במדבר, פרק כ״ב, פסוק י״ט

Facing a second, more prestigious delegation sent by Balak, Balaam finds himself at a crossroads. Although God had already explicitly forbidden him from going to curse the Israelites, he does not reject these new messengers outright. Instead, he asks them to wait until morning, holding onto the hope that he might still alter the Divine decree.

Balaam urges the men to stay the night, speaking with a tone of apprehension. He fears that if he does not give them an immediate positive answer, these honorable officials might simply turn around and leave, just as the elders of Midian had done before [אור החיים]. However, his invitation contains a subtle shift. Rather than offering to host them personally, he hints that they should find lodging within the city. This stems from a purely financial motive. Balaam worries about the cost of feeding and housing such a large, distinguished group. If God ultimately denies him permission to curse the Israelites, he will lose his expected reward and be left with the heavy expense of their stay, prompting him to subtly direct them to local inns [נחל קדומים].

He specifically asks them to wait through the night, as the quiet hours of sleep are the most appropriate time to achieve a prophetic vision and connect with a higher power [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Interestingly, this recurring event of Moabite messengers spending the night at Balaam's location laid the spiritual groundwork for Moab's eventual downfall, as their future destruction was decreed to take place specifically under the cover of darkness [רבנו בחיי].

In his address to this second group, Balaam unknowingly experiences a prophetic slip of the tongue. By telling them that they, too, should wait, his phrasing inadvertently delivers a message he does not fully understand. The primary approach among commentators notes that his own mouth betrays him, foretelling that just as the first delegation returned home disappointed and empty-handed, this second group will suffer the exact same fate [רש״י, מזרחי, גור אריה].

This raises a critical question: why does Balaam approach God again after receiving a clear prohibition? The primary approach among commentators offers two distinct perspectives. One view suggests that Balaam genuinely misunderstood God's initial command. When he was first told not to go, he assumed the restriction was merely about his own dignity, preventing him from traveling with low-ranking officials. Now that a more respected group has arrived, he seeks absolute clarity on whether the ban is universal or simply dependent on the status of his escorts [מלבי״ם, אלשיך]. Conversely, another perspective highlights his deep-seated stubbornness and malice. Balaam pushes forward because he firmly believes his curses possess an independent, potent force. He reasons that if his curse were truly powerless, God would not have bothered to stop him in the first place [חזקוני, אבן עזרא]. Driven by this belief, he hopes that through some action or persuasion, he might entice God to change His mind [שד״ל].

As he prepares to seek God's guidance once more, Balaam contemplates what additional messages God might share with him. His specific focus on what God might add reveals his true mindset. Knowing full well that God does not reverse a blessing into a curse, Balaam's last remaining hope is that God will at least refrain from adding any further blessings upon the Israelites. Yet, just as before, he prophesies without realizing it. His anticipation of additional words actually foreshadows the reality that he himself will soon be the instrument through which many more blessings are bestowed upon the Israelites [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, אדרת אליהו].