Field of Zophim

Biblical Text

The field of Zophim is a place name that appears only once, in Numbers 23:14. When Israel encamped on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan, Balak, king of Moab, summoned Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22:1-6).

At the first site, the high places of Baal, Balaam did not curse Israel but blessed it instead. Balak then proposed going to another place from which only the outermost part of Israel's camp could be seen, and he brought Balaam "into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah" (Numbers 23:13-14). There Balak built seven altars and offered a bullock and a ram on each altar. Yet once again Balaam delivered words of blessing (Numbers 23:18-24). This is Balaam's second oracle (a prophetic utterance received from God and delivered to others). Afterward Balak moved once more, to the top of Peor (Numbers 23:27-28).

Name and Location

The name "Zophim" is connected with a Hebrew word meaning "to watch" or "to keep watch," and it is commonly interpreted as "field of the watchmen" or "lookout." The name appears to have been given to elevated terrain commanding a distant view.

Pisgah refers to a ridge, or one of its peaks, on the Moabite plateau northeast of the Dead Sea. Pisgah is also where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death (Deuteronomy 34:1). Pisgah is thought to lie in the vicinity of Mount Nebo, but the exact location of the field of Zophim has not been identified.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The heart of the oracle delivered at the field of Zophim is the declaration that God, unlike man, does not lie and does not repent: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent" (Numbers 23:19). The point of the scene is that even though Balak changed locations and offered sacrifices, the blessing God had already pronounced could not be reversed. The same idea recurs in 1 Samuel 15:29, Titus 1:2, and Hebrews 6:18.

The oracle confesses that God brought Israel out of Egypt, recalling the Exodus (Numbers 23:22). The New Testament does not mention the field of Zophim directly. It does, however, cite Balaam as an example of greed and of leading others astray (2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, Revelation 2:14).

Interpretation and Debate

The text devotes only a single verse to the field of Zophim. Any spiritual meaning attached to the place name belongs to the realm of interpretation.

• The reason for changing locations: Balak took Balaam to a place from which he could see only "the utmost part" of Israel. Many interpreters see behind this an ancient Near Eastern magical notion that a curse takes effect only when its object is seen. Numbers 24:1 records that at the third site Balaam "went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments," and some read this as evidence that he had sought omens at the earlier sites. Some also connect the name "field of the watchmen" with the observation of omens, but this remains speculative.
• "Neither ... that he should repent": In contrast to Numbers 23:19, passages such as Genesis 6:6 and Jonah 3:10 speak of God changing His course. Various traditions generally explain the latter expressions as descriptions accommodated to human language. The Reformed tradition tends to place greater emphasis on the unchangeableness of God's will, while Wesleyan theology tends to highlight as well God's working in and through human repentance and response.
• "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob" (Numbers 23:21): This verse is sometimes preached in connection with justification, as describing how God views His covenant people. Other interpreters, however, pointing to Numbers 25, where Israel soon sins at Baal-peor, read the verse not as a declaration that the people were without sin but as a statement of God's covenantal protection.

In the Korean Church

The place name "field of Zophim" itself is rarely the subject of a sermon. Numbers 23:19, which comes from the oracle delivered there, is frequently quoted in sermons on the faithfulness of God and the certainty of His promises.