וישלח מלאכים אל בלעם בן בעור פתורה (שם שם ה). שם עירו, ויש אומרים שולחני היה שהיו מלכי אומות העולם נמלכים בו, כשולחני שהכל מריצים לו, ויש אומרים בתחלה פותר חלומות היה, חזר להיות קוסם, וחזר לרוח הקודש. (Numb. 22:5:) AND HE SENT MESSENGERS TO BALAAM BEN BEOR AT PETHOR. <Pethor (petor) was> the name of his city.12Tanh., Numb. 7:4, cont.; Numb. R. 20:7; Sanh. 105ab. But others say that <the name implies> he was a money-changer,13Since pator in Aramaic denotes a table, these interpreters would read the clause: AND HE SENT MESSENGERS TO BALAAM BEN BEOR AT A MONEY-CHANGER’S TABLE. Cf. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 23:16. since the kings of the nations of the world took counsel with him, as the money-changer to whom they all would rush. Still others say that in the beginning he was an interpreter (poter) of dreams. He turned to being a diviner. Then he turned to the Holy Spirit.14See Numb. 24:2.
ארץ בני עמו (שם). שמשם היה בלק, והוא אמר לו סופך למלוך. (Numb. 22:5, cont.:) TO THE LAND OF HIS KINSFOLK, for Balak came from there; and <Balaam> had told him: Your destiny is to become king.
לקרוא לו (שם). שכתב לו לא תהא סבור שלעצמי בלבד אתה עשה, ואני לבדי מכבדך, אם תעקרם מכל האומות אתה מתכבד, וכנענים ומצרים הכל משתחוים לך. (Numb. 22:5, cont.:) TO SUMMON HIM. Thus he wrote him: Do not suppose that it is for myself alone that you are doing this and that I alone am honoring you. If you uproot them, you shall receive honor from all the nations, so that the Canaanites and the Egyptians shall all bow down to you.
הנה עם יצא ממצרים (שם) א"ל אתה מה איכפת לך, א"ל הנה כסה את עין הארץ (שם), שתי עינים שהארץ תלויה בהן, סיחון ועוג, החרימום וכיסו עיניהם (Numb. 22:5, cont.:) HERE IS A PEOPLE THAT HAS COME OUT OF EGYPT. He said to him: As for you, how does it concern you? He said to him (in Numb. 22:5, cont.): LOOK, THEY HAVE COVERED THE FACE (literally: EYE) OF THE EARTH. <There are> two eyes upon which the earth depends, Sihon and Og. They have destroyed them and covered their eyes.
והוא יושב ממולי (שם). ממלי כתיב, כד"א בשם ה' כי אמילם (תהלים קיח יא). (Numb. 22:5, cont.:) NOW THEY ARE DWELLING OPPOSITE ME (MMWLY). <What is actually> written <in the biblical text> is MMLY (from the root, MWL, which means, "cut off"), just as it says (in Ps. 118:11): IN THE NAME OF THE LORD I CUT THEM OFF (rt.: MWL).15With the word rewritten in this sense, the end of Numb. 22:5 reads: NOW THEY ARE DWELLING <THERE> CUTTING ME OFF. This interpretation of Numb. 22:5 is also given by Rashi, ad loc.