Balak 23:05 · unit 1 — word placed in his mouth
Parashas Balak · Aliyah 4 · Passuk 5 · TT unit 1
The Complete Passuk
וַיָּ֧שֶׂם יְהֹוָ֛ה דָּבָ֖ר בְּפִ֣י בִלְעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֛אמֶר שׁ֥וּב אֶל־בָּלָ֖ק וְכֹ֥ה תְדַבֵּֽר׃
And Hashem put a word in Bilam’s mouth, and said: Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.
Chabad.org — 23:5
Source Citation
Torah Temimah: Sanhedrin 105b — R. Eliezer: an angel; R. Yonasan: a bit was placed in his mouth.
Sefaria — Sanhedrin 105b
Core Text of Chazal
Core Text
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: מַלְאָךְ; רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן אָמַר: חֵכֶה נָתַן לְתוֹךְ פִּיו.
English: It was taught: R. Eliezer says: an angel; R. Yonasan said: He placed a bit in his mouth.
Type of Learning
Dispute on the mechanism of forced speech.
What Is Learned
Bilam did not freely invent blessing — either an angel spoke through him or his mouth was physically constrained to Hashem’s word.