Lexical Summary
Pthowr: Pethor
Original Word:פְתוֹר
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Pthowr
Pronunciation:peh-THOR
Phonetic Spelling:(peth-ore')
KJV: Pethor
Word Origin:[of foreign origin]
1. Pethor, a place in Mesopotamia
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Pethor
Of foreign origin; Pethor, a place in Mesopotamia -- Pethor.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — with locative
Numbers 22:5, , A ;
Deuteronomy 23:5, but omitted ; — compare Assyrian
Pitru (on western bank of upper Euphrase) Schr
KGF 220; COT
Numbers 22:5 Dl Pa 269 Dr Hastings DB; Egyptian
Pe-d-ru WMM
As.u.Eur:291.
[] see .
Topical Lexicon
Biblical ReferencesNumbers 22:5;Deuteronomy 23:4
Historical and Geographic Context
Pethor was the hometown of Balaam son of Beor, situated “by the Euphrates” (Numbers 22:5). Ancient Near-Eastern texts place it in northern Mesopotamia near Carchemish, along a major caravan route linking Syria, Anatolia, and Assyria. Its strategic location exposed it to diverse religious influences and made it a fitting base for a professional diviner whose reputation reached Moab.
Role in the Balak–Balaam Narrative
King Balak of Moab summoned Balaam from Pethor to curse Israel during their wilderness journey. Pethor therefore stands at the narrative’s threshold between pagan divination and divine revelation. The city’s distant setting intensifies the drama: Israel’s advance so troubled Moab that Balak sought supernatural aid from hundreds of miles away. By highlighting Pethor, Scripture exposes the futility of human schemes opposed to God’s covenant promises.
Spiritual Significance
1. Contest of Loyalties: Balaam’s origin in Pethor underscores his outsider status. Though familiar with the name of the LORD, his heart remained tethered to the profit-driven culture of his homeland (2 Peter 2:15;Jude 11).
2. Supernatural Conflict: Pethor represents an alternative spiritual center to Zion. The episode contrasts the hired enchantments of Mesopotamia with the freely given blessing of God on His people.
3. Revelation of Divine Sovereignty: Despite Balaam’s ties to Pethor, every oracle he delivered proclaimed Yahweh’s irrevocable favor on Israel. The city that produced a famous seer is shown powerless to overturn the word of God.
Later Biblical Reflection
Deuteronomy 23:4 recalls Pethor to warn Israel against alliances with nations that employed spiritual hostility. Subsequent prophets label sorcery an abomination (Isaiah 47:9-13;Micah 5:12), echoing the Pethor incident as a paradigm of illegitimate mediation.
Intertestamental and Rabbinic Perspectives
Jewish tradition identified Pethor with Pitru near Carchemish, emphasizing its Assyrian links. Rabbinic commentators highlighted Balaam’s Pethor background to contrast prophetic inspiration (Moses) with divinatory manipulation (Balaam).
New Testament Connections
The New Testament cites Balaam as a cautionary example (2 Peter 2:15;Revelation 2:14). By extension, Pethor functions as a symbol of worldly enticement that infiltrates the church when spiritual leaders pursue gain over truth.
Ministry Applications
• Discernment: Leaders must evaluate teaching origins. A respected reputation from a distant “Pethor” does not guarantee alignment with God’s will.
• Integrity: Financial motives can corrupt ministry, as Balaam’s journey from Pethor shows.
• Confidence in Blessing: God’s promises stand firm despite sophisticated opposition originating from any cultural or geographic center.
Theological Themes
Providence over geography; the ineffectiveness of curse against covenant; the peril of syncretism; and the triumph of divine revelation over human enchantment.
Summary
Pethor serves Scripture as more than a geographic footnote. It is the launchpoint of a dramatic encounter demonstrating that no power—however exotic or professionally religious—can thwart the blessing God has ordained for His people.
Forms and Transliterations
מִפְּת֛וֹר מפתור פְּ֠תוֹרָה פתורה mip·pə·ṯō·wr mippeTor mippəṯōwr pə·ṯō·w·rāh Petorah pəṯōwrāh
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