Numbers 22

Balaam and the Angel in Biblical Art

Balaam and the angel gives artists a strange and memorable scene of blocked ambition, hidden danger, and opened eyes.

Bible and Art Context

Numbers 22 shows Balaam traveling with mixed motives while his donkey sees the angel of the Lord before he does. The story humbles human spiritual confidence by making the animal perceive what the prophet misses.

Read Numbers 22
Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert engraving of Balaam stopped by the angel

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Balaam and the Angel

Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert, 1554, Engraving

Coornhert gives the strange Numbers scene a moral edge: Balaam presses forward until God opens his eyes to the danger ahead.

Source: The Met Open Access

Questions about Balaam and the Angel in Art

Where is Balaam and the donkey in the Bible?

Balaam and the donkey appear in Numbers 22.

Why does the donkey matter in the story?

The donkey sees the angel before Balaam does, exposing Balaam's blindness and God's control over the journey.

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