Balaam

Balaam is the sorcerer-prophet hired to curse Israel but compelled by God to bless them instead - a complex figure who possesses genuine prophetic power yet uses it for personal gain, appearing in Jasher as an advisor to Pharaoh. Jasher 70 places Balaam among Pharaoh's counselors who advise on the 'Hebrew problem,' making him complicit in the oppression long before his famous encounter with Israel in the wilderness. His later attempt to curse Israel and his counsel that led to Israel's seduction represent the dangerous intersection of real spiritual power with corrupt motivation. Within the broader narrative preserved across these three ancient texts, Balaam occupies a distinctive position in the Exodus that connects to figures such as others in the tradition. The pseudepigraphal accounts provide details and perspectives absent from other ancient sources, offering readers a more complete portrait of this figure's significance within the cosmic drama of covenant, rebellion, and restoration that defines the Enochian worldview. These expanded narratives invite deeper reflection on the moral and spiritual dimensions of Balaam's story as it relates to the overarching themes of divine sovereignty, human agency, and the consequences of choices made in the presence of heavenly realities.

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Biography

Occupation: Prophet/Sorcerer
Era: Exodus

Prophet Antagonist

Key Chapters

The Book of Jasher 70 Moses puts the King's crown upon his own head. Baalam and the Wise Men make this a Pretext against him. When grown up, Moses visits his Brethren, and ... 10 min read

Key Passages

Balaam advises Pharaoh

The Book of Jasher 70:1-15

And in the third year from the birth of Moses, Pharaoh was sitting at a banquet, when Alparanith the queen was sitting a...

A¹nd in the third year from the birth of Moses, Pharaoh was sitting at a banquet, when Alparanith the queen was sitting at his right and Bathia at his left, and the lad Moses was lying upon her bosom, and Balaam the son of Beor with his two sons, and all the princes of the kingdom were sitting at table in the king's presence.

² And the lad stretched forth his hand upon the king's head, and took the crown from the king's head and placed it on his own head. ³ And when the king and princes saw the work which the boy had done, the king and princes were terrified, and one man to his neighbor expressed astonishment. ⁴ And the king said unto the princes who were before him at table, What speak you and what say you, O ye princes, in this matter, and what is to be the judgment against the boy on account of this act? ⁵ And Balaam the son of Beor the magician answered before the king and princes, and he said, Remember now, O my lord and king, the dream which thou didst dream many days since, and that which thy servant interpreted unto thee. ⁶ Now therefore this is a child from the Hebrew children, in whom is the spirit of God, and let not my lord the king imagine that this youngster did this thing without knowledge. ⁷ For he is a Hebrew boy, and wisdom and understanding are with him, although he is yet a child, and with wisdom has he done this and chosen unto himself the kingdom of Egypt. ⁸ For this is the manner of all the Hebrews to deceive kings and their nobles, to do all these things cunningly, in order to make the kings of the earth and their men tremble. ⁹ Surely thou knowest that Abraham their father acted thus, who deceived the army of Nimrod king of Babel, and Abimelech king of Gerar, and that he possessed himself of the land of the children of Heth and all the kingdoms of Canaan. ¹⁰ And that he descended into Egypt and said of Sarah his wife, she is my sister, in order to mislead Egypt and her king. ¹¹ His son Isaac also did so when he went to Gerar and dwelt there, and his strength prevailed over the army of Abimelech king of the Philistines. ¹² He also thought of making the kingdom of the Philistines stumble, in saying that Rebecca his wife was his sister. ¹³ Jacob also dealt treacherously with his brother, and took from his hand his birthright and his blessing. ¹⁴ He went then to Padan-aram to the house of Laban his mother's brother, and cunningly obtained from him his daughter, his cattle, and all belonging to him, and fled away and returned to the land of Canaan to his father. ¹⁵ His sons sold their brother Joseph, who went down into Egypt and became a slave, and was placed in the prison house for twelve years.

Read full chapter: The Book of Jasher 70 →

Did You Know?

Jasher places him as one of Pharaoh's advisors decades before the wilderness encounter.

He genuinely receives divine revelation but attempts to use it for profit.

His advice to seduce Israel through Moabite women is his most destructive act.