Parshat Balak5 min read

Moab and Midian Buried Their Hatred to Stop Israel

Ancient enemies who had fought for generations suddenly stood together. Midrash Tanchuma explains what threat was large enough to silence a feud.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Parable of Two Dogs and a Wolf
  2. Moses Was Raised Among Them
  3. What Bamidbar Rabbah Added
  4. The Ox That Licks the Field Clean

Moab had fought Midian for as long as anyone could remember. The record of their warfare is embedded in the book of Genesis itself: an Edomite king named Hadad smote Midian in the plain of Moab (Genesis 36:35). The plain of Moab. The fighting had reached that far, deep into the other nation's territory, the kind of warfare that leaves a scar on the landscape and a hatred that does not forget where the blood fell.

Then Israel appeared on the horizon, and Moab called a council with the elders of Midian.

The Parable of Two Dogs and a Wolf

Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 3, compiled in its present form by the fifth century CE with material attributed to Rabbi Tanchuma bar Abba and earlier Palestinian amoraic sources, tells the story of what convinced two ancient enemies to set their feud aside. It answers with a parable sharp enough to cut both ways.

Two dogs despised each other. Then a wolf came after one of them. The other dog stopped and reasoned: if I do not help my enemy against the wolf today, the wolf will kill him, and tomorrow it will kill me. Better a living enemy, whom I understand and can fight when the wolf is gone, than a dead one who leaves me alone at the edge of the pack. The dogs sided together against the wolf.

That is what Israel looked like to Moab and Midian. Not a manageable military problem. Something stranger and more dangerous. Sihon and Og had been formidable powers, nations with armies and fortifications, and Israel had destroyed them in ways that looked less like strategy and more like an external force working through human hands. The elders of Midian explained what they had observed to the Moabites in plain terms: their leader, Moses, was raised in Midian. We know his character. His power is only in his mouth.

Moses Was Raised Among Them

This detail from Midrash Tanchuma is not incidental. It is the reason Moab sought out Midian specifically. The Moabites needed intelligence on their enemy, and Midian had it. Moses had spent years there, had married a Midianite woman, had tended flocks in Midianite territory. The Midianites knew what kind of man he was. What they told Moab about him is among the most precise assessments any enemy ever gave: his power is in his mouth.

Their conclusion was immediate. We also will bring someone against them who has power in his mouth. Balaam, a prophet from Pethor, was the answer. If Moses worked through speech, the counter-move was to hire a better speaker, a man whose curses had the same kind of reach that Moses's prayers had.

What Bamidbar Rabbah Added

Bamidbar Rabbah 20, the section of the Midrash Rabbah corpus dealing with Numbers, compiled in the medieval period drawing on earlier Palestinian amoraic traditions, reads the same verse from Numbers 22:4 with the same question: why are the elders of Midian in Moab at all? The two nations had no standing alliance. Their presence together was anomalous.

The answer Bamidbar Rabbah offers is that they were witnessing something they could not explain by ordinary means. Israel's victories were unnatural. Sihon and Og were not small opponents. Something else was at work, and both nations felt it simultaneously. Their shared fear outweighed their accumulated hatred.

The Ox That Licks the Field Clean

Balak's description to the elders in Numbers 22:4 is economic: this assembly will lick clean all our surroundings the way an ox licks the grass of the field. The image is not war. It is consumption. The ox does not single out a soldier or storm a wall. Its tongue takes the field in long even sweeps, blade after blade, until the ground is bare and there is nothing left to defend. A wolf does not argue or negotiate. It simply eliminates what is in its path. That is the fear that put the elders of Midian inside Moab's borders, sitting at a table with men they had spent generations trying to kill.

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From the tradition

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 3Midrash Tanchuma

(Numb. 22:4:) “So Moab said unto the elders of Midian.” What is the relevance of [mentioning] the elders of Midian here? It is simply that they saw Israel conquering in a way that was not customary for conquerors. They said, “Their leader (i.e., Moses) was raised in Midian. Let us learn through them what his character is like.” The elders of Midian said to them, “His power is only in his mouth.” They said to them, “We also will bring someone against them who has power in his mouth.” (Numb. 22:4:) “So Moab said unto the elders of Midian.” Do you not find that the Midianites were at war with the Moabites? It is so stated (in Gen. 36:35), “[and Hadad ben Bedad,] who smote Midian in the plain of Moab, [reigned in his place].” Moreover, the hatred between them had existed from time immemorial. The matter is comparable to two dogs who were hostile to each other. [When] a wolf came against one of them, his companion said, “If I do not help him, [the wolf] will kill this [dog] today. [Then] tomorrow he will come against me.” Therefore Moab formed an alliance with Midian. (Numb. 22:4, cont.) “As the ox licks up [the grass of the field].” Just as the ox has its power in its mouth, so do they have their strength in their mouth. Just as everything an ox licks up has no sign of blessing, [so] also whatever these lick up have no sign of blessing. Just as an ox gores with its horns, [so] also do these gore with their prayer, as stated (according to Deut. 33:17), “and his horns are the horns of a wild ox, [and with them he gores the nations].”

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Bamidbar Rabbah 20:4Bamidbar Rabbah

Our story today, drawn from Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a section of the classical Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), plunges us right into such a situation – a tale of Moabites, Midianites, a rising Israelite nation, and a king named Balak.

The setup? The Israelites, fresh off victories, are causing major anxiety for their neighbors. As (Numbers 22:4) tells us, "Moab said to the elders of Midian: Now this assembly will lick clean all our surroundings, as the ox licks clean the grass of the field."

Wait a minute. Why are the elders of Midian even there, in Moab? That’s the first question the Midrash asks. It seems a bit odd, doesn't it? Aren't these two groups usually at odds?

Bamidbar Rabbah suggests they were witnessing something extraordinary: Israel's seemingly unnatural victories. The Moabites, spooked, figured the Midianites, who had previous dealings with Moses, might have some insight into what made the Israelite leader tick. "Their leader achieved prominence in Midian," they reasoned, "we will ascertain from them what are his attributes."

And what did the Midianite elders reveal? "His power is only in his mouth." In other words, they believed Moses's strength lay in his ability to speak, to command, to perhaps even… pray. This is crucial.

But here's where it gets really interesting. The Midrash throws us a curveball: "Moab said to the elders of Midian – but do you not find that the Midyanites waged war against the Moavites, as it is stated: 'Who smote Midyan in the field of Moav' (Genesis 36:35), and the enmity between them is permanent." So why the sudden collaboration?

The Midrash offers a vivid analogy: two dogs fighting. A wolf attacks one, and the other dog realizes, "If I don't help him, the wolf will finish him off today and come for me tomorrow." Self-preservation trumps old rivalries. That fear, that common threat, forced Moab and Midian into an uneasy alliance.

The "licking clean" imagery is fascinating. The Moabites fear Israel will consume everything around them, like an ox devouring grass. But the Midrash takes it a step further: "just as the ox, its might is in its mouth, so, too, these, their power is in their mouths." Remember what the Midianite elders said about Moses? The Israelites’ power, according to this interpretation, wasn't just military; it was spiritual. It was in their prayers, their pronouncements, their very words.

And the ox imagery continues. "Just as the ox, in everything that it licks clean there will be no sign of blessing; these too, in every nation that they touch, there will be no sign of blessing." A bleak prophecy, suggesting that Israel's influence might leave a lasting, perhaps negative, impact on other nations. Furthermore, "Just as an ox gores with its horns; these, too gore with their prayers, as it is stated: 'And his horns are the horns of the wild ox' (Deuteronomy 33:17)." Their prayers, their connection to the Divine, are a force to be reckoned with.

Finally, the Midrash touches on Balak himself. (Numbers 22:4) identifies him as "Balak son of Tzipor," king of Moab. But was he always king? (Joshua 13:21) mentions him as a prince of Midian. Bamidbar Rabbah addresses this apparent contradiction. Drawing on other Midrashic sources, like Bamidbar Rabbah 20:25, which mentions Balak as the father of Tzur's daughter, it suggests that Balak ascended to the throne after Sihon was killed. The circumstances, the power vacuum, propelled him to leadership.

So, what do we take away from this Midrash? It's a story about fear, alliances of convenience, and the perceived power of a rising nation. It's about how those on the outside often misinterpret the source of strength within a community. And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that even enemies can find common ground when faced with a shared threat. It leaves you wondering, doesn't it – what unlikely alliances are being forged right now, born out of fear and a desperate need for survival?

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Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Balak 4:2Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Balak

"And Moab said to the elders of Midian" (Numbers 22:4). And do you not find that the Midianites would wage war with the Moabites? As it is said, "who smote Midian in the field of Moab" (Genesis 36:35). And the hatred between them existed from of old. A parable of two dogs who were hostile to one another: a wolf came upon one of them. His companion said: If I do not help him, today it kills this one, and tomorrow it will come upon me. Therefore Moab joined together with Midian.

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Midrash Aggadah, Numbers 22:4Midrash Aggadah

"And Moab said to the elders of Midian" (Numbers 22:4). When they saw that Sihon and Og had been slain, they were astonished and said: Who can by his strength subdue them or stand against them? And when they saw that they were vanquishing the whole world, they did not know wherein their strength lay. They brought the elders of Midian and inquired of them, and they said: This nation has neither sword nor spear, and all their strength is in their mouth, and they prevail over all the nations only with their mouth.

"Now will this assembly lick up all that is around us", for they did not wage war, but imposed forced labor upon them, and plundered all that they brought outside the city.

"As the ox licks up", and why an ox? To tell you: just as that which the ox licks has no sign of blessing forever, so Israel, all that they take, they leave no remnant or survivor.

"And Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time", for he was not fit for kingship, but according to the time the Moabites made him king over them.

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Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Balak 4:1Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Balak

(Numbers 22:4) "And Moab said to the elders of Midian." What is the nature of the elders of Midian here? It is simply that they saw Israel conquering in a manner unlike the way of conquerors. They said: Their leader was raised in Midian; let us learn through them what his character is. The elders of Midian said to them: His strength is only in his mouth. They said to them: We too will bring a man against them whose strength is in his mouth.

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