Balak – The son of a bird

“And Balak saw all that Israel had done...” – what did he see? Balak was a wizard who saw things, just as Avimelech was able to see what happened inside the house of Isaac. The fact that Abimelech looked “through the window” is impossible – did Isaac “enjoy with his wife” during the day? And with open windows?” – Rather, this “window” is a name of wizardry. Balak used the same.

Balak is called the son of a bird because he had this magic bird with iron wings who would fly around the world and tell him the news. He got this news from Aza, one of the two fallen angels. However, this time, the bird was late in coming back, and when it did come, it had its tail singed with fire. It also argued with Balak. He would say, “a certain people came out of Egypt,” and it corrected, “They are called Israel, which means “Isra El,” prince of God. He said "big," and the bird corrected him "great." That is what made Balak and his nation very much afraid.

Art: Open Window Lilacs Study by Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov