How God Speaks to Israel by Day and to the Nations by Night

"And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah" (Genesis 20:2). Is it possible that she went of her own will? Rather, he took her against her will and without her consent. "And God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night" (Genesis 20:3). What is the difference between the prophets of Israel and the prophets of the nations of the world? The Holy One, blessed be He, reveals Himself to the prophets of the nations only in a half-utterance, as it says, "And God chanced upon Balaam" (Numbers 23:4). The expression "chanced upon" denotes nothing but impurity, as you say, "if there be among you a man who is not clean because of a nocturnal occurrence" (Deuteronomy 23:11). But to Israel He reveals Himself in language of purity, in language of holiness, in clear language: "And He called to Moses," in the language with which the ministering angels praise Him, as it says, "And one called to another and said" (Isaiah 6:3). "The LORD is far from the wicked" (Proverbs 15:29) refers to the prophets of the nations of the world; "but the prayer of the righteous He hears" refers to the prophets of Israel. The Holy One, blessed be He, reveals Himself to the prophets of the nations only at an hour when people normally part from one another, as it is written, "In thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, a word was stolen to me" (Job 4:12-13). What is the difference between the prophets of Israel and the prophets of the nations? It is like a king who was with his friend in a hall, and a curtain hung between them, and he would fold it back and speak with his friend. But the rabbis say: it is like a king who had a wife and a concubine; when he goes to his wife he goes openly, and when he goes to his concubine he goes in secret. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals Himself to the nations only at night, as it says, "And God came to Balaam at night" (Numbers 22:20), "And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night" (Genesis 31:24); but to the prophets of Israel by day: "and he sat at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day" (Genesis 18:1), "And it was on the day the LORD spoke" (Exodus 6:28), "And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses on the day the LORD spoke" (Numbers 3:1). "And He said to him, You are a dead man because of the woman": from here we learn that there is no formal warning required for the descendants of Noah.