עַל־כֵּ֞ן לִבִּ֤י לְמוֹאָב֙ כַּחֲלִלִ֣ים יֶהֱמֶ֔ה וְלִבִּי֙ אֶל־אַנְשֵׁ֣י קִֽיר־חֶ֔רֶשׂ כַּחֲלִילִ֖ים יֶהֱמֶ֑ה עַל־כֵּ֛ן יִתְרַ֥ת עָשָׂ֖ה אָבָֽדוּ׃
Karena itu, hatiku merintih bagi Moab seperti seruling, dan hatiku merintih seperti seruling bagi orang-orang Kir-Heres; karena itu, kekayaan berlimpah yang telah dikumpulkannya telah lenyap.
Akeidat Yitzchak
Midrash Rabbah Numbers, 20, states that the verse in Deut. 32,4 "the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, tells us that G'd has granted equal opportunities to the gentiles. If Israel possessed outstanding kings, so did the nations of the world. King Solomon's grandeur had been matched by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Yet, whereas Solomon used his position to build a temple for the Lord, composed prayers and hymns, Nebuchadnezzar cursed G'd, and declared war against Him. (Isaiah 14,14) David used the wealth granted him to fund the building of the temple. Haman used his wealth to obtain permission to wipe out the Jewish nation. Since the Jewish people had been given the prophet Moses, G'd had assigned Bileam to the nations of the world. The difference between the two lay in the fact that whereas Moses and other Jewish prophets warned their people against sin, Bileam seduced people into sinful behaviour, causing them to forfeit their share in the world to come. Jewish people exhibited compassion not only for their own people, but also for other nations. (Jeremiah 48,36, Ezekiel 27,2) Bileam, on the other hand, was bent on the destruction of an entire nation that had not committed an offence. This portion of the Torah is recorded to explain to the world why G'd removed His holy spirit from the nations of the world forthwith.