במדבר, פרק כ״ב, פסוק י״ג

Following a night of divine revelation, the prophet emerges to deliver God's refusal to the waiting delegation. His carefully chosen words reveal a complex blend of obedience, pride, and hidden motives, setting off a chain reaction that prolongs the diplomatic negotiations. Noticeably, he addresses only the officials of Moab, while the Midianite elders who initially joined the journey are absent. Commentators offer several explanations for their disappearance. Some suggest that the Midianite elders, being wise and familiar with the history of God's miracles for the Israelites, realized the mission was doomed the moment the prophet said he needed to consult God. Knowing that God always stands by the Israelites, they departed that very night without waiting for an answer [רש״י, מיני תרגומא]. Another perspective notes that since Moab initiated the mission and remained its primary focus, the narrative simply omits the Midianites [אבן עזרא, חזקוני, רבנו בחיי]. A third view proposes that the Midianite elders were senior advisors who merely escorted the Moabite officials to the border of Midian, leaving them to continue alone to the prophet's city [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך].

The timing of the prophet rising in the morning also draws attention. He may have waited until dawn because he did not want to deliver bad news in the middle of the night. Alternatively, he might have rushed to send them away early out of stinginess, hoping to avoid hosting them for a morning meal [אור החיים]. Conversely, getting up early may have been an expression of arrogance; he hurried to boast to the delegation that God cared so much about his personal honor that He would not permit him to travel with them [העמק דבר].

When delivering the message, he simply states that God refuses to let him go, indicating that there is currently no divine will for the journey [אוהב גר, נתינה לגר]. This phrasing either reflects a straightforward denial of permission [ביאור שטיינזלץ], or carries a subtle insult, hinting that God refuses to grant his honorable presence to such lowly messengers [העמק דבר]. The primary approach among commentators is that the prophet acted with cunning and pride. He deliberately concealed the second, most essential half of the divine command—that he must not curse the Israelites because they are blessed. Instead, he only shared that God forbade him from traveling with this specific group. By framing the refusal this way, he signaled that the rejection was not absolute, but rather due to the inferior status of the messengers. He subtly hinted that if greater, more distinguished officials were sent, God might allow him to go [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, שפתי חכמים, מזרחי, מלבי״ם, דברי דוד]. Driven by greed, he still desperately wanted to make the journey and curse the Israelites, hoping God would eventually change His mind. Furthermore, he avoided admitting his total submission to God, preferring to blame the refusal on his own personal dignity [רלב״ג, אדרת אליהו, אם למקרא, גור אריה].

This partial and misleading response led the Moabite king to believe that the prophet was merely negotiating for higher pay, which directly resulted in the dispatch of a second, more prestigious delegation [אור החיים]. However, a dissenting view argues that the prophet never intended to hint for more honorable officials. According to this perspective, he saw himself strictly as a servant of God, deriving all his honor from total obedience. He genuinely meant that God did not want him to go at all. The arrival of a second delegation was not prompted by any subtle hint, but solely by the king's own suspicion and misunderstanding, mistakenly assuming the prophet was simply trying to increase his reward [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, ביאור שטיינזלץ].