὸ ἐγκεῖσθαι μὲν ὁλοτρόπως ταῖς τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαις, ἐπιθαρ- σεῖν δὲ μάλιστα τῇ μάγῳ τέχνῃ, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κατεπαίρεσθαι δόξης, εἶναί τε τῶν ὅτι μάλιστα πολεμιωτάτων τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ γοῦν ὅτε τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἀπηλλαγμένοι πλεονεξίας, ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἀπῄεσαν γῆν, μικροῦ δεῖν ἅπαντες δι- ολώλασι, τό γε ἧκον εἰς τὸ ἐγχείρημα Βαλὰκ, ὃς ἦν βασιλεὺς τὸ τηνικάδε τῶν Μωαβιτῶν. Γέγραπται δὲ οὕτως ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς· "6Καὶ ἅπαντες υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ παρενέβαλον ἐπὶ δυσμῶν Μωὰβ, παρὰ τὸν Ἰορδάνην κατὰ Ἱεριχώ. Καὶ ἰδὼν Βαλὰκ υἱὸς Σεπφὼρ, πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν Ἰσραὴλ τῷ Ἀμοῤῥαίῳ· καὶ ἐφοβήθη Μωὰβ τὸν λαὸν σφόδρα, ὅτι πολλοὶ ἦσαν. Καὶ προσ- ώχθισε Μωὰβ ἐκ προσώπου υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ."6 Εἶτα ποῖον αὐτῷ γέγονε τὸ κακούργημα; Κατεμισθοῦτο τὸν Βαλαὰμ ἐκ τῆς Μεσοποταμίας· ψευδόμαντις δὲ οὗτος καὶ οἰωνοσκόπος· εἶτα παρακαλεῖ, λέγων· Ἐπάρασαί μοι τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Οἶδα γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι οὓς ἂν σὺ εὐλογήσῃς, ηὐλόγηνται, καὶ οὓς ἂν σὺ καταράσῃ, κεκατήρανται. Καὶ οἱ μὲν τῆς γοητείας ἐπράττοντο παρ' ἐκείνου τρόποι, βωμῶν τε ἐγηγερ- μένων, καὶ θυσιῶν προσκεκομισμένων. Ἐσφάλλετο δὲ τῆς ἐλπίδος ὁ Βαλὰκ, καὶ τῶν κατὰ γνώμην ἡμάρ- τηκεν, εὐλογοῦντος ἀδοκήτως τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ παρα- λειφθέντος εἰς τὸ παραράσασθαι δεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰς τὸ παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐκβέβηκεν αὐτῷ τὸ ἐγχείρημα, πάλιν ἑτέρῳ μέτεισι τρόπῳ τῆς κατ' αὐτῶν δυστρο- πίας τὸ χρῆμα. Σεσαγήνευκε γὰρ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, ταῖς τῶν γυναικῶν ὥραις συνηρπασμένους ἐπί γε τὸ χρῆναι τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπης ἀποφοιτᾷν, καὶ προσκυ- νεῖν ἑλέσθαι τῷ Βεελφεγώρ· εἴδωλον δὲ τοῦτο τῶν Μωα- βιτῶν. Γέγραπται δὲ οὕτω πάλιν ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς· "6Καὶ κατέλυσεν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν Σαττεὶμ, καὶ ἐβεβηλώθη ὁ λαὸς, ἐκπορνεῦσαι ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας Μωὰβ, καὶ ἐκάλεσαν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔφα- γεν ὁ λαὸς τῶν θυσιῶν αὐτῶν· καὶ προσεκύνησαν 145 τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐτελέσθη Ἰσραὴλ τῷ Βεελφεγὼρ, καὶ ὠργίσθη θυμῷ Κύριος τῷ Ἰσραήλ."6 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐπαμύνοντος δεινὸ