Bosor

Bosor is the Chaldee or Aramaic form of the name Beor, used in 2 Peter 2:15 where the apostle describes false teachers as those who “have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved gain from wrongdoing.” Beor (Bosor) was the father of Balaam the prophet-for-hire from Pethor, who was hired by Balak king of Moab to curse Israel during the wilderness period (Num. 22–24; Deut. 23:4).

Peter's use of the Aramaic form Bosor rather than the Hebrew Beor may reflect a Palestinian Aramaic pronunciation current in his day, or it may represent a wordplay on the Hebrew basar (flesh), emphasizing Balaam's carnal motivation. Jude 11 similarly cites Balaam as an example of greed-driven apostasy, and Revelation 2:14 refers to the “teaching of Balaam” as a designation for the compromise of Christian integrity for financial gain—giving the name Balaam lasting currency as a symbol of mercenary religious influence.