Beor
Who he was
Beor was the father of Balaam, a well-known prophet from Pethor in Mesopotamia (Num. 22:5). Balaam was hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites as they approached the Promised Land (Num. 22-24). Despite Balak's intentions, God used Balaam to bless Israel instead of cursing them (Num. 23-24).
However, Balaam later played a role in leading the Israelites into sin by promoting idolatry and sexual immorality (Num. 31:8, 16). As a result, Balaam was killed by the Israelites when they defeated the Midianites (Num. 31:8; Josh. 13:22).
Balaam's story is referenced several times in the Bible as a warning against greed and the abuse of spiritual gifts (Deut. 23:4-5; Josh. 24:9-10; Mic. 6:5; 2Pet. 2:15-16). Despite his initial obedience to God, Balaam's later actions demonstrate the dangers of compromising one's faith for personal gain.
Family
Every mention
Numbers4 mentions
Joshua2 mentions
What the dictionary says
A torch.
Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain