Who can count the dust of Jacob, and know the number of the stock of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the just, and my last end be like to them.
מִ֤י מָנָה֙ עֲפַ֣ר יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּמִסְפָּ֖ר אֶת־רֹ֣בַע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל תָּמֹ֤ת נַפְשִׁי֙ מ֣וֹת יְשָׁרִ֔ים וּתְהִ֥י אַחֲרִיתִ֖י כָּמֹֽהוּ׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The sand representing Jacob symbolizes his descendants, who have increased in number to such an extent that the entirety of Israel cannot be counted. ‘And let my end be like theirs!’ Yet, both the nation and Balaam met their demise, and a blessing became a curse, as the Hebrews suffered from the affliction. Balaam fell alongside the Midianites, whom he had cursed, and who were defeated by the Hebrews.
Let my spirit perish among the spirits of the just, surrendering to this earthly existence, that I might obtain the grace of everlasting life among the righteous. Herein lies the profound significance of the sacred sacrament of holy Baptism, through which individuals renounce their former sins and engage in deeds of righteousness, so that in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4), transformed by the heritage of the blessed, they may rise again with their moral excellence. It is truly remarkable that individuals forsake sin so they may live in communion with God (cf. Rom. 6:11).
You have cautioned me, dear brother, not to dread death. Oh, if my spirit could unite in death with yours! For this is the aspiration of Balaam, endowed with prophetic insight, who desires this highest blessing: let my spirit perish in the spirits of the just, and let my descendants be as theirs! Indeed, he longs for it: as prophesied, one who has witnessed the coming of Christ also perceives His victorious death and the promise of eternal resurrection for humanity. Thus, he is not afraid of death, for he believes in the resurrection¹. Therefore, may my spirit not succumb to sin nor embrace iniquity; instead, may it perish in the spirit of the righteous, so as to experience the peace of the just. Whoever dies in Christ shares in His grace through the waters of baptism.
There exists another kind of death, the one that concludes worldly desires, where it is not nature that succumbs but rather transgressions that are destroyed. This is the death we undergo in baptism, where we lose ourselves in Christ and die with Him to the ways of this world (see Rom. 6:10; Col. 3:3; Gal. 4:3), leaving behind past actions. Balaam, in his prophetic utterance, wished to experience this death in order to live for God, saying: let my spirit perish with the righteous, and let my descendants be as their offspring.
In his initial parable, Balaam notes that even though the king of Moab summoned him from Mesopotamia to pronounce a curse on the Israelites, he is unable to do so because this people has the singular favor of God. They are distinctly chosen among all nations and are as countless as the grains of sand by the sea. Consequently, Balaam expresses a desire to perish among this people, for such would be the death of a just individual. It is understood that later, the Jewish nation faced rejection from God, and the Hebrews took for granted their unique standing and extraordinary blessings from God. This context illuminates the essence of Balaam's declaration, which, in its true meaning, is applicable only to spiritual Israel under the new covenant, or the body of Christ.
It is this Church that the Lord cherished deeply and willingly gave Himself for (Eph. 5:25). This community indeed encompasses the vast multitude in existence, and only a Christian's death in unity with Christ the Redeemer can truly be deemed righteous and desirable.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS