In A Word, thanatos.

Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." (Numbers 22:29, italics mine)

Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba- the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. (Numbers 31:8, italics mine)

There was a song I learned in Sunday school when I was three or four years old:

"Oh be careful, little mouth, what you say..."

Balaam, in his zeal to pursue sinful behavior, spoke a word of 'death by the sword' to the donkey he was riding. And I believe it was not simply ironic that Balaam died the way he did: I believe it was a divine response to Balaam's error- the error of wrong thoughts, murderous thoughts, thoughts of prospering at the expense of the suffering of an entire nation, wrong thoughts of endeavoring to curse what God has blessed.

The promise of God to Abram still speaks: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse" (see Genesis 12:1-3).

How is it that a man, aware of the program and plan of God, still chose to seek to curse the nation that held God's favor? We'll reflect on this question tomorrow.