במדבר, פרק כ״ג, פסוק כ״ז

After repeated failures to bring a curse upon the Israelites, Balak refuses to abandon his mission. Driven by the hope that a different geographic location or a new visual perspective might alter the Divine will, he insists on an immediate relocation. The urgency of this move stems directly from his frustration over his recent unsuccessful attempts [אור החיים]. Taking personal charge of the journey, Balak leads Balaam [שד״ל] toward a worship site dedicated to the idol Peor. Because this site belonged to Midian rather than Moab, the two men travel there alone, leaving the Moabite princes behind [העמק דבר].

Balak places great trust in the power of this new location, though commentators offer different explanations for his reasoning. One approach suggests Balak believed their previous vantage points only exposed the righteous and worthy segments of the nation. Operating under the assumption that no large group is entirely free of flaws, he expects this new angle to reveal a corrupt faction that would be vulnerable to a curse [ספורנו, אור החיים]. Another perspective argues that Balak was relying on magic and divination. By identifying a specific location prone to disaster for the Israelites [רלב״ג], he thought the site itself would trigger the curse automatically, requiring no special effort or preparation from Balaam [העמק דבר]. Alternatively, Balak may have simply hoped that during the time that had recently passed, the Israelites had committed a sin against God. This would awaken Divine anger and finally create an opening for the curse to take effect [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם].

When expressing his desire for Balaam to curse the nation [ביאור שטיינזלץ], Balak deliberately avoids using a direct command. The primary approach among commentators is that he speaks in the future tense, understanding that he cannot order an immediate curse since the outcome relies entirely on God's consent. Instead, he frames his request as a future hope, suggesting that Balaam will only be able to curse the Israelites once it pleases God [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, מזרחי, גור אריה]. Building on this, another view notes that Balak did not actually expect God to actively endorse the curse. Rather, he settled for the hope that God would simply choose not to intervene, leaving Balaam free to carry out the act unhindered [אור החיים].