Balak

[ bey-lak ]

noun

1. (in the Bible) a Moabite king who sent for Balaam to come and curse the Israelites.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Balak¹

From Hebrew Balaq, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a second round of contentious elections in mid-September, said in a news conference that Thursday’s revelations should “make clear that we will not stand idly by and let our enemies arm themselves with deadly weapons. Already this week, I told our enemies: Watch your actions. And today we say to them: ‘Dir balak — pay attention.’

From Washington Post

Handcarts rule – with shouts of “balak, balak” to warn all to move aside as they make their way through the narrow passages.

From The Guardian

Although the study's authors, Finkelstein, Nadav Na’aman and Thomas Römer, have theorized that Balak may have been an actual person, their "proposal is very tentative," Ronald Hendel, a professor of the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, told Live Science.

From Fox News

However, the researchers, led by the study's lead author, Israel Finkelstein, believe the letter "B" is there and it is not a reference to "beth," the Hebrew word for "house," but rather Balak.

From Fox News

Hendel also told Live Science that according to the Bible, King Balak existed 200 years prior to the tablet's creation, so a reference to him is unlikely.

From Fox News