Balaam - wikipedia Balaam This article is about the prophet. For other uses, see Balaam ( disambiguation ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2010 ) Balaam and the angel, painting from Gustav Jaeger, 1836. Balaam / ˈbeɪlæm / ( Hebrew : בִּלְעָם ‬, Standard Bilʻam Tiberian Bileʻām ) is a diviner in the Torah, his story begins in Chapter 22 in the Book of Numbers ( Hebrew : במדבר ‬ ). Every ancient reference to Balaam considers him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of Beor, though Beor is not clearly identified. Though some sources may only describe the positive blessings he delivers upon the Israelites, he is reviled as a `` wicked man '' in both Torah and its commentaries, as well as in the New Testament. Balaam refused to speak what God did not speak and would not curse the Israelites, even though King Balak of Moab offered him money to do so ( Numbers 22 -- 24 ). But Balaam 's error and the source of his wickedness came from sabotaging the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land. According to Revelation 2 : 14, Balaam told King Balak how to get the Israelites to commit sin by enticing them with sexual immorality and food sacrificed to idols. The Israelites fell into transgression due to these traps and God sent a deadly plague to them as a result ( Numbers 31 : 16 ). Contents 1 Balaam and Balak 2 Prophecies 3 Balaam in rabbinic literature 4 Balaam in the New Testament, Josephus, and Philo 5 Balaam in the Quran 6 Balaam and the Deir Alla inscription 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links Balaam and Balak The main story of Balaam occurs during the sojourn of the Israelites in the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, at the close of 40 years of wandering, shortly before the death of Moses and the crossing of the Jordan. The Israelites have already defeated two kings in Transjordan : Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Balak, king of Moab, consequently becomes alarmed, and sends elders of Midian and his Moabite messengers, to Balaam, son of Beor, to induce him to come and curse Israel. Balaam 's location, Pethor, is simply given as `` which is by the river of the land of the children of his people '' in the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint, though the Samaritan Pentateuch, Vulgate, and Peshitta all identify his land as Ammon. Balaam and the angel. Nuremberg Chronicle ( 1493 ) The Prophet Balaam and the Angel Balaam sends back word that he can only do what YHWH commands, and God has, via a nocturnal dream, told him not to go. Balak consequently sends higher - ranking priests and offers Balaam honours ; Balaam continues to press God, and God finally permits him to go but with instructions to say only what he commands. Balaam then sets out in the morning with the princes of Moab. God becomes angry that he went, and sends the Angel of the Lord ( Numbers 22 : 22 ) to prevent him. At first, the angel is seen only by the donkey Balaam is riding, which tries to avoid the angel. After Balaam starts punishing the donkey for refusing to move, it is miraculously given the power to speak to Balaam ( Numbers 22 : 28 ), and it complains about Balaam 's treatment. At this point, Balaam is allowed to see the angel, who informs him that the donkey is the only reason the angel did not kill Balaam. Balaam immediately repents, but is told to go on. Balak meets with Balaam at Kirjat Huzoth, and they go to the `` high places of Baal '', and offer sacrifices on seven altars, leading to Balaam being given a prophecy by Yahweh, which he speaks to Balak. However, the prophecy blesses Israel ; Balak remonstrates, but Balaam reminds him that he can only speak the words put in his mouth, so Balak takes him to another `` high place '' at Pisgah, to try again. Building another seven altars here, and making sacrifices on each, Balaam provides another prophecy blessing Israel. Balaam finally gets taken by a now very frustrated Balak to Peor, and, after the seven sacrifices there, decides not to `` seek enchantments '' but instead looks upon the Israelites from the peak. The Spirit of God comes upon Balaam and he delivers a third positive prophecy concerning Israel. Balak 's anger rises to the point where he threatens Balaam, but Balaam merely offers a prediction of fate. Balaam then looks upon the Kenites, and Amalekites and offers two more predictions of their fates. Balak and Balaam then go to their respective homes. Later, Numbers 25 : 1 - 9 describes how Israel engaged in sexual immorality and idolatry with the women of Moab, resulting in God 's anger and a deadly plague. Numbers 31 : 16 attributes this to the advice of Balaam : `` Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. '' Book of Deuteronomy 23 : 3 -- 6 summarises these incidents, and further states that the Ammonites were associated with the Moabites. Joshua, in his farewell speech, also makes reference to it. With God 's protection taken from him, Balaam is later listed among the Midianites who were killed in revenge for the `` matter of Peor ''. Joshua 13 : 22 records that Balaam died `` by the sword '' during a battle for the Reubenite occupation of Moabite land. Revelation also states that Balaam `` taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel. '' Prophecies Balaam and the Ass, by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1626. All the prophecies which Balaam makes take the form of ( Hebrew ) poems : The first, Numbers 23 : 7 -- 10, prophesies the unique exaltation of the Kingdom of Israel, and its countless numbers. The second, Numbers 23 : 18 -- 24, celebrates the moral virtue of Israel, its monarchy, and military conquests. The third, Numbers 24 : 3 -- 9, celebrates the glory and conquests of Israel 's monarchy. The fourth, Numbers 24 : 14 -- 19, prophesies the coming of a king who will conquer Edom and Moab. The fifth, Numbers 24 : 20, concerns the ruins of Amalek. The sixth, Numbers 24 : 21 -- 22, concerns the destruction of the Kenites by Assyria. The seventh, Numbers 24 : 23 -- 24, concerns `` ships of Kittim '' coming from the west to attack Assyria and Eber. The poems fall into three groups. The first group consists of two poems which characteristically start immediately. The third group of three poems also start immediately, but are much shorter. The second group, however, consists of two poems which both start : Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said : He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open... Of these, the first and third groups are considered, according to the Documentary Hypothesis, to originate within the Elohist text, whereas the second group is considered to belong to the Jahwist. Thus the Elohist describes Balaam giving two blessings, making sacrifices on seven altars, at the high places of Baal, before each, then deciding not to `` seek enchantments '' after the third set of sacrifices, but to `` set his face upon the wilderness, '' which Balak views as a third blessing, and so Balaam then gives the three final predictions of fate. Conversely, in the Jahwist source, Balaam arrives, the spirit of God comes upon him, and he simply delivers a blessing and a prophecy, in succession. The poems themselves are considered to predate the Jahwist and Elohist, and simply to have been embedded by them in their works. While the Elohist took off whatever introduction was present in the poems they chose, the Jahwist left it on. An archaeological discovery in 1967 uncovered references to a Book of Balaam, from which these poems may have originally been taken. The first four poems are commonly regarded as ancient lyrics of the early monarchy of Israel and Judah, although several critics suspect that they have been edited either from less edifying oracles or from oracles which did not refer to Israel. Agag, mentioned in the third poem, is described as a great king, which does not correspond to the king of the Amalekites who was named Agag, and described in I Samuel 15, since that description considers Amalek to be small and obscure. While it is the Masoretic text of the poem that uses the word Agag, the Septuagint, other Greek versions, and the Samaritan Pentateuch, all have Gog ( i.e., king Gyges of Lydia, 716 BC to 678 BC ), implying a very late date for the poem. These names are consequently thought to be textual corruptions, and Og has been suggested as the original. The final three poems do not refer either to Israel or to Moab, and are thus considered unusual, since they seem to have little relevance to the narrative. It is thought that they may have been added to bring the number of poems either up to five, if inserted into the Elohist source, or up to seven, if only inserted once JE was constructed. While the sixth poem refers to Assyria, it is uncertain whether it is an historical reference to ancient Ninevah, or a prophecy, which some religious commentators consider refers to the Seleucid kingdom of Syria, which also took the name Assyria. The seventh is also ambiguous, and may either be a reference to the Sea Peoples, or, again in the view of some religious commentators, to the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great. In the view of textual criticism the narrative, excepting the episode involving the donkey, is simply a framework invented in order to be able to insert much older poems. Balaam in rabbinic literature In rabbinic literature Balaam is represented as one of seven gentile prophets ; the other six being Beor ( Balaam 's father ), Job, and Job 's four friends ( Talmud, B.B. 15b ). In this literature, Balaam gradually acquired a position among the non-Jews, which was exalted as much as that of Moses among the Jews ( Midrash Numbers Rabbah 20 ) ; at first being a mere interpreter of dreams, but later becoming a magician, until finally the spirit of prophecy descended upon him ( ib. 7 ). According to a negative view of Balaam in the Talmud, Balaam possessed the gift of being able to ascertain the exact moment during which God is wroth -- a gift bestowed upon no other creature. Balaam 's intention was to curse the Israelites at this moment of wrath, and thus cause God himself to destroy them ; but God purposely restrained His anger in order to baffle the wicked prophet and to save the nation from extermination ( Talmud, Berachot 7a ). The Talmud also recounts a more positive view of Balaam, stating that when the Law was given to Israel, a mighty voice shook the foundations of the earth, so much so that all kings trembled, and in their consternation turned to Balaam, inquiring whether this upheaval of nature portended a second deluge ; the prophet assured them that what they heard was the voice of God, giving the sacred law to the Israelites ( Talmud, Zeb. 116a ). According to Jewish legend, Balaam was made this powerful in order to prevent the non-Jewish tribes from saying : `` If we had only had our own Moses, we would be as pious as the Jews. '' The wicked Balaam is included in the list of persons born circumcised along with Moses in the book Abbot De-Rabbi Natan. In rabbinical literature the epithet rasha, translating as the wicked one, is often attached to the name of Balaam ( Talmud Berachot l.c. ; Taanit 20a ; Midrash Numbers Rabbah 20 : 14 ). Balaam is pictured as blind in one eye and lame in one foot ( Talmud Sanhedrin 105a ) ; and his disciples ( followers ) are distinguished by three morally corrupt qualities : an evil eye a haughty bearing an avaricious spirit Due to his behavior with the Midianites, the Rabbis interpret Balaam as responsible for the behavior during the Heresy of Peor, which they consider to have been unchastity, and consequently the death of 24,000 victims of the plague which God sent as punishment. When Balaam saw that he could not curse the children of Israel, the Rabbis assert that he advised Balak, as a last resort, to tempt the Hebrew nation to immoral acts and, through these, to the worship of Baal - peor. The God of the Hebrews, adds Balaam, according to the Rabbis, hates lewdness ; and severe chastisement must follow ( San. 106a ; Yer. ib. x. 28d ; Num. R. l.c. ). The Rabbis, playing on the name Balaam, call him `` Belo ' Am '' ( without people ; that is, without a share with the people in the world to come ), or `` Billa ' ' Am '' ( one that ruined a people ) ; and this hostility against his memory finds its climax in the dictum that whenever one discovers a feature of wickedness or disgrace in his life, one should preach about it ( Sanh. 106b ). In the process of killing Balaam ( Num. xxxi. 8 ), all four legal methods of execution -- stoning, burning, decapitating, and strangling -- were employed ( Sanh. l.c. ). He met his death at the age of thirty - three ( ib. ) ; and it is stated that he had no portion in the world to come ( Sanh. x. 2 ; 90a ). The book devotes a special section to the history of the prophet discussing why God has taken away the power of prophecy from the Gentiles ( Tan., Balak, 1 ). Moses is expressly mentioned as the author of this episode in the Pentateuch ( B.B. 14b ). J. Sr. H.M. `` Ahithophel of the house of Israel and Balaam of the heathen nations were the two great sages of the world who, failing to show gratitude to God for their wisdom, perished in dishonor. To them the prophetic word finds application : ' Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, ' Jer. ix. 23 '' ( Num. R. xxii. ). In ( Sanhedrin 106b ) and ( Giṭtin 57a ) Balaam may be likened to Jesus. Some have theorized that Balaam became used as a pseudonym for Jesus in Jewish literature. Balaam in the New Testament, josephus, and Philo In the New Testament, Balaam is cited as a type of avarice ; for example in Book of Revelation 2 : 14 we read of false teachers at Pergamum who held the `` teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling - block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. '' Balaam has attracted much interest, alike from Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Josephus paraphrases the story more so, and speaks of Balaam as the best prophet of his time, but with a disposition ill - adapted to resist temptation. Philo describes him as a great magician in the Life of Moses ; elsewhere he speaks of `` the sophist Balaam, being, '' i.e. symbolizing `` a vain crowd of contrary and warring opinions '' and again as `` a vain people '' -- both phrases being based on a mistaken etymology of the name Balaam. A man also named Balaam also figures as an example of a false prophet motivated by greed or avarice in both 2 Peter 2 : 15 and in Jude 1 : 11. This Balaam is listed as the son of Bezer, which is usually identified as Beor. Some authors claim that Bezer was the Aramaic pronunciation of Beor, while others hold that Peter was attempting to play off the Hebrew word basar or `` flesh '' to insult Balaam. Later Jewish tradition similarly played with Balaam 's name to call him corrupt and imply bestiality. Still other authors hold that Bezer and Beor are distinct, while still identifying the Balaams of the Old and New Testaments, claiming that Beor is Balaam 's father and Bezer is Balaam 's home town. Balaam in the quran Musa Mūsa ٰمُوسَى Moses Ten Commandments Tawrat Ṣuḥuf Mūsā Biblical and Quranic narratives Prophets and messengers in Islam Golden calf Asiya Balaam Samiri Ulu'l azm prophets Islam portal Regarding the Islamic view of Balaam, no clear reference is made to Balaam in the Qur'an. However, the commentators argue that he is the one to whom the following text is referring : Relate to them the story of the man to whom We sent Our signs, but he passed them by : so Satan followed him up, and he went astray. If it had been Our will, We should have elevated him with Our signs ; but he inclined to the earth, and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog : if you attack him, he lolls out his tongue, or if you leave him alone, he ( still ) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject Our signs ; So relate the story ; perchance they may reflect. -- Qur'an, sura 7 ( Al - A'raf ), ayat 175 -- 176 The Muslim commentators explain that Balaam was a Canaanite who had been given knowledge of some of the books of God. His people asked him to curse Moses ( Musa ) and those who were with him, but he said, `` How can I curse one who has angels with him ? '' They continued to press him, however, until he cursed the Israelites, and, as a consequence, they remained 40 years in the Wilderness of the Wanderings. Then, when he had cursed Moses, his tongue came out and fell upon his breast, and he began to pant like a dog. The story as told by Tabari is somewhat more Biblical. Balaam had the knowledge of the Most Sacred Name of God, and whatever he asked of God was granted to him. The story of Balaam and the ass, then follows at length. When it came to the actual cursing, God `` turned his tongue '' so that the cursing fell upon his own people and the blessing upon Israel. Then his tongue came out and hung down on his breast. Finally, he advised his people to adorn and beautify their women and to send them out to ensnare the Israelites. The story of the plague at Baal - peor and of Cozbi and Zimri follows. According to another story which al - Tabari gives, Balaam was a renegade Israelite who knew the Most Sacred Name, and to gain the things of this world, went over to the Canaanites. Al - Tha'labi adds that Balaam was descended from Lot. He gives, too, the story of Balaam 's dream, his being forbidden by God to curse Israel. Another version is that Balak, the king of Bal'a, compelled Balaam to use the Most Sacred Name against Israel. The curse fell automatically, and Moses, having learned from whence it came, entreated God to take from Balaam his knowledge of the Name and his faith. This being done, they went out from him in the form of a white dove. Balaam and the Deir Alla inscription Further information : Deir Alla Inscription In 1967, at Deir Alla, Jordan, archaeologists found an inscription with a story relating visions of the seer of the gods Bala'am, son of Be'or, who may be the same Bala'am mentioned in Numbers 22 -- 24 and in other passages of the Bible. This Bala'am differs from the one in Numbers in that rather than being a prophet of Yahweh he is associated with Ashtar, a god named Shgr, and Shadday gods and goddesses. The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies describes it as `` the oldest example of a book in a West Semitic language written with the alphabet, and the oldest piece of Aramaic literature. '' The inscription is datable to ca. 840 -- 760 BCE ; it was painted in red and black inks, apparently to emphasize the text, on fragments of a plastered wall : 119 pieces of inked plaster were recovered. According to the story in the inscription, Balaam wakes up weeping and tells his people that the gods appeared to him in the night telling him about a goddess threatening to destroy the land. She is to cover the sky and reduce the world to complete darkness. Meindert Dijkstra suggests that `` the reticence of OT scholarship to take account of the text may be attributable to its damaged state, the difficulty of reconstructing and reading it, and the many questions it raises of script, language, literary form and religious content. '' See also Balak ( parsha ) Biblical archaeology Notes Jump up ^ Mangold, Max. `` A Pronouncing and Phonetic Dictionary of Biblical Names ''. University of Tubingen. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2012. Jump up ^ II Peter 2 : 15, Jude 11, Revelation 2 : 14 Jump up ^ Numbers 22 : 2 Jump up ^ Numbers 22 : 4 -- 5 Jump up ^ Revelation 2 : 14 Jump up ^ See Critical View Nearly all modern expositors agree that the section xxii. -- xxiv. belongs to the composite document JE `` Balaam ''. Jewishencyclopedia.com. Jump up ^ The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan, Translated from the Hebrew by Judah Goldin, Yale Judaica Series 10, Chapter 2, p 23. Jump up ^ `` Jewish Encyclopedia ''. Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Bilam & Jesus ''. Oztorah.com. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 30. Jump up ^ Bileam and Jesus, in `` Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für Jüdische Theologie, '' Volume 6, pp. 31 -- 37 Jump up ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, under the category of : Balaam Jump up ^ Schäfer, Peter. Jesus in the Talmud. Princeton University Press ( 2007 ), Pages : 86 - 174 Jump up ^ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, iv. 6, § 2 Jump up ^ Philo, De Vita Moysis, i. 48 : `` a man renowned above all men for his skill as a diviner and a prophet, who foretold to the various nations important events, abundance and rain, or droughts and famine, inundations or pestilence. '' Jump up ^ Who 's Who of the Bible : Everything you need to know about everyone named in the Bible by Martin H. Manser and Debra Reid, Lion Books, 3 Jan 2013, p. 53 Jump up ^ The Proper Names of the Bible ; Their Orthography, Pronunciation, and Signification, Etc by John Farrar, John Mason, 1839, p. 58 ^ Jump up to : A Dictionary of the Bible, Comprising Its Antiquities, Biography, Geography, and Natural History by William George Smith, S.S. Scranton & Company, 1896, p. 123 ^ Jump up to : Jude and 2 Peter ( Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament ) by Gene Green, Baker Academic, 1 Nov 2008, p. 289 Jump up ^ Quran 7 : 175 -- 176 Jump up ^ `` Annales, '' ed. De Goeje, i. 508 et seq. Jump up ^ Num. xxv. 14, 15. Jump up ^ ' i'a ' al - Anbiyya, pp. 206 et seq., Cairo ed., 1298. Jump up ^ Thomas L. Thompson ( 2000 ). `` Problems of Genre and Historicity with Palestine 's Descriptions ''. In André Lemaire, Magne Saebo. Supplements to Vetus Testamentum, Volume 80. Brill. p. 322. ISBN 978 - 9004115989. Jump up ^ Allan Millard ( 2006 ). `` Authors, Books and Readers in the Ancient World ''. In J.W. Rogerson, Judith M. Lieu. The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 554. ISBN 978 - 0199254255. Jump up ^ J. Hoftijzer and G. van der Kooij, Aramaic Texts from Deir ' Alla Documenta et Monumenta Orientis Antiqui 19 ( Leiden ) 1976. Jump up ^ Meindert Dijkstra, `` Is Balaam Also among the Prophets ? '' Journal of Biblical Literature 114. 1 ( Spring 1995, pp. 43 -- 64 ), p. 44. References Ausloos, Hans, On an Obedient Prophet and a Fickle God. The Narrative of Balaam in Numbers 22 -- 24, in Old Testament Essays 20 ( 2007 ) 84 - 104 Hoftijzer, Jacob. `` The Prophet Balaam in a 6th Century Aramaic Inscription. '' Biblical Archaeologist 39.1 ( March 1976 ), pp. 11 -- 17 ( electronic edition 2001 ). McCarter, P. Kyle. `` The Balaam Texts from Deir Allā : The First Combination. '' Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 239 ( Summer 1980 ), pp. 49 -- 60. Olrik, Axel ( Kirsten Wolf and Jody Jensen, trs. ). Principles for Oral Narrative Research. Indianapolis : Indiana University Press, 1921 ( tr. 1992 ). Shenk, Robert. `` The Coherence of the Biblical Story of Balaam. '' Literature and Belief 13 ( 1993 ), 31 - 51. Van Kooten, George H. and Jacques van Ruiten ( edd. ). Prestige of the Pagan Prophet Balaam in Judaism, Early Christianity and Islam. Leiden : Brill, 2008. Attribution This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Singer, Isidore ; et al., eds. ( 1901 -- 1906 ). `` Balaam ''. Jewish Encyclopedia. New York : Funk & Wagnalls Company. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balaam. Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Balaam. Bibliography on Balaam Biblical Hebrew Poetry -- Reconstructing the Original Oral, Aural and Visual Experience The Oracles of Balaam ( poetic portions of Numbers 23 : 7 -- 24 : 24 ) Reconstructed The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia ( ISBE ), James Orr, M.A., D.D., General Editor -- 1915 ( online ) Easton 's Bible Dictionary, M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. ( online ) Hitchcock Bible Names Dictionary ( online ) Nave Topical Bible, Orville J. Nave, AM., D.D., LL. D. ( online ) Smith 's Bible Dictionary ( 1896 ) ( online ) Prophets in the Hebrew Bible Pre-Patriarchal Abel Kenan Enoch Noah ( in rabbinic literature ) Patriarchs / Matriarchs Abraham Isaac Jacob Levi Joseph Sarah Rebecca Rachel Leah Israelite prophets in the Torah Moses ( in rabbinic literature ) Aaron Miriam Eldad and Medad Phinehas Mentioned in the Former Prophets Joshua Deborah Gideon Eli Elkanah Hannah Abigail Samuel Gad Nathan David Solomon Jeduthun Ahijah Shemaiah Elijah Elisha Iddo Hanani Jehu Micaiah Jahaziel Eliezer Zechariah ben Jehoiada Huldah Major Isaiah ( in rabbinic literature ) Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel ( in rabbinic literature ) Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah ( in rabbinic literature ) Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Noahide Beor Balaam Job ( in rabbinic literature ) Other Amoz Beeri Baruch Agur Uriah Buzi Mordecai Esther ( in rabbinic literature ) Oded Azariah Italics indicate persons whose status as prophets is not universally accepted. People and things in the Quran hide Characters Non-humans Allāh ( `` The God '' ) Names of Allah found in the Quran, such as Karīm ( Generous ) Beings in Paradise Ghilmān or Wildān Ḥūr Animals Related The baqarah ( cow ) of Israelites The dhi'b ( wolf ) that Jacob feared could attack Joseph The hud - hud ( hoopoe ) of Solomon The kalb ( dog ) of the sleepers of the cave The nūn ( fish or whale ) of Jonah The nāqat ( she - camel ) of Saleh The fīl ( elephant ) of the Abyssinians ) Non-related Ḥimār ( domesticated donkey or wild ass ) Qaswarah ( ' Lion ', ' Beast of prey ' or ' Hunter ' ) Angels Angels of Hell Mālik Zabāniyah Angel of the Trumpet ( Isrāfīl or Raphael ) Jibrīl ( Gabriel ) Mīkāl ( Michael ) ' Izrā'īl Malakul - Mawt ( Azrael, Angel of Death ) Riḍwān Munkar Nakir Harut and Marut Kirāman Kātibīn ( Honourable Scribes ) Raqib Atid Jinn ' Ifrīt ( `` Strong one '' ) Jann Mārid ( `` Rebellious one '' ) Iblīs the Shayṭān ( Devil ) Other Shayāṭīn ( Demons ) Qarīn Prophets Mentioned Ādam ( Adam ) Al - Yasa ' ( Elisha ) Ayyūb ( Job ) Dāwūd ( David ) Dhūl - Kifl ( Ezekiel ? ) Hārūn ( Aaron ) Hūd ( Eber ? ) Idrīs ( Enoch ? ) Ilyās ( Elijah ) ' Imrān ( Joachim the father of Maryam ) Isḥāq ( Isaac ) Ismā'īl ( Ishmael ) Dhabih Ullah Isma'il Ṣādiq al - Wa 'd ( Fulfiller of the Promise ) Lūṭ ( Lot ) Ṣāliḥ Shu'ayb ( Jethro, Reuel or Hobab ? ) Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd ( Solomon son of David ) ' Uzair ( Ezra ? ) Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ( John the Baptist the son of Zechariah ) Ya'qūb ( Jacob ) Isrā'īl ( Israel ) Yūnus ( Jonah ) Dhūn - Nūn ( `` He of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' or `` Owner of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' ) Ṣāḥib al - Ḥūt ( `` Companion of the Whale '' ) Yūsuf ibn Ya'qūb ( Joseph son of Jacob ) Zakariyyā ( Zechariah ) Ulu - l - ' Azm Muḥammad Aḥmad Other names and titles of Muhammad ʿĪsā ( Jesus ) Al - Masīḥ ( The Messiah ) Ibn Maryam ( Son of Mary ) Mūsā Kalīmullāh ( Moses He who spoke to God ) Ibrāhīm Khalīlullāh ( Abraham Friend of God ) Nūḥ ( Noah ) Debatable ones Dhūl - Qarnain ( Cyrus the Great ? ) Luqmān Maryam ( Mary ) Ṭālūt ( Saul or Gideon ? ) Implied Irmiyā ( Jeremiah ) Ṣamū'īl ( Samuel ) Yūsha ' ibn Nūn ( Joshua, companion and successor of Moses ) People of Prophets Evil ones Āzar ( possibly Terah ) Fir'awn ( Pharaoh of Moses ' time ) Hāmān Jālūt ( Goliath ) Qārūn ( Korah, cousin of Moses ) As - Sāmirī Abī Lahab Slayers of Saleh 's she - camel ( Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda ' ibn Dahr ) Good ones Adam 's immediate relatives Martyred son Wife Believer of Ya - Sin Family of Noah Father Lamech Mother Shamkhah bint Anush or Betenos Luqman 's son People of Aaron and Moses Believer of Fir'aun Family ( Hizbil / Hizqil ibn Sabura ) Imra'at Fir'awn ( Āsiyá bint Muzāḥim or Bithiah ) Khidr Magicians of the Pharaoh Moses ' wife Moses ' sister - in - law Mother Sister People of Abraham Mother Abiona or Amtelai the daughter of Karnebo Ishmael 's mother Isaac 's mother People of Jesus Disciples ( including Peter ) Mary 's mother Zechariah 's wife People of Joseph Brothers ( including Binyāmin ( Benjamin ) and Simeon ) Egyptians ' Azīz ( Potiphar, Qatafir or Qittin ) Malik ( King Ar - Rayyān ibn Al - Walīd ) ) Wife of ' Azīz ( Zulaykhah ) Mother People of Solomon Mother Queen of Sheba Vizier Zayd Implied or not specified Abrahah Bal'am / Balaam Barsisa Caleb or Kaleb the companion of Joshua Luqman 's son Nebuchadnezzar II Nimrod Rahmah the wife of Ayyub Shaddad Groups Mentioned Aṣḥāb al - Jannah People of Paradise People of the Burnt Garden Aṣḥāb as - Sabt ( Companions of the Sabbath ) Christian apostles Ḥawāriyyūn ( Disciples of Jesus ) Companions of Noah 's Ark Aṣḥāb al - Kahf war - Raqīm ( Companions of the Cave and Al - Raqaim ? Companions of the Elephant People of al - Ukhdūd People of a township in Surah Ya - Sin People of Yathrib or Medina Qawm Lūṭ ( People of Sodom and Gomorrah ) Nation of Noah Tribes, ethnicities or families A'rāb ( Arabs or Bedouins ) ʿĀd ( people of Hud ) Companions of the Rass Qawm Tubba ' ( People of Tubba ) People of Saba ' or Sheba Quraysh Thamūd ( people of Saleh ) Aṣḥāb al - Ḥijr ( `` Companions of the Stoneland '' ) ' Ajam Ar - Rūm ( literally `` The Romans '' ) Banī Isrā'īl ( Children of Israel ) Mu'tafikāt ( The overthrown cities of Sodom and Gomorrah ) People of Ibrahim People of Ilyas People of Nuh People of Shuaib Ahl Madyan People of Madyan ) Aṣḥāb al - Aykah ( `` Companions of the Wood '' ) Qawm Yūnus ( People of Jonah ) Ya'juj and Ma'juj / Gog and Magog Ahl al - Bayt ( `` People of the Household '' ) Household of Abraham Brothers of Yūsuf Daughters of Abraham 's nephew Lot ( Ritha, Za'ura, et al. ) Progeny of Imran Household of Moses Household of Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul - Muttalib ibn Hashim Daughters of Muhammad Wives of Muhammad Household of Salih People of Fir'aun Current Ummah of Islam ( Ummah of Muhammad ) Aṣḥāb Muḥammad ( Companions of Muhammad ) Muhajirun ( Emigrants ) Anṣār Muslims of Medina who helped Muhammad and his Meccan followers, literally ' Helpers ' ) People of Mecca Umm Jamil ( wife of Abu Lahab ) Children of Ayyub Dead son of Sulaiman Qabil / Cain ( son of Adam ) Wali'ah or Wa'ilah / Waala ( wife of Nuh ) Walihah or Wahilah ( wife of Lut ) Ya'jūj wa Ma'jūj ( Gog and Magog ) Yam or Kan'an ( son of Nuh ) Implicitly mentioned Amalek Ahl as - Suffa ( People of the Verandah ) Banu Nadir Banu Qaynuqa Banu Qurayza Iranian people Umayyad Dynasty Aus & Khazraj People of Quba Religious groups Ahl al - dhimmah ( Dhimmi ) Kāfirūn ( Infidels ) Zoroastrians Munāfiq ūn ( Hypocrites ) Muslims People of the Book ( Ahl al - Kitāb ) Naṣārā ( Christian ( s ) or People of the Injil ) Ruhban ( Christian monks ) Qissis ( Christian priest ) Yahūd ( Jews ) Ahbār ( Jewish scholars ) Rabbani / Rabbi Sabians Polytheists Meccan polytheists at the time of Muhammad Mesopotamian polytheists at the time of Abraham and Lot Locations Mentioned Al - Arḍ Al - Muqaddasah ( `` The Holy Land '' ) ' Blessed ' Land In the Arabian Peninsula ( excluding Madyan ) Al - Aḥqāf ( `` The Sandy Plains, '' or `` the Wind - curved Sand - hills '' ) Iram dhāt al - ' Imād ( Iram of the Pillars ) Al - Madīnah ( formerly Yathrib ) ' Arafāt Al - Ḥijr ( Hegra ) Badr Ḥunayn Makkah ( Mecca ) Bakkah Ḥaraman Āminan ( `` Sanctuary ( which is ) Secure '' ) Ka'bah ( Kaaba ) Maqām Ibrāhīm ( Station of Abraham ) Safa and Marwah Saba ' ( Sheba ) ' Arim Saba ' ( Dam of Sheba ) Rass Al - Jannah ( Paradise, literally `` The Garden '' ) Jahannam ( Hell ) In Mesopotamia : Al - Jūdiyy Munzalanm - Mubārakan ( `` Place - of - Landing Blessed '' ) Bābil ( Babylon ) Qaryat Yūnus ( `` Township of Jonah, '' that is Nineveh ) Door of Hittah Madyan ( Midian ) Majma ' al - Baḥrayn Miṣr ( Mainland Egypt ) Salsabīl ( A river in Paradise ) Sinai Region or Tīh Desert Al - Wād Al - Muqaddas Ṭuwan ( The Holy Valley of Tuwa ) Al - Wādil - Ayman ( The valley on the ' righthand ' side of the Valley of Tuwa and Mount Sinai ) Mount Sinai or Mount Tabor Religious locations Bay'a ( Church ) Miḥrāb Monastery Masjid ( Mosque, literally `` Place of Prostration '' ) Al - Mash'ar Al - Ḥarām ( `` The Sacred Grove '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Aqṣā ( Al - Aqsa Mosque, literally `` The Farthest Place - of - Prostration '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Ḥarām ( The Sacred Mosque of Mecca ) Masjid al - Dirar A Mosque in the area of Medina, possibly : Masjid Qubā ' ( Quba Mosque ) The Prophet 's Mosque Salat ( Synagogue ) Implied Antioch Antakya Arabia Ayla Barrier of Dhul - Qarnayn Bayt al - Muqaddas & ' Ariha Bilād ar - Rāfidayn ( Mesopotamia ) Canaan Cave of Seven Sleepers Dār an - Nadwa Al - Ḥijāz ( literally `` The Barrier '' ) Black Stone ( Al - Ḥajar al - Aswad ) & Al - Hijr of Isma'il Cave of Hira & Ghar al - Thawr ( Cave of the Bull ) Ta'if Hudaybiyyah Jordan River Nile River Palestine River Paradise of Shaddad Plant matter Baṣal ( Onion ) Fūm ( Garlic or wheat ) Shaṭ ' ( Shoot ) Sūq ( Stem ) Zar ' ( Seed ) Fruits ' Adas ( Lentil ) Baql ( Herb ) Ḥabb dhul - ' aṣf ( Corn of the husk ) Qith - thá ' ( Cucumber ) Rummān ( Pomegranate ) Tīn ( Fig ) Ukul khamṭ ( Bitter fruit or food of Sheba ) Zaytūn ( Olive ) In Paradise Forbidden fruit of Adam Bushes, trees or plants Plants of Sheba Athl ( Tamarisk ) Sidr ( lote - tree ) Līnah ( Tender palm tree ) Nakhl ( date palm ) Rayḥān ( Scented plant ) Sidrat al - Muntahā Zaqqūm Texts Al - Injīl ( The Gospel of Jesus ) Al - Qur'ān ( The Book of Muhammad ) Ṣuḥuf - i Ibrāhīm ( Scroll ( s ) of Abraham ) At - Tawrāt ( The Torah ) Ṣuḥuf - i - Mūsā ( Scroll ( s ) of Moses ) Tablets of Stone Az - Zabūr ( The Psalms of David ) Umm al - Kitāb ( `` Mother of the Book ( s ) '' ) Objects of people or beings Heavenly Food of Christian Apostles Noah 's Ark Staff of Musa Tābūt as - Sakīnah ( Casket of Shekhinah ) Throne of Bilqis Trumpet of Israfil Mentioned idols ( cult images ) ' Ansāb Idols of Israelites : Baal The ' ijl ( golden calf statue ) of Israelites Idols of Noah 's people : Nasr Suwā ' Wadd Yaghūth Ya'ūq Idols of Quraysh : Al - Lāt Al - ' Uzzá Manāt Jibt and Ṭāghūt Celestial bodies Maṣābīḥ ( literally ' lamps ' ) : Al - Qamar ( The Moon ) Kawākib ( Planets ) Al - Arḍ ( The Earth ) Nujūm ( Stars ) Ash - Shams ( The Sun ) Liquids Mā ' ( Water or fluid ) Nahr ( River ) Yamm ( River or sea ) Sharāb ( Drink ) Events Battle of al - Aḥzāb ( `` the Confederates '' ) Battle of Badr Battle of Hunayn Battle of Khaybar Battle of Tabouk Battle of Uhud Conquest of Mecca Incident of Ifk Laylat al - Mabit Mubahala Sayl al - ' Arim ( Flood of the Great Dam of Marib in Sheba ) The Farewell Pilgrimage ( Hujja al - Wada ' ) Treaty of Hudaybiyyah ' Umrah al - Qaza Yawm ad - Dār Implied Event of Ghadir Khumm Note : The names are sorted alphabetically. Standard form : Islamic name / Biblical name ( title or relationship ) LCCN : n82220567 NLA : 53004671 VIAF : 123915857 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Balaam&oldid=839686081 '' Categories : Prophets of the Hebrew Bible Angelic visionaries Biblical figures in rabbinic literature Biblical people in Islam Book of Numbers Moses Torah people Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from January 2010 All articles needing additional references Articles containing Hebrew - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014 Articles containing Arabic - language text Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français Galego Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Lietuvių Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Română Русский Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Українська اردو Wolof 中文 20 more Edit links This page was last edited on 5 May 2018, at 01 : 25 ( UTC ). 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Question: who did the donkey talk to in the bible
Answer: Balaam