Why did Balak hire Balaam to curse Israel?
Balak, the king of Moab, hired Balaam the false prophet to curse Israel because he knew he couldn't defeat them militarily, since there were too many. He sought a curse as an alternative, but God wouldn't let Balaam curse Israel.
Les explains that Balak, king of Moab, brought Balaam the false prophet over to curse Israel because Balak knew he couldn't defeat them militarily—there were too many. God wouldn't let Balaam curse them. So Balaam had a satanically inspired thought and told the Moabites to put their prettiest girls out where Jewish young men could be seduced by them. It worked, and God let judgment fall; 23,000 Jews had to be put to death because they had lost their separated character. God had mandated that Israel stay separated from the Gentiles.
More Questions
How did Balaam try to harm Israel when he could not curse them?
After God would not let Balaam curse Israel, Balaam came up with a satanically inspired plan to have Moabite women seduce the Jewish young men, and it worked.