One of the first prophets mentioned in the Bible was the Midianite Balaam. Whilst the Israelites were still on their way to their promised land, the king of Moab, Balak, hired him to curse the Israelite people. In those days the prophetic word was treated extremely seriously, and to curse meant to do real, not symbolic, harm. Balaam agreed, saddled his donkey and set off ...

Anyone familiar with the expression "Valaam's donkey" knows what happened next. It became stubborn, did not want to go forward, despite the beatings, and even pressed its master's leg against the wall. And when he became furious and wanted to kill her, she spoke to him with a human voice - and showed her master an angel, who was blocking the way. The angel, however, allowed the prophet to go to his "employer", but only under one condition: Balaam must utter the prophecy that the Lord would give him, and not the one for which he was promised payment. There was, of course, a deeper meaning in the donkey's behaviour: it was about the message, not the messenger. Of course, the wordless animal was no greater or better than the famous prophet, but it was the animal that helped him to recognise the will of God. Similarly, Balaam and any seer and visionary is not a great guru, but only a middleman who helps other people to know the will of God. So Balaam went to Balak and pronounced blessings instead of curses, because the Lord told him to do so (Num 22-24).

Andrew Desnitsky

This expression is used ironically to describe a silent and submissive person who suddenly speaks up and protests.

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