Upon the arrival of Balaam and his entourage, Balak, the king of Moab, orchestrates a reception marked by the slaughtering and sending of animal provisions. The primary approach among commentators is that this offering was remarkably small, consisting of merely a single bull and a single sheep, which highlights the king's extreme stinginess [מלבי״ם, משכיל לדוד, ברכת אשר, גור אריה, ריב״א]. This behavior perfectly illustrates the nature of wicked individuals, who often make grand promises but deliver very little. Despite earlier assurances of great honor and prestige, Balak provided a meager gift [שפתי חכמים, מזרחי, שפתי כהן]. Conversely, a minority opinion suggests that the guests actually received large and abundant gifts of food [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The method of delivering the food also reveals the complex dynamic between the two men. Some commentators view the dispatched provisions as a tribute intended to satisfy Balaam's pride [שד״ל, נתינה לגר, ספורנו]. However, others interpret the mere act of sending the food as a deliberate insult. Rather than hosting a royal banquet and inviting his guest to dine at his table, Balak simply shipped the meals to him. This distant treatment may have stemmed from the king's dissatisfaction with Balaam's earlier statements [רש״ר הירש, אור החיים].
The king's stinginess was evident in the finer details of the meal. Instead of sending live animals, he slaughtered them first, kept the choice cuts for himself, and sent only the leftovers to his guest. He also strategically served the heavier, less expensive beef before the lighter, high-quality mutton, ensuring Balaam would fill up quickly and cheaply [שפתי כהן]. Beyond mere frugality, the meal served a manipulative purpose. Balak understood that the most effective way to tempt Balaam into disobeying God was through the physical seduction of eating and drinking [העמק דבר].
The portions themselves were strictly calculated. Balak prepared exact amounts only for Balaam and the recognized princes accompanying him, providing absolutely nothing for their servants or any unexpected guests. Furthermore, knowing Balaam's greedy nature, the king explicitly designated the delivery for the princes as well. This was a calculated move to prevent Balaam from hoarding all the meat for himself, forcing him to share with his companions [אור החיים].
Spiritually, the slaughtering functioned as a thanksgiving sacrifice to the king's deity for the guests' safe arrival [קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. However, Balak prioritized his mortal guest over his deity by sending the meat before offering it on the altar. This improper sequence of events directly provoked the anger of God [אדרת אליהו].
This insulting, miserly reception did not go unanswered. Balaam was furious over the pathetic portion he received after being promised so much, and he secretly plotted to curse the king's wealth. This deep frustration is what drove him the very next morning to demand the construction of seven altars and the sacrifice of seven bulls and seven rams. By demanding this extravagant offering, he sought both to compensate for his trampled honor and to correct Balak's deeply flawed sacrificial order before God [אור החיים, שפתי כהן, אדרת אליהו].