Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

DEUTERONOMY 23:4KJV
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Deuteronomy 23:4 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 23:4 mean?

Deuteronomy 23:4 explains that certain people were not to be welcomed into the Israelite community because, when Israel was traveling out of Egypt, these people did not offer them food or water and instead tried to harm them by hiring Balaam to curse them. The verse gives the specific reasons for this exclusion, focusing on both a lack of hospitality and an active attempt to bring harm.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the Israelites, reminding them of how the Moabites and Ammonites treated them during their journey from Egypt. The verse refers to two actions: first, the refusal to meet Israel’s basic needs (“bread and water”), and second, the hiring of Balaam, son of Beor from Pethor in Mesopotamia, to pronounce a curse. This sets the background for the laws about who could join the assembly of Israel.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 23:4

  • בָּלָעָם (Balaam, Bala‘am): This name refers to the prophet hired to curse Israel. Mentioning him by name highlights the seriousness of the attempt to harm Israel through spiritual means, not just physical neglect.
  • פְּתוֹר (Pethor, Pethor): This is the place Balaam came from, identified as being in Mesopotamia (אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם, Aram Naharayim). Naming the location emphasizes the deliberate effort made to bring someone from far away to curse Israel.
  • קִלֵּל (curse, qillel): This word means to curse or bring harm through words or ritual. The use of this word shows that the threat was not just physical but also spiritual, as curses were taken very seriously in the ancient world.

Why Deuteronomy 23:4 matters

  • Deuteronomy 23:4 clarifies that the issue was not just a lack of kindness but an active effort to harm Israel, which helps explain the strictness of the exclusion.
  • The verse connects to the broader story of Balaam in Numbers, reminding readers that Israel’s journey was marked by both physical and spiritual challenges.
  • This verse highlights the importance of hospitality and the seriousness with which ancient Israel viewed both neglect and intentional hostility from neighboring peoples.

Where else these words appear

“Pethor” Hebrew H6604 · used in 2 verses

  • Numbers 22:5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

“Mesopotamia” Hebrew H763 · used in 6 verses

  • Genesis 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
  • Judges 3:8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.
  • 1 Chronicles 19:6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syriamaachah, and out of Zobah.

“Beor” Hebrew H1160 · used in 10 verses

  • Genesis 36:32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
  • Numbers 24:15 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
  • Joshua 24:9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:

“hired” Hebrew H7936 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 30:16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
  • 2 Kings 7:6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
  • Nehemiah 6:12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.