Commentaire sur Les Nombres 22:15

ויוסף עוד בלק שלח שרים, Balak sent additional princes, etc. This means that he sent both the original emissaries as well as additonal higher ranking ones. We deduce this from the word מאלה, "than these." Unless the original emissaries were present with the additional ones the word מאלה makes no sense. The Torah should then have written the word מהם, "than those." The reason that Balak sent the original emissaries along was so as to prevent Bileam from denying what these emissaries had reported in his name.

רבים, more numerous than the previous delegation. ונכבדים, more distinguished and of higher rank than the earlier delegation.

V. 15. ויסף עוד בלק. Balak kannte seinen Mann, er ließ sich durch die erste Weigerung nicht von fernerem Versuche abhalten. ויסף עוד בלק bildet einen selbständigen Satz, daher der satzteilende Akzent auf בלק und daher auch das שלח שרים .עוד diesmal schickte er wirkliche Fürsten und zwar in größerer Anzahl und von höherem Range.

שרים רבים, “more and higher ranking emissaries.” We have a parallel for this in Esther 1,8 where the word רב in the singular is used in the same sense, i.e. על כל רב ביתו, “over the highest ranking officials of his household.” Compare also Jeremiah 39,13: וכל רבי מלך בבל, ”and all the commanders of the King of Babylonia.”

The word ויוסף may also indicate that Balak sent a larger number of emissaries than the first time. We could not have deduced this if the Torah had only written: וישלח עוד שרים רבים. I would then have understood the word רבים to mean that he did not send fewer delegates than the first time.