Βαλάκ G0904
Balak, the Moabite king; the ruler who hired Balaam to curse Israel
This proper noun designates Balak, the Moabite king who hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel during their wilderness journey (Numbers 22-24). In Revelation 2:14, Jesus rebukes the church at Pergamum for tolerating those who follow 'the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel.' The reference recalls Balaam's strategy of enticing Israel into idolatry and immorality when curses failed. Balak embodies the hostile Gentile ruler who seeks Israel's destruction through spiritual seduction rather than military force. Jesus' allusion warns that the ancient compromises are recycled in new forms within the church.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The evidence simply transliterates the name (Balak, Balac) across languages, confirming its identity as the Moabite king. Revelation 2:14 invokes Balak to recall the Numbers narrative: he couldn't curse Israel directly, so he used Balaam to induce them to curse themselves through sin—a cautionary tale of compromise that Jesus applies to the Pergamene church's toleration of false teaching. 1×
AR["بالاقَ"]·ben["বালাককে"]·DE["Balak"]·EN["Balak"]·FR["Balak"]·heb["בָּלָק"]·HI["बालाक-को"]·ID["Balak"]·IT["balak"]·jav["Balak"]·KO["발락"]·PT["Balaque"]·RU["Валака"]·ES["Balac"]·SW["Balaki"]·TR["Balak'a"]·urd["بلق"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
Βαλάκ, ὁ, indecl. (Heb. בָּלָק), Balak; (Num.22:2): Rev.2:14.† (From Abbott-Smith. LSJ has no entry)