Every Name in Tanakh

בִּלְעָם Bilam

Often spelled Balaam in English. Every verse in which this name stands — 61 places, in canonical order, first appearance to last. These are the occurrences our own corpus tags as this name, counting every form the text writes it in, which is the number on the list.

PersonGematria 142×61 named in TanakhFirst appearance:

A gentile prophet from Aram hired by Balak, king of Moav, to curse Israel. God turned his intended curses into blessings, and his donkey once saw an angel blocking their path that Bilam himself could not see (Numbers 22-24). He later counseled Moav and Midian to lure Israel into sin at Baal-Peor and was killed when Israel fought Midian (Numbers 31:8, 16).

Numbers 24:25במדבר כד:כה

וַיָּקָם בִּלְעָם וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיָּשָׁב לִמְקֹמוֹ וְגַם־בָּלָק הָלַךְ לְדַרְכּֽוֹ

And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.

Numbers 31:8במדבר לא:ח

וְאֶת־מַלְכֵי מִדְיָן הָרְגוּ עַל־חַלְלֵיהֶם אֶת־אֱוִי וְאֶת־רֶקֶם וְאֶת־צוּר וְאֶת־חוּר וְאֶת־רֶבַע חֲמֵשֶׁת מַלְכֵי מִדְיָן וְאֵת בִּלְעָם בֶּן־בְּעוֹר הָרְגוּ בֶּחָֽרֶב

And they slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian; Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

Numbers 31:16במדבר לא:טז

הֵן הֵנָּה הָיוּ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּדְבַר בִּלְעָם לִמְסָר־מַעַל בַּיהוָה עַל־דְּבַר־פְּעוֹר וַתְּהִי הַמַּגֵּפָה בַּעֲדַת יְהוָֽה

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to revolt so as to break faith with the LORD in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 23:5דברים כג:ה

עַל־דְּבַר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־קִדְּמוּ אֶתְכֶם בַּלֶּחֶם וּבַמַּיִם בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם וַאֲשֶׁר שָׂכַר עָלֶיךָ אֶת־בִּלְעָם בֶּן־בְּעוֹר מִפְּתוֹר אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם לְקַֽלְלֶֽךָּ

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 from Pethor of Aram-naharaim, to curse thee.

Deuteronomy 23:6דברים כג:ו

וְלֹֽא־אָבָה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶל־בִּלְעָם וַיַּהֲפֹךְ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְּךָ אֶת־הַקְּלָלָה לִבְרָכָה כִּי אֲהֵֽבְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ

Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.

Joshua 13:22יהושע יג:כב

וְאֶת־בִּלְעָם בֶּן־בְּעוֹר הַקּוֹסֵם הָרְגוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּחֶרֶב אֶל־חַלְלֵיהֶֽם

Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among the rest of their slain.

Joshua 24:9יהושע כד:ט

וַיָּקָם בָּלָק בֶּן־צִפּוֹר מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב וַיִּלָּחֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּשְׁלַח וַיִּקְרָא לְבִלְעָם בֶּן־בְּעוֹר לְקַלֵּל אֶתְכֶֽם

Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel; and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.

Joshua 24:10יהושע כד:י

וְלֹא אָבִיתִי לִשְׁמֹעַ לְבִלְעָם וַיְבָרֶךְ בָּרוֹךְ אֶתְכֶם וָאַצִּל אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדֽוֹ

But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he even blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand.

Micah 6:5מיכה ו:ה

עַמִּי זְכָר־נָא מַה־יָּעַץ בָּלָק מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב וּמֶה־עָנָה אֹתוֹ בִּלְעָם בֶּן־בְּעוֹר מִן־הַשִּׁטִּים עַד־הַגִּלְגָּל לְמַעַן דַּעַת צִדְקוֹת יְהוָֽה

O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; From Shittim unto Gilgal, That ye may know the righteous acts of the LORD.

Nehemiah 13:2נחמיה יג:ב

כִּי לֹא קִדְּמוּ אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּלֶּחֶם וּבַמָּיִם וַיִּשְׂכֹּר עָלָיו אֶת־בִּלְעָם לְקַֽלְלוֹ וַיַּהֲפֹךְ אֱלֹהֵינוּ הַקְּלָלָה לִבְרָכָֽה

because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them; howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.

1 Chronicles 6:55דברי הימים א ו:נה

וּמִֽמַּחֲצִית מַטֵּה מְנַשֶּׁה אֶת־עָנֵר וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁיהָ וְאֶת־בִּלְעָם וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁיהָ לְמִשְׁפַּחַת לִבְנֵי־קְהָת הַנּוֹתָרִֽים

and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with the open land about it, and Bileam with the open land about it, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

A spelling is not a name. The written word בלעם stands 56 times in the corpus, which is a different question and often a different number: the same letters can spell another name or an ordinary word, and a name written with a particle attached is a word that search never returns. It is here, as itself.

Search the spelling בלעם →